The twenty-sixth edition of the traditional annual festival dedicated to grappa "La Distilleria è Aperta" will take place on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 November 2023,at the headquarters of the Gualco Distillery in via XX Settembre 9 in Silvano d'Orba.
The owners of the company Giorgio and Alessandro Soldatini will be happy to have you as their guests and to guide you inside the company to let you discover the magic of the distillation of the grape skins with the historic Piedmont bain-marie pot still, trying to delight you with their grappas, the house liqueurs and vermouths available in an infinite number of variations.
This small but famous artisan distillery has more than 150 years of history and from the year of its foundation, way back in 1870, until today this tradition has been handed down from parent to child for six generations.
Giorgio Soldatini and his father Alessandro, son of Susanna Gualco, sixth and fifth generation of distillers, carry on the tradition while respecting the teachings of their predecessors and keeping up with the times in terms of innovation and environmental sustainability and the entirely artisanal company dimensions haven't prevented the company from spreading into the international market.
Gualco grappas, also known as "Le grappe di Susanna" in honor of the grandmother who managed the company for more than thirty years, are today tasted in the USA, Japan, Australia, throughout Europe and in many other countries in the world, in the best wine shops and restaurants where attention to the quality of grappa is constantly increasing.
On Saturday 11 November the guided tours with tasting will be small workshops of 50 minutes with limited seating and reservations will be necessary, while on Sunday, like every year, the music of the town band, the blessing of the parish priest and greetings from the authorities will kick off the party at 9.30am in front of the alembic and entry will be free for everyone without the need for reservations (from 9.30am to 12.30pm and from 2.30pm to 6.30pm ).
There will be the traditional prize that will challenge the taste and smell of the participants and there will be visits to the distillery, to the 1700s aging cellar, where the spirits mature in oak and acacia barrels and the completely free tastings will be led by the owners, both sommeliers and Anag tasters. The products will naturally be accompanied by other local autumn specialties and it will also be possible to taste the wines from the Ovada, Gavi and Tortona areas of which the company always keeps a supply in its wine shop.
Furthermore, this year a new product linked in every way to the territory in which the distillery is located will be presented: the Ovada Chinato, a one-of-a-kind Chinato aromatized wine obtained with the Dolcetto Superiore Docg from the hills of Ovada. The company was the first to ask itself why do we need to use Barolo, despite of its celebrity, when in the area there is a structured and tannic red like Ovada Docg, an ideal wine to be fortified with infusions of cinchona bark and all the other plants and spices that make up the recipe.
The result is a fantastic meditation wine that can accompany a dessert or a dark chocolate at the end of a meal or be sipped alone in relaxing moments after dinner, without excluding its possible use in mixology.
In 2023 the Gualco Distillery received some important recognitions such as the 3 medals in Berlin at the Berlin Craft Spirits Award, winning the title of Best in Class with Grappa Rubinia, and the Best Gold, Gold and Silver medals respectively with Grappa di Barolo Riserva, Grappa Chinata and Grappa al Ginepro at the national Alambicco d'Oro competition organized by Anag (National Association of Grappa and Spirits Tasters), the most historic and authoritative competition in the world of grappa.
