Azienda Agricola Cieck

About Winery and Wines

We are in San Giorgio Canavese, Piedmont, between the towns of Turin and Ivrea, where we cultivate 13 hectares of vineyards. Our grapes are almost all Erbaluce, an ancient white grape variety native to the Canavese district. The rest are also native varieties: Nebbiolo, Barbera, Neretto and Freisa. What makes this area special is the use of the “pergola” vine training system, which creates large canopies in the vineyard. This system means that we have to reach up to harvest the grapes. There are three of us: Domenico Caretto is the agronomist and he takes care of the vineyards and the cellar; Lia Falconieri handles administration, the commercial side of things, and communication; Remo Falconieri, the founder of the estate, “the Archimedes of bubbly” as christened by Carlin Petrini. At the age of 90, he’s the first to arrive in the cellar every morning, at 8 o’clock. 

The estate was established in 1985. The intention was for it to be a small producer of sparkling wine. The first vintage vinified numbered just over 2,500 bottles of Erbaluce Metodo Classico. It was released for sale in 1987. Every vineyard has a name, a soul and a history. The oldest is Misobolo, which is now the name of our Erbaluce. This is where Pietro Falconieri, Lia’s great-great-grandfather, used to pick his grapes at the end of the 19th century. Then there’s the Brajassa vineyard, which belonged to Mariuccia, Domenico’s aunt; the Castagnola vineyard; the Cascinetto vineyard; and the Biaulej vineyard (known as Betulle). The Freisa vineyards are Carlin, after Domenico’s father. We keep cultivating two small rows of Pinot Grigio which belonged to grandpa Giacomo, out of the love of our heart.

Our land originated from the Balteo Glacier, which dragged down from the Valle d’Aosta soils rich in numerous minerals that can be found in the wine grown here and are a characterising feature of ours. We are members of the Fivi, Federazione italiana vignaioli indipendenti.

We are in San Giorgio Canavese, Piedmont, between the towns of Turin and Ivrea, where we cultivate 12 hectares of vineyards. Our grapes are almost all Erbaluce, an ancient white grape variety native to the Canavese district. The rest are also native varieties: Nebbiolo, Barbera, Neretto and Freisa. What makes this area special is the use of the “pergola” vine training system, which creates large canopies in the vineyard. This system means that we have to reach up to harvest the grapes. There are three of us: Domenico Caretto is the agronomist and he takes care of the vineyards and the cellar; Lia Falconieri handles administration, the commercial side of things, and communication; Remo Falconieri, the founder of the estate, “the Archimedes of bubbly” as christened by Carlin Petrini. At the age of 80-plus, he’s the first to arrive in the cellar every morning, at 8 o’clock. 

The estate was established in 1985. The intention was for it to be a small producer of sparkling wine. The first vintage vinified numbered just over 2,500 bottles of Erbaluce Metodo Classico. It was released for sale in 1987.

Every vineyard has a name, a soul and a history. The oldest is Misobolo, which is now the name of our Erbaluce. This is where Pietro Falconieri, Lia’s great-great-grandfather, used to pick his grapes at the end of the 19th century. Then there’s the Brajassa vineyard, which belonged to Mariuccia, Domenico’s aunt; the Castagnola vineyard; the Cascinetto vineyard; and the Biaulej vineyard (known as Betulle). The Freisa vineyards are Carlin, after Domenico’s father. We keep cultivating two small rows of Pinot Grigio which belonged to grandpa Giacomo, out of the love of our heart.

Our land originated from the Balteo Glacier, which dragged down from the Valle d’Aosta soils rich in numerous minerals that can be found in the wine grown here and are a characterising feature of ours.  

We are members of the Fivi, Federazione italiana vignaioli indipendenti.