AFTER TUSCANY AND UMBRIA, SAIAGRICOLA, THE INVESTMENT COMPANY BEHIND CONSTRUCTOR SALVATORE LIGRESTI, ATTEMPTS TO CONQUER WINERY PRODUCTION IN PIEDMONT. A NEW STAKE IN BARBERA AND MOSCATO D’ASTI PRODUCTION WITH THE ARBIOLA ESTATE

After investing in Salvatore Ligresti’s endeavors at wineries in Tuscany (at the Fattoria del Cerro, La Poderina, Villetta Monterufoli), and in Umbria (Còlpetrone), financial investment group Saiagricola is now trying its hand at wine enterprises in the Piedmont region: the investment group Fondiaria-Sai of Salvatore Ligresti has signed an agreement to manage the Arbiola Estate that produces Barbera and Moscato d’Asti in their vineyards between Monferrato and le Langhe in the Nizza Valley. The estate is located in the Municipality of San Marzano Oliveto (Asti) and is made up of a total 25 hectares (16 of which are cultivated vineyards). The property of Arbiola is owned by Domenico Terzano, the general manager of “Auto Presto & Bene”, a network of high level auto repair centers owned by the Fondiaria-Sai group. The Arbiola Estate, whose name probably derives from the presence of olive trees, which in the past were able to survive in the area, has been a working enterprise since 1992 when it was founded by Domenico Terzano and his son Riccardo.

Negotiations were conducted directly with the president of the group, Salvatore Ligresti, who signed a three year rental agreement with which Saiagricola will take over total management of the company and not just the winery and vineyards, but all of the agritourism units and the restaurant that is currently run by Toni Festa. The wine production will be exclusively “tappo raso” Barbera and Moscato d’Asti, which represents the highest level of quality for this type of wine production.

Saiagricola has concentrated its wine production, (“supervised” by Lorenzo Landi), above all in Tuscany with the Fattoria del Cerro (Nobile di Montepulciano), La Poderina (Brunello di Montalcino), Villetta Monterufoli (Val di Cornia) wineries, as well as in Umbria with Còlpetrone (Sagrantino di Montefalco). Until now, Saiagricola had only been involved in the production of high quality rice in the Piedmont region with the historic Cascina Veneria company. With this latest agreement to begin wine production, the group has consolidated itself in the top winemaking terroir of Italy.