CASCINA GILLI, PIEDMONT

Cascina Gilli is located in Castelnuovo Don Bosco, in the Monferrato, on a spine of hilltops of  white soil completely grown by vineyard.

Gianni Vergano has bottled his first Freisa in 1985 and since then, going trough his patience and passionate effort, worked for the preservation and requalification of grapes that were almost extinguished elsewhere: Freisa, Bonarda Piemonte and Malvasia di Schierano.

Is particularly because of the  Freisa that Cascina Gilli stands as one of Asti´s most influential wineries.  We are so well known for Malvasia Gilli, a dessert sweet wine that is characterized by his intriguing aroma and freshness.  

Our engage and competence in wine production, including an excellent Barbera d´Asti, has been confirmed both by many and loyal costumers and gratifying judgments from the most well-established wine guides, with the result that Cascina Gilli stands as one of Asti´s most prestigious wineries.

The winery, completely surrounded by vineyards, is structured by a modern but well concealed from the outside wine-cellar and by the eighteenth-century Villa that has been just restructured.

In here are located two spacious rooms where we offer our wine tasting to our guests.

The measures took to restore the Villa have fully respected the original configuration in order to lessen its impact on the landscape and the surrounding area.

The farmhouse is always ready to welcome the numerous tourists which want to discover this beautiful spot in the Monferrato that offers at the same time examples of Romanesque art and together sits in the deep untouched nature. 

Near Cascina Gilli you can find Vezzolano Abbey a beautiful treasure of Romanesque Art. 

Accommodations for short time are also possible in the farmhouse, enjoying the magnificent quiet surrounded by vineyards.  

WINERY MARIA PIA CASTELLI, MARCHE

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The story of Maria Pia Castelli’s company begins in 1992 when, after a holiday on board of their camping van, Enrico and Maria Pia discovered the wines of Burgundy and Piedmont. One of the decisive figures behind the decision of starting their activity is Maria Pia’s father, a highly experienced farmer and winemaker with a strong passion. 

It is Erasmo who will convince Enrico and Maria Pia to take the plunge. Thus, after restoring their country house, in the surrounding soil they initially planted 4 hectares of Montepulciano and Sangiovese and later, in 1999, another 4 hectares of Montepulciano and other white grape local varieties.

By trying to recreate the ideal habitat and with the intention of totally respecting the surrounding nature and the soil, Enrico and Maria Pia decided to leave the vineyards grassy (no-till farming technique) and to plant olive and fruit trees. The aim of Enrico and Maria Pia is to produce wines which are sincere and rich of personality and, more importantly, to create a product that is the result of a "clean" and accurate agriculture, careful towards the soil’s needs thanks to the use of natural fertilizers – such as the organic compost created by the different farming productions. 

Furthermore, another fundamental element that characterizes the wine’s production is the quality of the barrels in which the wine refines for years, quality guaranteed by the careful choice of the best French and long-aging oak’s woods.  Since then the adventure as wine makers continues unabated by overcoming together all the adversities in order to transform the activity in a proper lifestyle. To Erasmo we not only dedicate our deep and profound affection and memory, but also our pure Montepulciano: the Erasmo Castelli. 

 

KECHLER FARM, FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA

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The Kechler Farm was founded by my great grandfather in San Martino di Codroipo, near Udine, in the mid-1800s. Recently, the management was entrusted to an administrator and the grape was brought into the Cantina Sociale (cooperative winery) in Bertiolo.

I always had a dream: to have a cellar like the one my family once ran in the barn of the Villa Kechler and to personally follow all stages of wine production, from the vineyard to the table, without any intermediary other than the sharing of knowledge and the participation of the local community, that owns the culture of the land.

In 2006, having completed the recovery and enhancement work of an old abandoned barn, renovated in stone and brick using the area traditional methods, the Kechler Winery was born.

Of the 25 acres of vineyards only five, during ripening, are selected by me and the oenologist Fabio Coser and they are hand-harvested to always ensure a quality product. The cultivated varieties are Merlot, Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Friulano, Carmenere and Pinot Grigio.

The same love and the same passion I dedicate to produce the Extra Virgin Olive Oil that I produce in a DOP area in Umbria. The 20 acres olive grove is traditionally managed in full compliance with the current environmental measures, and allowed to grow as nature intended and treated only with Bordeaux mixture.

The olives are hand-picked by my family before being fully ripe and worked within the day to keep intact the organoleptic properties of the olive. The cultivated varieties are: Moraiolo, Leccio the Horn, Maurino and Frantoio.