In the sandy soils of Gamalero, tucked into Piedmont's Alto Monferrato, Guido Zampaglione of Tenuta Grillo has spent decades quietly building one of Italy's most singular orange-wine projects. Originally from Campania's Irpinia, Guido arrived in Monferrato in the mid-1990s and has never really left, planting old local varieties and pouring himself into an unhurried vision of what the land can offer.
The Estate
Tenuta Grillo spans 32 hectares, with 16 under certified organic vine. The continental climate, warm days, cool nights, and the estate's low-yield philosophy shape grapes of concentration and character. Guido farms without synthetic chemistry and holds certification from Bio Agricert, keeping soil biology front of mind through every season.
In the Cellar
Guido practices extended maceration with grape skins, ferments with indigenous yeasts, matures in large wooden vessels, and adds minimal to no sulfur dioxide. What sets Tenuta Grillo apart is patience: wines are often released 8 to 15 years after harvest, an almost unheard-of timeline in the natural wine world that speaks to real confidence in the material. The flagship Baccabianca is a skin-contact Cortese of rare depth; Igiea is a Barbera that rewards cellaring.
The Grapes
The estate grows Cortese, Barbera, Freisa, and Dolcetto alongside Merlot, reflecting both Piedmontese heritage and Guido's restless curiosity. He also maintains a separate high-altitude Fiano vineyard near 800 metres in his native Irpinia, where he produces age-worthy skin-contact whites under the Il Tufiello label.
Why It Matters
Tenuta Grillo is one of those rare addresses where natural farming and long aging converge without pretension. Guido and his wife Igiea are counted among Italy's true masters of macerated whites, and their wines reward drinkers willing to wait.
