Castello Luigi

The ambitious, Luigi Zanini was one of the great leaders that contributed to the rebirth of Ticino Merlot during the 1980s. Realizing the potential that this region could bring to fine wines, the Swiss German native established Vinattieri Ticinesi in 1985, while his Castello Luigi was founded a couple years later in 1988. He was amongst the first in Ticino to utilize oak-barrel ageing for his Merlot. The harvesting and vinification methods are meticulously followed, with extra concentration taken to gather only the best perfectly ripen grapes. His wines today can even compete with some of the world’s leading producers, and in the best years – some can even surpass Bordeaux’s finest. Since 1997, both Vinattieri Ticinesi and Castello Luigi wines have been produced at the family’s newer estate. Located in Ligornetto, on the Swiss-Italian border, the state-of-the-art facilities follow gravity-flow specifications that preserve the quality of their grapes.