Vini Ragerra

Agliano Terme, Asti, Piemonte

A young winery, set in the ancient hills of Monferrato in the province of Asti. Keith O’Gorman and his wife Laura found this special place in the Barbera boasting village of Agliano Terme. Their property came with an old 2.1 acres-vineyard, an old farmhouse and a fruit orchard. In the old days, farmers cultivated mixed polyculture vineyards, where it was common to plant various varietals together with little to no semblance of organization or design. These farmers crafted blends from multiple grape varieties because each added a unique element to the finished wine: Barbera for color, Grignolino for tannin and fruit, Moscato for sugar and sweetness and so forth. As monocultures are a man-made phenomenon and do not occur naturally, Keith took pride in his vineyard's diverse composition and thus crafted their Vino Rosso to honor this style. Each year brings a different blend, as they have 53 unique varietals growing on site, so this wine is the result of evolutionary experimentation. Each year they plant new species to continue the diversity of the project and wine.

All their wines are organically made, as they are strict disciples of bio-farming and regenerative viticulture though they have no certifications. Their land is treated like a garden where everything is done by hand, foregoing the use of heavy machinery and industrialized interference.

The winery’s name is a nod to Keith's Gaelic ancestors. “Ragaireacht (Ra-Gerra)”: An Irish Gaelic word for late night wandering or sitting up talking long into the early hours.