Marco Maria Crivelli is the president of the association of Ruche’ producers, a small group of farmers who fervently believe in the excellence of this rare grape varietal, indigenous to the province of Asti. His ancestors had planted vineyards in 1919, but the bottling of their wine began only in 1989. Now the farm has 8 hectares of vines grown without herbicides or pesticides. The soil is a combination of sand and hard tufa stone, so the vines are able to go very deep to get their nutrients and don’t suffer any hydric-stress during the hot summer months.  The focus of Crivelli is on the two traditional grapes of the area: Grignolino and Ruche’. Grignolino was described by Veronelli as an “anarchic” wine, difficult to understand but capable of offering unexpected pleasures if paired correctly with crustaceans or light white meats. The Ruche’ was nearly extinct because it requires a lot of care in the vineyards but, thanks to the parish priest of Castagnole Monferrato who in 1980 revived some Ruche’ vineyards, it is now produced by about 20 wineries, for a total of 400.000 bottles. In 2010 it has achieved the DOCG status. It is a wine of vibrant red color with violet tones in its youth. Its classic aroma is of geranium leaves, the mouthfeel is lush with very little acidity and good glycerine content. It pairs well with aged cheeses and game dishes.

Crivelli’s total production is 70.000 bottles.