Balbiano

Driving over the Turin hills and past the small town of Chieri, you come to Andezeno, where the Balbiano wine cellars have been active since 1941. The story of the local area and Freisa wine is closely connected with the Balbiano family, especially Francesco who at the end of the last century revolutionised the vinification of the freisa grape by introducing fermentation at controlled temperatures to produce the dry table wine whose future success is guaranteed. The business is now run by Luca Balbiano with the support of oenologist Giampiero Gerbi, and together they produce wines of the highest quality.

Balbiano’s DOC wines are Freisa di Chieri (fizzy), Surpreisa (still), Barbarossa (Superiore), and Freisa di Chieri Vigna Villa della Regina. The catalogue also features Bonarda, Barbera, Rosato and Cari, and for festive occasions Malvasia, Chiulìn (a Spumante Brut Rosè), Cherium (a Spumante Metodo Classico) and the aged Grappa di Freisa Villa della Regina. The 18^th-century Villa Balbiano is an international tourist destination for its museum of farming utensils and historical toys. Corporate and private events and wine tastings may also be organised in the villa.

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