Solo Roero
In the high-altitude, steep sandy slopes north of the Tanaro river, Luca Faccenda and Carolina Roggero cultivate Nebbiolo and Arneis on the land that bears his family's name. Not Barolo. Not Barbaresco. Just Roero—perfumed, pretty, and unmistakably born from the Sabbie Astiane.
+ Luca Design + Oenology
Engineer meets Oenologist
They met in 2004. Carolina, an engineer with a passion for graphic design. Luca, an oenologist who grew up in the hills of Roero where his family has tended vines for generations. In 2010, when Luca reclaimed an expired grape contract for his family's land, they founded Valfaccenda—a stock of ideas that became a solid life project.
The name comes from a map dated 1749, where the valley appears as "Valle Faccenda." Today, Carolina designs the graphic identity of their wines while Luca practices "conservative enology"—vinification that neither takes away from nor adds anything to the natural transformation of the grapes.
We used to be the young ones, the new ones. At the very beginning we worked by hand all our vineyards, simply because we didn't have a tractor and we vinified without a proper cellar.
— On humble beginnings
Conservative Enology
Valfaccenda practices organic viticulture with some biodynamic principles, but in the cellar, Luca works without temperature control, using only indigenous yeasts. The wines are unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulfur. This is transparent winemaking—showing exactly what the steep sandy slopes of Roero can produce.
The Roero is defined by the Sabbie Astiane—ancient seabed sands that create perfumed, elegant wines fundamentally different from the marl-based power of Barolo. These are Nebbiolo wines of perfume and pretty charm, not blockbusters.
Everything is done by hand. The hills are too steep for tractors in many parcels—particularly Valmaggiore, planted in 1947, where the slope is so severe that manual labor is the only option. This is labor-intensive, detail-oriented farming.
We practice organics for ourselves and for the expression of our land. It's important for us to work in a manner that if our children want to carry on the work, they can.
— Luca Faccenda on stewardship
Five Sites, Steep Sands
The 3.5 hectares are scattered across five locations between 260-400 meters elevation: Valfaccenda and Madonna di Loreto in Canale; Le Rocche and San Grato; and the legendary Valmaggiore in Vezza d'Alba—a cru shared with Giacosa, Sandrone, and Brovia.
Valmaggiore — The original core dates to 1947. South/southeast exposure, sandy limestone soils with a hint of clay. The vineyard is so steep that a tractor cannot safely navigate it. Everything—harvesting, pruning, hoeing—is done by hand on these precipitous slopes.
Loreto & Mompellini
The home vineyards. East-facing sand-loam soils planted in 1998. These provide the heart of the Roero Rosso and the classic Arneis, with multiple harvest passes to preserve acidity and complexity.
SoloRoero Collective
Together with Alberto Oggero and Enrico Cauda, Luca founded SoloRoero to draw attention to the region. While Barolo enjoys world fame, the Roero struggles for recognition—despite producing Nebbiolo of remarkable elegance and early accessibility from these distinct sandy terroirs.
The Portfolio
From the flagship Riserva wines aged in cask to the playful "Bis" series and the picnic-perfect Vindabeive, each wine is labeled by Carolina's artistic hand—graphic design meets conservative enology.
Graphic Dress
Carolina designed the graphic identity of Valfaccenda. Every label, every curve of typography, every color choice reflects the intersection of engineering precision and artistic expression. The wines look as considered as they taste—clean, contemporary, yet deeply rooted.
She designed the graphic dress of Valfaccenda and he outlined the goals with a (self) critical and reflexive approach. She definitely changed her life becoming step by step a winemaker.
— On their collaboration