Picture a winery and you probably see rolling hills, rows of vines as far as the eye can see and a stone house handed down for generations. Ucci is the exact opposite. The tanks, barrels and press sit in a few rooms of a house in Collegno, on the edge of Turin, among apartment blocks, streets and bus stops. It is an urban winery, and the moment we found it we knew it had to be on Vinclick.
A winery started from scratch, inside the house
Behind Ucci are Alessia Lenci and Mattia, known to their friends as "the Ucci". There is no family winemaking tradition: the project starts in 2016 with study, tastings and a lot of experimenting, helped by a winegrower friend who hosts them in his cellar and still advises them today. In 2019 they take the big step: they renovate part of their home and turn it into a cellar.
Alessia, originally from Tuscany, is an AIS sommelier and ONAV wine taster, and runs the vineyard and the cellar with the help of a consultant oenologist. Mattia looks after sales and lends a hand with the heavy work. Then there is Leo, their son, who gave his name to one of their wines.
If the winery is in the city, where are the vines?
It is the first thing everyone asks. Since 2023 the Ucci have farmed a small plot in Baldissero Torinese, on the hill overlooking Turin, brought back to life with careful pruning, new vines and controlled grassing. The grapes they still need come from trusted growers who farm without systemic products. The harvest and the winemaking, though, are always their own.
The method is artisanal in the most literal sense: no herbicides or chemical fertilisers, clover and rocket sown between the rows, fermentations started with a pied de cuve from their own grapes, no fining, and filtration only when essential. Punching down, bottling and labelling are all done by hand.
Two Piedmontese grapes, a handful of wines
The Ucci are not chasing a long list. They mostly work with two native Piedmontese grapes that deserve to be better known: Freisa and Timorasso.
Freisa has been grown between Asti and Turin since at least the sixteenth century, and in 2022 the Region named it Piedmont's grape of the year (page in Italian). A detail that fits Ucci perfectly: Turin is home to one of Europe's few urban vineyards, at Villa della Regina, and it is planted with Freisa.
Timorasso has an even more adventurous story: in the twentieth century it had almost disappeared, pushed aside by easier, higher-yielding grapes, and today it is considered one of Italy's great age-worthy whites. If you want to dig deeper, Scatti di Gusto tells the story of its revival (in Italian).
These are the Ucci wines you will find on Vinclick.
L'Ape Furibonda – Freisa
Pure Freisa, two weeks of maceration and two years in second-use barriques. Red fruit, flowers and spice, good body and a surprising ease of drinking. The red for anyone tired of the usual Piedmontese names. Discover L'Ape Furibonda
L'Equilibrista – Timorasso
Timorasso is a white that can age, and this one proves it: eighteen months in barrique on the fine lees and another year in bottle before release. Citrus, flowers, a touch of vanilla and minerality, a fresh, savoury palate. Treat it like a red: not too cold, and in no hurry. Discover L'Equilibrista
Il Sole di Leo – Rosé and sparkling rosé
Dedicated to little Leo. The rosé is Freisa vinified in pink: wild strawberry, rose and a good savoury edge, versatile at the table. The sparkling version (Charmat method, Extra Dry) has a twist: Freisa's tannins balance the softness, and the result is fresh and thirst-quenching. It was made for the Piedmontese merenda sinoira, the hearty late-afternoon spread. The rosé · The sparkling
Casa Ucci – White
The youngest, most carefree line: mainly Cortese, steel only, floral and savoury. A white with no frills, to open when the evening needs no explaining. Discover Casa Ucci
Why we chose them
At Vinclick we look for small independent producers with something real to tell. Ucci has a story you don't hear every day: a winery among the houses, born from two people's curiosity, working two Piedmontese grapes away from the spotlight. And, above all, the wines are good.
Alessia and Mattia share harvests and cellar work on Instagram @ucci.vini. It is worth a look.
If you want to taste Freisa in three different styles, or see how far Timorasso can go, start here.
