Torelli #134
1st italian BIO with Moscato d’Asti wine
In the south of the Province of Asti (Piedmont Region), among the picturesque hills covered with vineyards and decorated with medieval castles and monasteries, the lands of the Langa of Asti (Langa Astigiana) are hiding. It is here that the winery of the Torelli family is located; nowadays, it is managed by Mr. Gianfranco Torelli, the representative of the fourth generation of the famous winemakers’ dynasty. The family traditionally adheres to environment-friendly approaches, implements methods of organic agriculture, and complies with biomethods of growing vines, which is confirmed by the respective certificates held by the winery. However, it is the locality itself that dictates such principles historically. Bubbio’s town which is located nearby, is the first to have been recognized at the national level as an anti-transgenic town by prohibiting the cultivation and breeding of both plant and animal living organisms obtained by genetic manipulation throughout the municipal area.
The pioneers of organic vine-growing and winemaking
The winery became famous all over the world for the remarkable flavors and organoleptic bouquets of its organic wines. Incidentally, it is renowned for setting a record: the first BIO certified wine made from organic grapes in Italy was born in these cellars – the winery was the first one in Italy to obtain T000001 certificate for its Moscato d’Asti 1992 in January 1993. It produces the most elegant traditional sparkling wines of Asti DOCG, Piemonte DOC, which were specifically made to bring joy to the world. In addition to the sparkling wines, it produces still wines, luxurious sweet passitos, as well as dry vermouths and grappas.
Tours and tastings
It is not only the wine made by this winemakers’ dynasty, but also the holiday in Torelli’s vineyards called “Vignette in Vigna”, initiated by Gianfranco Torelli, as well as by the famous artist Roberto Giannotti, and Paola Arpione, agritourism chef from “Tre Colline in Langa”, that are extremely popular with enogastronomic tourists who are magnetized by the attractions along Asti’s wine routes. To get to the winery of Gianfranco Torelli precisely during celebration of this holiday, which demonstrates the symbiosis of art and enogastronomy, is a true experience for the most sophisticated tourists.
If you visit the Torelli winery, you will be offered a tour around a small but expressive Wine Museum, where you will be able to get to know the history of the family, the region, as well as to see the winemaking tools that were applied at the ancient wine cellar in the nineteenth century. Thereupon, you will be invited for a tasting in a hall decorated with French oak barriques, paintings, and old photos hanging on the stone walls. On request, guided tastings of the Torelli wines emphasized by the area’s staples, are held for individual groups.
The Torelli family also offers to its guests an opportunity to stay overnight – in apartments with luxurious panoramic views of the vineyards and hills of Langa Astigiana. A wonderful breakfast consisting of local specialties will be the icing on this cake of impressions. The success of wine tourism locations is hidden in details: the Torelli family has succeeded in taking care of everything, including availability of a charging station for electric cars.
Reviews
So fate wanted my Moscato d’Asti DOCG vintage 1992 to be the first certified organic wine in Italy. I am in fact honored to keep the first authorization to print organic labels issued by Agri. Bio Piemonte which bears the number AIB I027 T000001. We have always believed in organic and when the EEC 2092/91 regulation was approved, we worked hard to obtain organic certification. In those years we were very few to talk about organic, we had to really believe it: the sensitivity of consumers was very different from today where even large companies and large retailers can no longer do without it and have increasingly large organic departments. For us it has never been a fashion. It has always been our way of living the territory, cultivating the vine and producing wine in a truly sustainable way, without slogans or fundamentalism but through a hard daily commitment to respect nature.
Vineyards of Langhe, Roero and Monferrato are a unique and exceptional example of human interaction with its natural environment, which has been able to shape the territory to make it suitable for winemaking.