Cantine BalbianoThe Balbiano family have been working to promote Freisa red wine, typical of the hills east of Turin. Pleasantly acidic and intense ruby red in colour with pronounced tannins, it is made with the native grape of the same name with over 500 years of history behind it. In Andezeno they produce a number of labels, which may be tasted not only in the production and aging cellars but also in the two museums the family have set up, one of period children’s toys (with more than 600 exhibits from the period between the late nineteenth century and the 1960s), another to peasant tools and utensils (more than 200 exhibits telling the story of farming culture in the seventeenth century). Freisa di Chieri DOC, the star of the product range, comes in different versions: sparkling, Surpreisa, Superiore Barbarossa and Superiore Vigna Villa della Regina. Superiore Barbarossa is made with grapes from the cellar’s oldest vineyards and is at its best after lengthy aging. Other wines produced are Barbera, Bonarda, Malvasia and Cari. Villa Balbiano, the family’s property in the heart of Andezeno, is ideal as a venue for events and tastings.
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