Contratto

CANELLI | PIEMONTE - ITALIA

Contratto was founded by Giuseppe Contratto in 1867. The cellar is known as the oldest producer of sparkling wines in Italy. In fact, the classic 1919 Contract Extra Brut method was the first vintage sparkling wine ever produced in the country. The cellar has a long and prestigious history. At the end of the twentieth century, his wines left Canelli for destinations all over the world (mainly towards royal families), and Contratto was the personal supplier of the Vatican as well as of the Italian royal family. Awards and medals from international exhibitions and competitions of the time highlight the reason why the name of the Contract has long been synonymous with prestige and quality in the world of sparkling wines. In 150 years of wine production, Contratto has gone from Moscato and red wine to the Classic Method Sparkling Wine, to still white wines as well as vermouth, tonics and syrups. For many generations, the cellar remained in the hands of the Contratto family. In 1993, after 126 years, it was sold to an "outsider". Carlo Bocchino, a well-known producer of Grappa from Canella and lover of historic properties, buys it and with great investments brings substantial improvements both to the cellars and to the areas used for representation and tasting. The grand historic cellars of the Contract represent a real treasure for the company and are among the most beautiful of their kind. These huge underground cellars, which cover more than 5000 square meters, were built in the heart of the hill that protects the small town of Canelli, carved out of limestone tuff to a depth of 32 meters. The project lasts three years of manual work. The cellars maintain a constant and natural temperature of 13 degrees and the ideal humidity rate constitute a perfect environment for fermentation in the bottle and the slow maturation of wines obtained following the classic method. Today Contract enters a new era; Giorgio Rivetti and his team support the quality of the wines, proud to bring this jewel of the cellar back to ancient glory.