Freisa d’Asti is the veritable queen of Cascina Gilli. The history of this variety starts in the 16th century, as documented in the customs records of Pancalieri, where it was classified among the fine wine varieties, with twice the value of ordinary wine.

The first specific descriptions of ‘Freisa’ date back to the late 18th century, when Count Giuseppe Nuvolone-Pergamo, director of the Experimental Garden of the Reale Società di Agricoltura in Turin, listed it among Piedmont’s top-quality black grapes.

In the 19th century, cultivation of Freisa was intensified due to its resilience against blight; the variety became predominant around Turin making Freisa one of the most renowned bottle wines in demand in the city. Even in the area surrounding Asti, Freisa was widely spread and appreciated.

Today, Freisa has become a veritable signature variety of the area, the bearer of a deep historical heritage and associated with wines of great structure and longevity.

Cascina Gilli was born with Freisa; today, it keeps following, with careful research and refinement, the intuition of Gianni Vergnano, who immediately invested in it, vinifying it pure, still, as early as 1985, with the first bottle of Il Forno.

Since the early 2000s, Cascina Gilli has been collaborating with other producers in the area in a project of continuous experimentation with the aim of exploring the potential of this indigenous grape variety, through in-depth studies of its characteristics and winemaking methods, under the supervision of the experimental winery in Chieri of the University of Turin.

Barbera, a grape variety widespread throughout Piedmont, finds fertile ground to give its best in the province of Asti.
In the area of Castelnuovo Don Bosco, its cultivation was once marginal due to the excessive rainfall that characterised the region until the 1990s, a weather condition particularly hostile to the variety’s typical fine skin; with the progressive drop in rainfall of recent years, the hills of northern Asti have gradually become an ideal environment for this variety.
The evolution of winemaking techniques and the unfaltering commitment to research have allowed Cascina Gilli’s Barbera d’Asti to win international acclaim from the critics right from the start.
Cascina Gilli’s Barbera has a distinctive and intense fruit bouquet, combined with an enveloping texture, good structure, enveloping warmth and delicate tannins. These characteristics are expertly balanced by a pleasant freshness, the result of the special soil conditions in which the vines grow.

A variety with a special aromatic character, more delicate than Malvasia Lunga, Malvasia di Schierano has always been iconic of Cascina Gilli’s local production.
Over the years, an important collaborative project has been run in close partnership with the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Turin. With Prof. Schneider and Prof. Mannini, careful ampelographic studies were carried out to identify the authentic clones of this historic native grape variety.
Academic studies were then crossed with the ancient and irreplaceable experience of Castelnuovo Don Bosco winemakers, who were able to tell and reveal invaluable details about the production history of Malvasia di Schierano.
Thanks to this work, Cascina Gilli has been able to proceed with the planting of selected vineyards in the field, able to produce quality grapes, with the selection of clones taken from vineyards that, according to the historic local producers, generated the most interesting wines.
Since 2019, thanks to a research project carried out alongside Cantina Sperimentale del Bonafous in Chieri, Cascina Gilli has also proudly produced a sparkling version of pure Malvasia di Schierano. It is a unique product that fully enhances the aromatic characteristics of this grape variety with a strong territorial identity.

Cultivated on these hills since the 19th century, Bonarda Piemontese is deeply rooted in this land.

Over the years, the survival of this specific native vine has been severely affected by climatic and phytopathological adversities. In the memory of local producers, however, Bonarda has maintained its reputation as a much-loved wine with a typical longevity and aromatic complexity.

Cascina Gilli has always invested in the preservation and promotion of this indigenous grape variety, with the aim of preserving its authenticity and restoring it to its former glory.

Bonarda grapes are small, oval and covered with a pruinose patina, varying in colour from blue to almost black. These prized grapes produce wines of delicate character, with an extraordinary bouquet of aromas and an elegant envelopment on the palate.

In the rich panorama of native wine varieties in the northern Asti area, there is a historical connection to the cultivation of Nebbiolo, which has been present for centuries in this small area next to the province of Turin. Albugnano DOC is a unique interpretation of Nebbiolo, which is a far cry from the structure of the Langhe’s production and the gravity of the more northern regions’ equivalent.

Since 2017, Cascina Gilli has proudly been part of the Albugnano 549 project, an initiative led by oenologist Gianpiero Gerbi dedicated to the study and enhancement of Nebbiolo in the Albugnano DOC area, of which Cascina Gilli is becoming a leading interpreter.

Here, Nebbiolo is made of light and air. We are at a very high altitude, on lean, white soils; Cascina Gilli’s Nebbiolo is particularly notable for its special character, a body that is not too heavy, and aromas and great dynamism prominent in the mouth, obtained thanks to a brilliant balance of acidity and tannin.

Year after year, Cascina Gilli continues to work to research how best to extract the unique characteristics of a strongly territorial Nebbiolo with a fascinating expressiveness, which wants to touch the sky with its intrinsic airiness.