The Most Famous Wine Cellars of the Langhe Find Out Which Ones to Visit in 2023

One of the best experiences to get to know a territory in depth is undoubtedly that of a visit to a wine cellar: in it, in fact, you find a fascinating world in which it is wonderful to immerse oneself not only to listen to the different voices that are part of it but also to learn about its history.

The nobility of wine is just that: is never a detached, abstract object that can be judged by drinking a glass, or two or three, of a bottle that comes from a place where we have never been.

Mario Soldati

The Langhe, in Piedmont, are one of the most renowned wine regions in the world and are endowed with a landscape over which hectares and hectares of vine rows stand out, and there are numerous wine cellars to visit in the region, each with its own peculiarity.

Here are the four most famous ones to visit.

Ceretto Winery

The Ceretto winery, one of the most famous in the Langhe, was founded in 1936 by Riccardo Ceretto. The famous ‘Acino’ grape, an architectural masterpiece with a futuristic aftertaste, stands out on their estate and already offers a first taste of their philosophy.

The winery has pioneered the use of sustainable and organic viticulture techniques and produces some of the best wines in the region.

A visit to the winery includes a tasting of their fine wines, including Barolo, Barbaresco, Dolcetto and Moscato d’Asti. The winery also offers a culinary experience, with traditional Piedmontese dishes accompanied by a selection of wines.

For those who love contamination.

Coppo Winery

Coppo Winery is a world-renowned winery located in the town of Canelli, in the Asti area, and was one of the first in Italy to bottle wine under its own brand name.

Founded in 1892, the winery covers 27 hectares of vineyards and its main nucleus is in Monferrato.

Its peculiarity, however, is hidden inside: in its basements there are, a series of ancient tunnels dug by hand into the tuff, called “infernot,” which are so striking that they became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014 and have allowed the wine to be perfectly preserved.

For those who never cease to be amazed.

Marchesi di Barolo Winery

The Marchesi di Barolo winery is one of the oldest and most prestigious in the region, founded in 1807 by the Marchesi Falletti family. Located in the heart of the area’s flagship wine, for six generations the company has produced some of the Langhe’s most celebrated wines, including Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera d’Alba and Dolcetto.

The visit includes a tasting of their wines and a tour of the historic underground cellars, where the wines are aged in oak barrels.

Here you can still admire the five barrels of the Marchesa Giulia Falletti Colbert and the collection of rare bottles of Barolo Riserva from the late 19th century.

For those who love tradition.

Poderi Luigi Einaudi

Poderi Luigi Einaudi is a farm founded in 1897 by the President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi, in the heart of the Langhe, in Dogliani.

The company started out as a wine estate, but in the following years has expanded to become a full-fledged farm, also growing cereals, hazelnuts and other crops, comprising 13 farms of around 70 hectares.

In 1998, Poderi Luigi Einaudi obtained ‘Organic Farm‘ certification for the production of wine, olives and hazelnuts.

Today, Poderi Luigi Einaudi is run by the fourth generation of the Einaudi family and produces a wide range of wines, including the famous Barolo, but also Barbera, Langhe Nebbiolo and other white wines such as Roero Arneis.

For those who live history with an eye to the future.

L’Astemia Pentita

Curiously evocative in name, the winery was founded in 2007 by Sandra Vezza, the ‘repentant teetotaler‘ herself.

The company’s architecture is characterized externally by two large stacked blocks reproducing two wine crates and surrounded by the rows of vines of its production.

Not only externally but also internally it is capable of impressing: large multicoloured murals, Gufram design pieces like an unconventional pop dream combined with the quality of the wines with original labels for whites and reds such as Barbera, Nebbiolo, Nascetta and Dolcetto.

The company is committed to environmental sustainability and uses organic and biodynamic farming techniques to cultivate its vineyards. It is also dedicated to the preservation and recovery of native grape varieties in the area.

For those who love contemporary art.

Not Just Big Names

However, there are not only well-known companies such as those listed: it is also extremely enriching to visit small local producers who will give you a welcome that is perhaps less ‘prestigious’, but certainly more familiar and genuine. Here are some suggestions!

• Beppe Marino

  The winery is located in Santo Stefano Belbo, in the buildings that once housed the Congregation of the Daughters of St. Joseph. Barbera and Muscat are the grape varieties from which most of the estate’s wines are produced.

  Beppe Marino winery is located halfway between two towns that link their names to Moscato d’Asti DOCG: Santo Stefano Belbo and Canelli and is located within the former Monastery of the Order of the Daughters of St Joseph.

  This area straddling the Low Langhe and Monferrato is also considered the historical home of Barbera d’Asti DOCG and Nizza DOCG, obtained from the best Barbera d’Asti grapes.

