The Producer

Salvano Vini

.The origins of the Salvano cellars date back to shortly after the mid-1900s. At that time viticulture was not the only activity of the farm and in fact wheat, potatoes and hazelnuts were grown. However, the beginning of the transformation of grapes into wine suitable for sale and trade can be established in the 1960s. Angelo Salvano begins the production of wines in the "Grillo" farmhouse among the vineyards of Diano d'Alba, in the heart of the Langhe.

Its products, the result of the hard work in the vineyards and the dedication to a hard and rich land at the same time, are starting to be known by many. Immediately after the war, the iron will of his son Saverio allowed him to expand the cellar and move to Valle Talloria. From here begins the bottling of the wine, previously only sold and distributed in small barrels and demijohns. The Salvano name becomes synonymous with quality wines, gaining success throughout the North of Italy.

The Region

Piedmont

Piedmont wine region geography

Piedmont (‘at the foot of the mountain’) is a very high-quality wine region in the northwest of Italy with Turin (Torino) as the main city. Mountains protect the region from every side, except from the east, where the Po River runs. Although Piedmont is at the same latitude as Bordeaux, it has a continental climate, with cold winters, because it is far from the moderating influence of the sea.

However, the mountains and the river  create a lot of fog (‘nebbia’ in Italian), which allows the grapes to ripen slowly, developing all the good flavours.

They plant the vines high up on the romantic, rolling hills. The location is delightfully scenic and if you like wine, definitely include Piedmont on your holiday list.  (Matthew said that the scenery was so beautiful it could almost be England. I think he was joking.) Make sure you rent a car or you are a keen cyclist, as distances between villages are too far for walking.

Piedmont has 45 DOCs and 15 DOCGs (high quality denominations) and it is the only region in Italy that does not allow production of IGT win