since 1894...

Orsolani Vini

Erbaluce: a passion spanning generations

Erbaluce di Caluso Producers

Ours is a journey that began in San Giorgio Canavese.
Deep roots that we have never abandoned and that today represent our greatest strength.

Since then, we have always dedicated our production to conviviality and to the tables of fine dining, forging an unbreakable bond with the land.

Of history and tradition

from 1894 to today

native expressions

of the territory

Castello di San Giorgio Canavese

The fresh new wine stories

est 1970

Giovanni and Domenica “Chinotta”

The “Aurora” Inn

Giovanni Orsolani and his wife Domenica Datta, affectionately known as “Chinotta”, return from the United States and open the “Aurora” inn in San Giorgio Canavese.

Giovanni makes the wine for the inn, which his wife runs, and it soon becomes a true gathering place for lovers of good drinking.

That memorable year, they are in excellent company: the writer Emilio Salgari decides to move to Alpette. One wonders whether, passing through these parts, he ever tasted Giovanni’s wine.

The inn would remain open until 1920, but the most precious legacy that has come down to us is the vineyards that Giovanni tended with deep passion.

1894
Where it all began

The story of our winery begins in 1894.

Gianfrancesco Orsolani

The vision that defined an era

Gianfrancesco, together with his brother Giuseppe, began working at just 15 years old, binding his life inextricably to the destiny of the winery founded in 1894.

One of the leading supporters of the Erbaluce DOC, granted in 1967, in 1968 he brought about a true revolution in winemaking by producing the first historic sparkling Erbaluce.

In the 1970s and 1980s he began exporting to Europe and North America: an undertaking that saw him received at the White House and accompany the Apollo 14 astronaut around Piedmont as an ambassador for Erbaluce overseas.

Co-founder and later President of the Consorzio di Tutela, as well as a Knight of the Italian Republic, Gianfrancesco guided the winery through historic milestones, passing on his passion to his son Gian Luigi, who today continues to write the future of Casa Orsolani.

gigi

Over the years we have received many accolades, all of them flattering, but the most moving have certainly been these: the prestigious Oscar of the Douja d’Or, awarded for the first time to an Erbaluce with our Rustìa 1994; being chosen as the white wine for the apostolic journey of His Holiness John Paul II to Toronto in 2002 for World Youth Day; having our passito served by the sommelier of Palazzo Chigi at the lunch hosted by the Italian Prime Minister in honour of the President of the United States, George W. Bush, in 2007; and being nominated as best Italian sweet wine with our Sulè in the final of the international Oscar del Vino award in 2007, 2019 and 2022.

The 2020 vintage of Rustìa earned us the Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri for the tenth time, allowing us to reach the coveted milestone of the Star in the Vini d’Italia guide.

Gianfrancesco, Gian Luigi, Martina

Ours is a story of family and passion that continues, harvest after harvest, with the same ambition and determination as ever. Our work has never known interruption, only the handing down from father to son across 4 generations.

Our winemaking process

Production

Ripe Grapes

French Region

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Pressing

French Region

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Bottling

French Region

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Fermentation

French Region

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Filtration

French Region

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Degustation

French Region

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1894

Where it all begins

Primi del '900

Growth and reputation

1969

Experimentation

Anni 2000

Focus on Erbaluce

Oggi

Production, awards and terroir