The history of “Torraccia del Piantavigna” began in 1977 when Pierino Piantavigna, maternal great grandfather of the current generation of the Francoli family, planted his first vineyard of Nebbiolo in the hills above Ghemme, near the former Cavenago Castle. The name of the company, founded 13 years later, was inspired by Pierino’s passion for the vineyards, which were such an important part of his life, and by the name of the hillside where he worked, known as “la Torraccia”, in reference to the derelict tower of the castle there.
It was Alessandro Francoli, president of the Luigi Francoli distillery, who founded the company in 1997. A company now known in Italy and worldwide for the quality of its innovative wines which, at the same time, reflect the local character and traditions.
Torraccia del Piantavigna is situated in Alto Piemonte in the foothills of Monte Rosa, perhaps the most emblematic of all Italian mountains. The company owns nearly 100 acres of hand-tended vineyards growing almost exclusively three local grape varieties, Nebbiolo and Vespolina for reds and Autochthonous single grape variety as specified for our DOC wines for whites. The wines are all vinified and aged in our cellars and bottled on our own production line. The winery makes exclusively quality wines, mainly reds but with some white and rosé, including our illustrious Ghemme and Gattinara D.O.C.G. wines, whose constant outstanding quality is testified by the dozens of prestigious awards received for these wines. In particular, the ‘Tre Bicchieri’ has been awarded to one of our wines for each of the last ten years by Gambero Rosso, the bible of Italian wine.
The current generation of management of the company draws inspiration from grandfather Pierino, not only by making wines of recognised quality and elegance but also in its values and attitudes towards the local area, the local community and the environment. As a reflection of its work in environmental protection, Torraccia del Piantavigna was honoured in 2014, 2017 and 2018 with the prestigious Eco-Friendly award from the Touring Club Italiano.
The Francoli family, as always, still own the majority shareholding in Torraccia but, since February 1, 2015, the ownership has changed, with the Ponti family, also from Ghemme, owners of the eponymous leading Italian producer of vinegars and vegetable preserves, taking a significant share. This is a logical step for the company as the Ponti family has been involved with Torraccia from the beginning, having handed the management of their prestigious vineyards to a joint-venture company owned by the two families. In addition, the current manager of the business, Nigel Brown, has been granted a small shareholding in recognition of his important role in the future development of the business.
