With a singular concentration on the Piedmont region of Italy, The Piedmont Guy has championed a select group of passionate winemaking families for nearly a decade. Ercole is their line of everyday wines upholding their commitment to honoring the work of the unsung heroes of Italy—the grape growers themselves. 

Ercole, whose English translation is Hercules, is only made possible by a generations-old cooperative of local growers in the Monferrato area. Every fall, these men and women cultivate pristine and sustainably farmed fruit. Small, independent cooperative wineries like this are not only the lifeblood of thousands of small growers across Italy but also repositories safeguarding the native grape varieties and winemaking traditions of their respective regions.

The cooperative behind Ercole works predominantly with old vines ranging from 30 to 50 years old. They work primarily with Monferrato’s indigenous grape varieties. The fruit from this increasingly popular area has created Ercole, a family of wines offering remarkable value. All participating growers adhere to the European Union rule for sustainable farming known as lotta integrata, or lutte raisonnée, though many are now certified organic. None of these growers use systemic treatments or chemicals, employing only minimal copper and sulfur. Both vinification and bottling are certified vegan.