oca is one of the small gems of Piedmontese enology, since its production has never been developed in an extensive way. In origin, Boca is quite ancient and the wine has been known for many centuries outside of its natural confines. There are innumerable testimonials to the wine's reputation in the history of the Novara area. It was repeatedly reported that large supplies of Boca were provided to the Spanish army occupying the Milan district.The special nature of the soils in the hilly vineyards of Boca and Maggiora not only assures an excellent habitat for the ancient Nebbiolo variety but also provides ideal conditions for the growth of two other varieties that are now characteristic of the hilly zone and complementary to Nebbiolo. They are Bonarda Novarese amd Vespolina, both introduced some centuries ago.
Among those who have been involved in cultivating the Boca vines was architect Alessandro Antonelli, builder of the Mole Antonelliana. Antonelli improved the methods of cultivation, introducing new and more suitable techniques, including the planting system known as "a quadretti maggiorino."
With the spread of Christianity in the first millennium, wine acquired greater prestige because of its use in the liturgy. And, in the Novara area, the cultivation of vineyards was widely promoted by the monks of the various abbeys.
At Maggiora in the 18th century, Canon Gaetano Perrucconi, wine steward to the Bishop of Novara, drew on the produce of some old farms he owned at Castello San Lorenzo. Today, the Canon's heirs maintain their ancestor's standards of quality and the priest's image on the label of their Boca is a sure guarantee of that commitment.
