Born and raised in the Caluso, Roberto Crosio has always had a strong connection to the land in the Canavese area of Piedmont. Since 1977, the Crosio family has been running the region’s most important restaurant, Ristorante Gardenia, with Roberto’s mother at the helm as head chef. As much of the restaurant’s produce was sourced from the local area, Roberto learned from an early age that a respect for the land will bear the best fruits. While he was still a teenager, Roberto worked part-time at the local wine co-operative where he learned some of the basics of viticulture and winemaking. Prior to establishing Cantine Crosio in 2000, Roberto spent several years doing harvests throughout Piedmont, and also a formative vintage in the Barossa Valley, all the while gaining valuable knowledge of both Old World traditions and New World techniques to take back to his own vineyards in Caluso.

The commune of Caluso, is known for a very particular grape variety known as Erbaluce. Despite the relatively small size of the modern-day appellation, the Erbaluce wines of Caluso have had a rather long and noble history. Since the early 1600s, the sweet Erbaluce wines have had an important place on the Piedmontese table, as well as in the court of Napolean and other important European dignitaries. The region was awarded Piedmont’s first white DOCG appellation – Erbaluce di Caluso – in 1967. Erbaluce, who’s name comes from the words “erba” meaning dawn and “luce” meaning light, referring to the pinkish-copper hue of its skin when the variety is ripe, is high in acidity that can produce sparkling to dry, still wines to sweet “passito” wines. About 250 hectares of Erbaluce are planted in the provinces immediately surrounding Turin, with the best sites in the amphitheater near Caluso that have sandy-gravel soils that supply this difficult-to-grow variety the right amount of nutrients.

Cantine Crosio consists of 6.5 hectares, 4.5 of which are planted with Erbaluce, the remained with mainly Nebbiolo and Barbera. The Canavese area is decidedly cooler than the better-known Langhe region further south. The estate’s vineyards are located between 300 and 380 meters above sea level and have quite stony soils with a high granitic content. Roberto seeks to vinify a true, unadulterated expression of his grapes and believes the wines are made in the vineyard first, rather than the cellar. For Roberto, winemaking is a cultural expression of the Canavese area and are a deep reflection of the tradition and history of this small but diverse corner of Piedmont.