From an ancient construction technique, ecological and sustainable, a dialogue between past and present and a distinctive sign in the Gavi landscape.
A dialogue between past and present and a distinctive sign in the Gavi landscape
The landscape of La Raia is not only determined by the spontaneous and cultivated nature, but also by its buildings: the manor house, the farmhouses inhabited by the peasants, the ancient Borgo Merlassino, the Locanda, once a post station, and of course the wine cellar, mainly built in rammed earth. The rammed earth building technique, the so-called pisé, is ancient and typical of the Novese, the area of lower Piedmont where La Raia is located. Earth has increasingly been used as a green building material for its ecological characteristics. The first is its good breathability, which makes it possible to build walls free of condensation, combined with its ability to regulate the air humidity, if it is too dry or too humid, and the total absence of indoor pollutants, which make it suitable for creating healthy environments. For all these reasons, we chose it to build a wall in our cellar in 2003, entrusting the project to Austrian architect and builder Martin Rauch, one of the international experts in this technique. La Raia's pisé wall is 30 metres long and five metres high, the most impressive work in pisé built in Italy. Years after the renovation of the cellar, during the philological restoration of Borgo Merlassino, a farming village on the northern border of La Raia, large parts of the central building made of pisé emerged, which we have preserved. And we decided that our cru would also be called Gavi Pisé!