The Novara hills are an emerging area in the Italian wine panorama.

They belong to a more extended area called Northern Piedmont to which also Gattinara and Lessona belong.
Located in the north vis-à-vis Novara, in the central part of the province, it is enclosed between the Sesia river in the west and the Ticino river in the east.

The height is between about 200 and 400 meters above sea level.

There are 25 municipalities included in this territory: Barengo, Boca, Bogogno, Ghemme, Borgomanero, Briona, Cavaglietto, Cavaglio d’Agogna, Cavallirio, Cureggio Cressa, Fara Novarese, Grignasco, Fontaneto d’Agogna, Gattico, Maggiora, Marano Ticino, Mezzomerico, Oleggio, Prato Sesia, Romagnano Sesia, Sizzano, Suno, Vaprio d’Agogna and Veruno.

Nine of these municipalities are recognized as “wine towns”: Boca, Bogogno, Briona, Fara Novarese, Ghemme, Mezzomerico, Romagnano Sesia, Sizzano and Suno.

The viticulture in this territory has very ancient traditions, it was done since several centuries thanks to the microclimate which is particularly favorable, depending on the proximity of the Monte Rosa, the mountains of Valsesia and a ground composed by clay, sand and stones of moraine origin.
It is easy to find in the ground very ancient shells.

Novara hills The Novara hills are not a homogeneous hilly territory but they are composed by several plateaus which are extended mainly in a North-South direction, alternating with flat valleys where there are the main rivers and the streets going from Novara to the North.

The territory of the Novara hills produces several DOC and DOCG wines. These are important and full-bodied wines which are very suitable for aging.

Already Pliny the Elder during the Roman Empire period chanted the praises of these wines in his “Naturalis Historia”.

The most important and renowned denominations are 4, each of them belonging to a precise production area in the homonymous municipality: Boca, Fara, Ghemme and Sizzano, which became DOC in 1969.

In 1994 the DOC “Novara Hills” was instituted, whose production is allowed to all the 25 municipalities of the district and is diversified in seven types.

In 1997 the Ghemme DOC obtained the DOCG acknowledgement and is produced today in the types Ghemme DOCG and Ghemme DOCG Riserva.

The main traditional vineyards are:

Nebbiolo, present in all aging wines (Boca DOC, Fara DOC, Ghemme DOCG, Sizzano DOC).
This wine expresses in this area a high acidity which gives the wine longevity and structure.

The other vineyards are:

Barbera
Croatina
Uva Rara or Bonarda Novarese
Vespolina
The main white wine is Erbaluce, also called “Greco”, it is an autochthonous variety of white grapes with slightly different features from the homonymous vineyards which is cultivated in other areas of the Piedmont (Erbaluce of Caluso).

We can organize trips in the wineries with possibility of wine tasting, direct shopping and visits to wine cellars and vineyards. Transfer included.
Here are the wineries we collaborate with: Cantalupo, Cascina Zoina, Rovellotti, Bianchi, etc.