  This appellation was in fact created in 2014 and is governed by strict regulations that allow a high standard of production to be maintained.

  A few steps from the birthplace of Cesare Pavese, the famous author from Langhe,in an authentic and sincere Langa context, capable of carving out more and more space among the areas most frequented by wine tourists, it is possible to visit the Beppe Marino winery, where Beppe is still the historical memory of his cellar.

  Here you can rediscover almost forgotten local stories and learn about traditions and innovative choices linked to modernity, in a rural setting that has been a UNESCO heritage site since 2014.

  You can read more about Beppe Marino here.

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  1. Beppe Marino, company founder

  During the visit you can meet and learn about the history of the winery directly from the people who founded it

  2. Rosalba, Beppe Marino’s wife

  Rosalba selects the Moscato grapes destined for the production of the Moscato Passito that bears her name

  3. Vineyards

  In autumn, the cultivated hills offer one of the best foliage displays in Piedmont

• Aldo Marenco

  A born host, organic wines from the area, a historic cellar, a breathtaking view: Claudio’s cellar has it all.

  In the locality of Pamparato, on the crest of a hill just outside Dogliani, stands the Azienda Agricola Aldo Marenco with a 360 ° opening on the surrounding valleys.

  It is therefore possible to imagine how, on clear days, the gaze wanders from Artesina to Monte Rosa, from Bossolasco to Murazzano, with Roddino, La Morra, Monforte in front of your eyes… it is right in the center of this setting that the Marenco family, since now 4 generations, has been producing the great wines typical of the Bassa Langa.

  Claudio, the current owner, transformed the peasant spirit of his predecessors, already respectful and attentive towards nature, into organic production: in 1991 the company obtained the Bioagricert certification.

  The wines produced are those representative of the territory, with a genuine and convivial spirit, just like the atmosphere in the cellar.

  You can read more about Aldo Marenco here.

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  1. The selection of labels

  Taste the production wines in a warm and informal setting

  2. Claudio & family

  He will always welcome you, with the warmth and friendliness of a born host

  3. Four generations at the service of the land

  In addition to taking care of hospitality, Claudio is a great lover of work in the vineyard, which he follows directly

• Torelli Vini

  The Torelli winery in Bubbio, located in the Langa Astigiana, produces certified organic wines and sparkling wines. During a visit to the winery, it is possible to walk among the vines and discover the permanent exhibition Vignette in Vigna.

  The Torelli farm has held an important record since January 1993: the T000001 certification for its Moscato d’Asti 1992, the first BIO wine made from organically grown grapes in Italy.

  Sustainability issues have always been at the core of the family’s production philosophy, respecting consumers and the environment.

  During the guided tour and tasting, one has the opportunity to meet three generations of producers: Mario, the historical memory, Gianfranco, representative of the fourth generation, and finally Michela and Carlo, already well established in all management aspects.

  Visiting the winery, guests will be entertained by narratives linking wine and territory, fascinating historical facts from a past that testifies to the cultivation of vines since ancient times, supported by meticulous research.

  The apartment in the family home

  Part of the historic house purchased by Gianfranco’s great-grandfather in 1890, it has been renovated in keeping with the classic style of Langa buildings.

  Today, that building is an apartment available to those who choose a relaxing stay, with the days marked only by the rhythms of nature and country life.

  You can read more about Torelli Vini here.

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  1. The vineyards adjacent to the farm

  Between the rows of Moscato you can discover the permanent exhibition Vignette in Vigna (Vignettes in the Vineyard)

  2. Torelli: winemakers for four generations

  Mario, Gianfranco and Carlo among the barriques in the family cellar

  3. Torelli winery

  Part of the historic house has been refurbished maintaining the style of the Langa buildings

• Ca ‘d Tantin

  A small, family-run winery in Calosso that produces exclusively organic wines from its own vineyards and offers the possibility of different tasting sessions, both in the winery and between the rows.

  The small family-run farm is located in the hills of the municipality of Calosso, in a valley that the family already inhabited in the 1800s, an area declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.

  All Ca ‘d Tantin wines have been certified organic for over 20 years: both in the vineyard and in the cellar, the use of chemicals that would inevitably end up in the wine is strictly excluded.

  Wine is consumed first and foremost by those who produce it, which is why it must be good and healthy, preferring quality over quantity.

  This was already the thinking of grandfather Gioele, born in 1905, a man with an open and modern mentality, a forerunner of the ideals developed by his son Costantino and grandsons Andrea and Marco Venturino, his successors and today the owners of Ca ‘d Tantin.

  You can read more about Ca ‘d Tantin here.

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