The Soul of Colli Tortonesi is Walter Massa
Long before sommeliers began whispering his name with reverence, before Timorasso became the cult grape of Piemonte, Walter Massa was working in near-obscurity in the forgotten hills of Colli Tortonesi, convinced that this land still had a great future in wine. Before Vigneti Massa was voted Winery of the Year, everyone told him he was wrong. He kept going anyway. Today, when you get lost on the road to Monleale Alto, the nearly abandoned hilltop village at the heart of the appellation, start asking for Walter 100 kilometers out. The gas station attendant knows him. The farmers know him. The neighboring winemakers know him. This place lives through his passion.
The 2024 Vigneti Walter Massa “Terra” Rosso is a beautiful, immediate expression of that vision and the most joyful way to meet the reds of Vigneti Massa.
“Terra” is Walter’s all-cement Barbera, made without wood, and it shows: pure fruit, raw energy, and a wild sense of place. It’s a fun, slightly funky daily drinker, the kind of wine you open on a Tuesday and accidentally finish. In his cellar, Walter keeps cavernous cement tanks, and people from all over Italy arrive with glass jugs to fill them straight from those tanks. That is the spirit of this wine. It’s made to share.
Colli Tortonesi itself is a mosaic of clay, chalk, stone, and sand, lying 200–300 meters above sea level, where warm days meet cool nights and the wines develop both depth and natural energy. Walter farms just 22 hectares across eight distinct vineyard sites, producing only about 13,000 cases annually, working almost exclusively with local grapes such as Croatina, Barbera, Freisa, and Nebbiolo. Everything he makes is personal. Everything begins with the land.
In the glass, “Terra” is pure Massa: full-bodied yet lifted, with dark fruit, warm earth, and savory minerality. Think elongated curves; broad, flowing shapes refined by sharp, angular focus. The acidity moves like a young Muhammaed Ali with power but agile footwork, keeping the wine fresh, energetic, and dangerously drinkable from first sip to last.
This is not a simple house red. It is the sound and fury of Colli Tortonesi. This is a wine born of belief, patience, and an unshakable connection to place. Sitting at Walter’s table, with his family, vineyard crew, and neighbors drifting in and out, he never speaks about himself. He speaks about the land. That is exactly what you taste here.
