Forty years of Asì delle Langhe

In the Langhe, a land known above all for its wines, another quieter tradition continues to live: that of artisan wine vinegar.

In Dogliani, inside the acetaia of CasaMatilda, this continuity takes form in Asì delle Langhe, which turns forty in 2026.

For Fabio, the meaning of Asì begins with a simple memory. As a child, he watched a gesture that then seemed normal: when a bottle of good wine was almost finished, the wine that remained was not wasted. It was poured into a small barrel and left to transform slowly into vinegar. Not defective wine, not a discard, but good wine. Not a fallback, but a choice.

This is where one can begin to understand Asì delle Langhe.

In the local dialect, asì — with the accent on the “ì” — simply means vinegar. A short, everyday word that returns to a time when vinegar belonged to rural life without needing to be explained. It was in the cellar, beside the wine, and in the kitchen, inside the dishes of every day: in carpione, in preserves, in sauces. Not a marginal detail, but a constant presence.

Over time, however, this culture became thinner. With industrialisation, vinegar became faster to produce, more uniform, more predictable. What had once been a living process — tied to the seasons, to air, to wood, to observation — was gradually transformed into a standardised product.

Asì delle Langhe was born in 1986, precisely while this transformation was already under way. Thirty years later, in 2016, Fabio and Anna took up its continuity. At CasaMatilda, that vinegar was not a discovery, but a familiar presence, already integrated into the kitchen and the farm’s preparations. What they received was not only an activity, but a knowledge made of slow time, repeated gestures and constant attention.

Still today, time remains a fundamental ingredient.

Asì is produced according to the traditional Orléans method, one of the oldest techniques for wine vinegar. The process is not accelerated. The wine enters the wooden barrels slowly, where acetobacter work in contact with oxygen. Each barrel has its own evolution. There are no shortcuts. From harvest to bottling, years can pass.

The difference is recognised above all at the table. An artisan vinegar does not invade and does not cover. It accompanies with precision, gives tension to the dish, awakens its flavours and gives them structure.

For Fabio, preserving Asì does not mean looking at the past with nostalgia. It means restoring vinegar to its original role: that of a serious, everyday ingredient, capable of standing naturally and with measure in contemporary cooking.

In 2026, Asì delle Langhe turns forty. To celebrate this anniversary, in June the acetaia of Dogliani opens its doors in two distinct moments: a day open to the public and an invitation-only meeting dedicated to professionals in the gastronomic world.

More than the anniversary, however, what matters is what continues to live in those barrels, in those long times, in that choice not to accelerate.

In a land that built its reputation on wine, Asì delle Langhe reminds us that one of wine’s oldest companions still continues to exist thanks to a simple decision: not to let a tradition disappear.