The Canelli Cellars

In Canelli, northern Italy, bottles of sparkling wine outnumber the population by many hundreds to one and 13km of cellars house over 1 million bottles. Spumante fan Tim Skelton heads to the underground “cathedrals” to investigate. Photography by Renato Valterza

I am on a spiritual mission to visit some breathtaking cathedrals. Not cathedrals in a religious sense mind you, but temples of wine hidden deep beneath the ground in the small town of Canelli in Piedmont, Italy.

This archetypal Mediterranean settlement of just 10,000 inhabitants is slap bang between Genoa and Turin, with narrow cobbled streets, a castle, market squares and pretty churches, all perched on a hill with fine views over the surrounding valley. But more than this, it hides a veritable Aladdin’s cave beneath its streets.

An underground labyrinth of brick-vaulted cellars criss-crosses the town for 13km. All are filled to bursting with wine – thousands of barrels and millions of bottles. I’ve wanted to see these cellars, marvels of architectural and engineering excellence, for years. Logistically, they are a truly spectacular feat, and Unesco is currently considering Canelli for World Heritage Site status.

First dug out of the clay soil on which the town rests in the 16th- century – and rapidly expanded in the 19th century when wine production really took off under the great wine houses of Canelli – the wine cellars are the reason for the town’s wealth and indeed its very existence.

I’ve come during the Città del Vino (City of Wine) festival in Canelli, which happens every fourth weekend in September, when the streets and markets are buzzing with activity. There are plenty of tasting opportunities, and all the cellars of Canelli open to the public. The place is packed with wine fans, foodies, Italians stocking up their collections and all-round hedonists. In short it’s a lovely, tipsy occasion.

Canelli is one of the hinterland towns of the Asti province, and that perhaps gives you a clue to the nature of the wine produced here. Yes, it is of course the best-selling Italian sparkling spumante wines, perhaps the most famous of which are Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti. Though Canelli is also responsible for the production and exportation of eight highly regarded DOC wines, among others like Barbera d’Asti, Dolcetto d’Asti, Cortese dell’Alto Monferrato and Freisa d’Asti.

Wine has been made here since Roman times but it’s the cellars that made the town’s fortune. Because of the unique and perfect climate provided below ground here, grapes from surrounding vineyards are harvested and brought to Canelli for pressing and fermentation. The internal temperature remains virtually constant at between 12˚C and 14˚C all year round, ideal for ageing and helping to develop the distinctive character and flavour of the wines.

Since the 1800s there have been at least four major family owned wine case here, all with their own vast sections of cellars. There’s Casa Bosca, Casa Coppo, Casa Contratto and, perhaps the most famous of all, Casa Gancia. It was Carlo Gancia who in 1865 created the first Italian spumante in his family’s cellars here in Canelli. Taking the latest cultivation techniques from France, he adapted them to fit the local Moscato grape, which he knew had very similar characteristics to those of the French Pinot grape, a key ingredient of Champagne. His new “Moscato Champagne” proved a big hit, leading quickly to dozens of other vineyards and wineries springing up in town.

Casa Gancia did so well it purchased the town’s castle high on the hill of Villanuova. It’s worth the climb to visit and see the Gancia museum and the magnificent cellars, the biggest of which is 100m long. In parts of these cellars Chardonnay, Pinot and Moscato grapes are still pressed today, now with the aid of specialist presses and stainless steel thermal tanks.

Casa Contratto’s historic winery in the centre of town is also well worth visiting – these cellars are some of the most beautiful, in tunnels that reach deep into the hills. You’ll enter via a pretty cobblestone courtyard and gorgeous Italian mansion house. It’s filled with documents and photographs recording the winemaker’s history, and you can also see the old production tools and rooms where Moscato grapes were left to dry. Then descend into the incredible 32m-deep cellars where for over 130 years bottles of wine from the vineyard’s Chardonnay and Pino Nero grapes have been stored. And all that’s left after that is to enjoy some tastings.

Some cellar masters in Canelli still carry out age-old rituals that have changed little since the méthode champenoise was first invented. These include the rémuage: turning and slowly inverting the bottles of sparkling wine by hand to enhance maturation and to ensure the sediment ends up against the cork for easy removal later.

Don’t miss seeing the ageing stages the bottles go through. First is the presa di spuma, when the bottles are laid down in stacks and the wine acquires its “perlage” and aromatic complexity. Then you can see the bottles on the hundreds of wooden racks or pupitres in which the cellar men rotate the bottles. The spumantes are finally ready after the sediment built up against the cork is released and the liquer d’expedition added – a secret dose of wines, cane sugar and other ingredients such as aquavite and brandy particular to each house, giving the wines their unique taste.

I return home, still awe-struck by the sight of the town and its cathedrals, my luggage heavy with spumante bottles. I justify my purchase in my mind – it’s just a miniscule fraction of the 10 million bottles produced each year in Canelli.

Visit the cellars

The cellars of the main wine houses of Canelli are working businesses and visits are by advance appointment only. Tours and tastings usually start from about €15. For more details, visit www.bosca.it, www.contratto.it, www. coppo.it and www. gancia.it. On specific weekends of the year all the wine cathedrals and houses are open to the public without appointment: the third weekends of May and June, the third weekend in September and the Citta del Vino weekend, the third weekend in October, and the second and third weekends in November.

Fast facts

GETTING THERE

Canelli is situated halfway between the major cities of Turin and Genoa. It can be reached from either city by train with journey times from Turin averaging 40 minutes and from Genoa an hour and a half. Tickets range from about €7 to €20. See www.trenitalia.com.