Robiola di Roccaverano PDO.

Landscape of the Alta Langa

As with great wines, soil, altitude and exposure produce important differences for this PDO. Milk encapsulates the taste of the earth, flowers, grass, and the bacterial flora of the pasture. The proximity to the Ligurian Sea, and thus the influence of the Sirocco wind, determines the mild climate and makes some typically Mediterranean essences grow: rosemary, sage, laurel, but also the wild herbaceous species of the so-called "robiola pastures."

A story of dedication and endurance

Milk from an indigenous breed, listed as one of the local endangered breeds, is also used in the production of Robiola di Roccaverano: the Roccaverano goat. The isolation of these hills facilitated the development of this valuable local breed, however, around 1970, the size of the head count of this goat population dropped alarmingly, until it was in danger of disappearing.

Fortunately, the irreparable did not happen in Roccaverano, thanks mainly to the presence of small producers, who have maintained forms of breeding with the use of pasture even for 8 or 9 months of the year. This dedication has allowed the breed to be preserved and today enables its revival.

Grazing goats

The appeal of this cheese thus stems from the centuries-old link with the land and the resilience of the small farmers, who have continued to cheese on their own. Today, Robiola di Roccaverano is produced by about sixty small farms (and by an unspecified number for direct consumption only) and has won a place on the quality market, even outside of lower Piedmont. The Slow Food Presidium of "Robiola di Roccaverano Classica" was born here, and there are about ten producers who have chosen organic farming.