Vermouth di Torino — Canelli, 1934 · Reborn in 2025

Every brand has a place that explains it. Ours is Canelli, in the heart of Piedmont's wine country, among the Moscato hills now recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was here, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, that some of Italy's most celebrated aromatic and sparkling wine houses were born and flourished; here that the art of vermouth began — created in the regional capital Turin at the end of the eighteenth century.

The Alfredo Soria brand belongs to this landscape and this tradition — the same tradition that produced names like Carpano and Cinzano and made Vermouth di Torino a recognised, protected category. This is not just any vermouth, but one born in the birthplace of vermouth, to a family interwoven with the winemaking dynasties of Canelli: Alfredo's mother was the daughter of Luigi Bosca, founder of the global wine house that bears his name, while cousins on the maternal side belonged to the Contratto family.

Even before wine, the family's story begins with hospitality. At the turn of the twentieth century the Sorias ran some of the best-known hotels in southern Piedmont — the Croce Bianca in Canelli, then the Gambero d'Oro, the Corona Grossa and the Pesce d'Oro in Bra — praised by the chronicles of the day for their "choice wines, fine cuisine and moderate prices". This tradition of hospitality is part of the brand's DNA — vermouth as a convivial moment, a way of putting guests at ease.

Young Alfredo, born in 1896, had a keen eye on international markets and completed his training abroad. In 1914, together with his cousin Armando, he worked in the cellars of Épernay, in Champagne, learning the méthode champenoise — expertise that fed into the earliest production of Asti Spumante, and an early sign of the house's international, forward-looking spirit.

The brand's founding date is documented with notarial precision: on 16 March 1934 the firm "Alfredo Soria" was formally established in Canelli to produce and trade wines, vermouth and sparkling wines. The company's complete file is still preserved in the historical archive of the Chamber of Commerce of Asti and Alessandria — a rare case of brand heritage that can be verified, in full, against archival sources.

In 1938 the brand was listed in the Annuario dell'industria italiana dei vini, liquori e affini, the national yearbook of the Italian wine and liquor industry, confirming its standing on the national stage.

From its earliest years, the house's calling was export. In 1940 the firm officially registered its export business, and private letters preserved in the family tell of constant business travel to Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Nice. Certificates of analysis kept in the archives — Moscato d'Asti and Asti Spumante in 1963 — attest to products that were "natural and free of alterations", destined for foreign markets, while family memory recalls a reach that extended as far as the United States.

The trademark was also formally registered with the Turin Chamber of Commerce, with filings in 1961 and 1969 now recorded in MaToSto®, the national database of historic trademarks. The business carried on until Alfredo's death; the recipes and labels stayed in the family's safekeeping.

The rebirth began with a simple act. In September 2024, in the "old house" in Canelli — almost untouched, its furniture and memories still in place — Giulia Barbero and her husband Björn came across an original Alfredo Soria vermouth label: a fragment of paper, perfectly preserved.

That label was more than a keepsake — it was tangible proof of a celebrated brand, and the starting point for bringing it back to life as a tribute to Maria Rosa Soria, Alfredo's only daughter, who still lives in Canelli.

More than a century after the family's origins in Canelli, and ninety years after the firm was founded, the Soria name returns to the market with a Vermouth di Torino Rosso. It is crafted in Piedmont on a double base of exceptional wines — Piemonte Cortese DOC and Moscato d'Asti DOCG — that together make up three quarters of the bottle.

"Since 75% of a bottle of vermouth is wine, it is essential to choose a base that enhances the botanicals and defines the overall character."

Wine-led, not sugar-led. Naturally expressive, never artificially forced. Balanced enough to be sipped slowly, light enough to carry you through the evening.

The production rules of Vermouth di Torino IGP require that at least 75% of the product be wine, made exclusively from Italian grapes — yet much of the industry treats that component as mere support, falling back on neutral, anonymous bases chosen for cost rather than character. Alfredo Soria takes the more radical, and more faithful, route: two appellation wines, each with a name, a territory and production rules of its own.

Writers and enologists have long maintained that true Turin vermouth must be born of Moscato di Canelli; history later gave Cortese a co-starring role. The ideal blend is roughly two parts Cortese to one part Moscato: Cortese brings freshness, a savoury edge and an understated finesse that lets the botanicals breathe; Moscato d'Asti DOCG adds aromatic lift and a natural grape sweetness that allows for less added sugar.

Alfredo Soria Original is an Italian red vermouth — a Vermouth di Torino Rosso — naturally sweet and surprisingly light. Its aromatic character comes from a bouquet of botanicals true to the great Turin tradition: two Piedmontese wormwoods, gentile and romano, together with local herbs and spices. The recipe remains, as tradition demands, a family secret.

It is best enjoyed on its own over ice with a twist of orange; it is the ideal base for the Soria Spritz and gives character to timeless cocktails such as the Negroni, the Manhattan and the Americano. At the table it pairs with aged cheeses, olives and toasted nuts — the classic repertoire of the Piedmontese aperitivo.

Today the brand spans Turin and Singapore: an axis joining its home territory to international markets, just as Soria vermouth once linked Canelli to Paris, Marseille and New York. The first release of the relaunch, the Heritage Edition, pays tribute to the rediscovered 1934 label.

Giulia Barbero, Alfredo Soria's great-granddaughter, is founder and CEO of Soria Spirits. After an MBA at INSEAD in France and Singapore and more than twelve years of international experience, she chose to devote her energy to bringing the family brand back to life. At her side is co-founder Björn Bergström, who brings experience as an entrepreneur, executive and venture-capital professional.

Maria Rosa Soria, Alfredo's daughter, and her husband Ernesto Barbero remain an essential part of the team: for decades they safeguarded the memories, the traditions and the know-how behind the original vermouth.

• 1887–1891The Soria brothers run the Albergo Croce Bianca in Canelli: the family's roots are planted in Piedmontese hospitality.
• 1891–c. 1910In Bra the family runs renowned hotels (Gambero d'Oro, Corona Grossa, Pesce d'Oro), a crossroads for travellers between Italy and France.
• 1910Alfredo Soria is recorded as living in Canelli, the family's home town and a capital of aromatic winemaking.
• 1914Formative journey to Épernay, in Champagne: an apprenticeship in the méthode champenoise.
• 16 March 1934The firm "Alfredo Soria" is established on Via Alfieri in Canelli to produce wines, vermouth and sparkling wines.
• 1938The brand is listed in the Annuario dell'industria italiana dei vini, liquori e affini (Milan, 1938).
• 1940The export business is officially registered; Soria wines and vermouths travel to France.
• 1952–1965Export certificates of analysis (Moscato d'Asti, Lacrima Christi, Asti Spumante) attest to continuous production.
• 1961 · 1969Trademark registrations with the Turin Chamber of Commerce (now recorded in the MaToSto® database).
• 1971The business ceases and the brand falls into a long silence.
• September 2024The original label is rediscovered in the family archives in Canelli: the rebirth begins.
• 2025–2026The original recipe is found and reconstructed and the Alfredo Soria Vermouth di Torino is relaunched internationally.

Sources: Historical Archive of the Chamber of Commerce of Asti and Alessandria; Historical Archive of the Municipality of Canelli; State Archive of Asti; Turin Chamber of Commerce, MaToSto® database; Annuario dell'industria italiana dei vini, liquori e affini (Milan, 1938); the Soria–Barbero family archive; soriaspirits.com.