Guided tour of 'Underground Cathedrals of Wine' - Contract Wineries
During the visit, the production methods of our wines will be explained and tunnels that, since 2014, have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Underground Cathedrals of Wine will be walked through.
The tour will be followed by the tasting of classic method sparkling wines, all vintage.
The visit lasts 2 hours. The temperature in the galleries is 13°C
The winery was founded by Giuseppe Contratto in 1867, beginning to vinify Moscato grapes from the Monferrato area, thus producing one of Italy's first bottle-fermented sparkling wines. Also in those years, the Contratto family began construction of the historic winery, completed in the early twentieth century.
The splendid Cathedral of Wine was dug entirely by hand under the hillside above the town of Canelli. This covers about 5,000 square meters and reaches a maximum depth of about 38 meters. The characteristic sedimentary marl, rich in calcareous tuff, helps keep the temperature constant at 13 degrees.
In 1919 Contratto produced the first Italian sparkling wine millesimato, an innovative choice on the part of the Piedmontese sparkling wine house that aims to enhance the characteristics of each individual vintage.
In 2014 the historic Cathedral was officially declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.