Proceeding from west to east, the region of Bramaterra includes the townships of Masserano, Brusnengo, Curino, Roasio, Sostegno, Villa del Bosco and Lozzolo.

It is located to the immediate east of Lessona and covers an extended hilly strip as far as the western limit of Biella province, in the portion of Upper Piedmont situated on the right bank of the Sesia river basin.

From the point of view of microclimate, seasonal performance of vines is much the same as in Lessona, despite lower average winter temperatures.

Bramaterra territory occupies the southern portion of the Rive Rosse, a large hilly zone that spreads for tens of kilometres. It is sparsely populated and is largely dominated by wild fauna and flora, with extended forests of oak, chestnut and birch.

Geologically, a ring of three distinct deposits of quartz porphyry, a coarse-grained igneous rock formed from gas-rich Permian magma. In Sostegno, these flank a deposit of carbonate rock along with extensive deposits of sand and clay of marine origin (especially in the most easterly part).

The Bramaterra estate is positioned on a block of red porphyry, mostly worn down from the prolonged action of atmospheric agents, with intermittent clay deposits of varying density.

The original nucleus of the Bramaterra estate, established at the end of the 19th century, comprised just a few hectares of vineyard.

Over the course of the 20th century, successive plantings brought the area under vines to about 20 hectares, in a single parcel. Today this is one of the largest single-proprietor vineyards in the whole of Upper Piedmont.

The vineyards are in a large band of rolling hills at an elevation of between 270 and 350 metres above sea level. The loose volcanic soil has an acidic pH and passes from pale yellow to dark red to brown, depending on the level of oxidation.

On average the vineyards are about 45 years old, while the most recent plantings were carried out about 15 years ago.

In contrast, the vineyard used for the “I Porfidi” selection on the estate’s highest hill is much older: it was planted in 1933 on a vein of pure red-brown porphyry.

Vineyard management, as regards vineyard operations and fertilising, follows the same principles as in the Lessona vineyards.

Almost all work, from winter pruning to harvest, is carried out by hand.

Vines are arranged in rows and Guyot-pruned with 8-10 buds.

In the older vineyards, selective thinning of clusters in summer isn’t necessary, because at fewer than 1000 grams per vine, yields are naturally low. In newer vineyards, careful selective thinning is carried out to ensure correct and balanced ripening.