- IMPORTANT ! -

&ldquoBAUCA&rdquo , and later the Latin &ldquoBOCHA&rdquo , were the two names given to the wide hilly area of the two adjoining vales of the Strona and the Sizzone streams, bordering on the territories of Cavallirio, Grignasco, Rasco, Castagnola, Zuccaro, Soriso, Borgomanero and Cureggio.The old settlement was composed by the ones of &lsquoPlazo&rsquo or &lsquoPiazo&rsquo (now Boca) and Muzano (now Maggiora).The living settlements were surrounded by old vineyards taking up only the lower hill, close to the houses.Right from the year 845 Bocha had to pay the &lsquoepiscopal revenue&rsquo a wine and cattle tribute. It belonged also to the &ldquoPombia Council&rdquo, then in 1025 it was passed to The Bishop of Novara, thanks to an imperial decree signed by Corrado II. Later on, in 1194 it was given from the Earls of Biandrate to the Earls of Vercellesi (1217), and again to the Earls of Biandrate. In 1311 the castle, held at the time by the Guelphs Cavallazzi, was destroyed by the Ghibellines. After having been taken by Galeazzo Maria Visconti and detached from Novara, the town/village was given as a feud to Francesco Barbavara in 1402. In 1449 the Duke Francesco Sforza divided Muzana (Maggiora) and Boca, which was given to Anchise Visconti d&rsquoAragona in 1514 and later on, at the end of the century, to the Viscardi family. In the end, on the 26th January 1675, the feud was sold to the Rovida family who owned it till the end of XVIII century. In 1738 the area became part of the Piemonte territory, under the Savoia. With a Royal Edict dated 7 March 1798, the feudal privileges came to an end, definitely cancelled by the Napoleonic Empire. The economy at the time was essentially based on agriculture: the dominant one was the vine cultivation.

Boca 1900 circa

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San Gaudenzio 1900

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Boca 1906

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Town Hall ex sede

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Collapsed in 1907

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Veduta aerea

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Boca 1916

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Boca 1937

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S. Gaudenzio ante 1968

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Panorama

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Boca 1995

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its name.

THE VINE

The vine is an ancient cultivation, and the early peasants were more interested in quantity than quality.  It was only later, during the Roman colonisation, that the vines were pruned and nurtured to produce a very good wine.  In fact, the wine was so good, it was used as currency, and became a very important income to the population.
The vine continued to be cultivated using the 'to altena' system, whereby the vine was supported from trees.  The vines grew to great heights, and harvesting had to be undertaken with ladders.  After about the year 1000, the Benedictine monks of Saint Nazzaro on Sesia introduced a new method of cultivation; attaching the vine to a pole that was anchored into the ground, and supporting the branches with sticks called 'topia'.  These improvements, together with methodical pruning, improved the quality and quantity of the wine.  Evidence of the wines of Bocas' quality are found from about 1300, when the nouarese writer, Peter Azario described this wine as 'without equal'.
In the beginning of the 17th century a further improvement called 'roncature' was introduced; this involved forming the vineyards into regular grids across the slope of the hillside.  But the vertical poles were not always strong enough, and sometimes they collapsed under the weight of the grape clusters.  It was the architect Alexander Antonelli from Maggiora, engineer of the 'Antonelliana's Tower' of Turin, and the Sanctuary of Boca, who found the first practical solution.  He arranged the poles at an oblique angle, so that the weight of the fruit was counterbalanced, and the vines were then stable.  Such a system is still used in old vineyards and called 'small square maggiorino'. (see pic below)

The aparocial church, dedicated to St. Gaudenzio is in the centre of Boca. It was constructed in the 16th century, the lateral nave was widened in 1682 and it contains the marmoreo greater altar of 1786.  In 1968 it was found to be in a dangerous state, and most was demolished, leaving only the side of the altar.

Wines' card:

 

Production Area : areas around the districts of Boca, Cavallirio, Maggiora, Prato Sesia and Grignasco.

 

Ageing: it cannot be put in sale not after it has aged for at least three years of which two in wooden barrels made of durmast or chestnut.

 

Composition: it can only be made from grapes of the following vines and proportions:

Nebbiolo (Spanna) 45-70%

Vespolina 20-40%

Bonarda max 20%

 

Maximum Output: the maximum output of grapes is of 90 quintals per hectare, but every year the Department of Agriculture decides the definite output, based on the seasonal trend.

 

Characteristics: the Boca is a red wine, perfect for a long ageing. It has a garnet red color that with age becomes with burgundy reflections, sapid, harmonious, dry flavour with a bitter bottom and medium alcohol percent of 12 degrees. Its smell is like a violet  and  a pomegranate finish. Serve at 64º - 67º Fahrenheit, 18º - 20º Celsius opening the bottle at least two hours before serving. It is a good food wine and, if aged in the right way, it is perfect even for roasted white meat, poultry, meat sstews.

The production quantity is very limited and this makes the Boca more precious.

 

Other famous Piedmonte DOC wines are: Barbera, Bramaterra, Dolcetto, Fara, Gavi, Grignolino, Nebbiolo, Roero.

www.bocaitaly.com