One man and his vines.

  • The Origins.

    For as long as he can remember, Paolo Malfatti wanted to work with nature. Growing up in Milan, childhood holidays in Langhe, in Montorte d’Alba inspired a love for this region. After studies in Agriculture, he did a Masters in Oenology at the University of Piacenza.

  • The Philosophy.

    After University, Paolo worked with various winemakers in Barolo, Franciacorta and Chianti. The inspiration to follow organic and biodynamic methods came to pass on acquiring the land as it was connected to a co-operative who followed these methods. in 1998, this was a choice against the grain and the general trend was to follow scientific methods.

  • The Development.

    After purchasing the land in 1998, Paolo decided to follow the traditions of this area. In addition to cultivating the vines over 4 hectares he planted 2 hectares of hazelnuts in order to continue the traditional agricultural traditions and biodiversity.

Uniting the Land.

Cascina Zerbetta derives its name from the dialect term ‘Zerba’ which means gerbido or wild.

The area where Cascina Zerbetta is based near to the historic town of Quargnento. Quargnento takes its name from the latin ‘Quadrigentum’; a military encampment from the Roman Empire so named because it was 400 miles from Rome.

Historically, every family had a small plot where they had their own vines for the production of wines for the family. As this is evident from the small plots marked out. With the progress of industries in Alessandria, many families decided to abandon these plots to go and work in industry. The vines became progressively abandoned until Paolo made the decision to unite them when he purchased the land 1998.

The Labels

When Cascina Zerbetta was first conceived, Paolo turned to his school friend, the artist and filmmaker Marco Corvo to design the labels. Paolo has always been inspired by the sea and he wanted the label to allude to a ship’s sail. At the same time he wanted to reflect a sense of history in line with his traditional winemaking methods, and so the animals were derived from Medieval manuscripts.

For 2023, Paolo decided to consider a new expression of this idea. And so he turned to a designer in London, Lorenzo Dziedusyzcki, to conceive a design that also reflects Cascina Zerbetta’s connection to the land and the nature.

The lively label of the beloved Shan Pan is inspired by the work of the American cartoonist, Robert Crumb, and is designed by the artist Marco Corvo.