In 1988, Luigi Zanini bought a property, located in the municipality of Besazio (Canton Ticino - Switzerland), called ‘Belvedere’, which included an old farmhouse dating back to 1870, located right in the centre of the property and called ‘Civasca’.

The plot of land faces south-east, in a natural amphitheatre-shaped basin. In its time, it was an area devoted to viticulture. Of the 4.3 hectares, 3 hectares could be used for vineyards as the soil was well suited to viticulture, being composed of limestone, tuff and slightly sandy soil.

The first intervention, immediately after the purchase, was to eradicate all the brambles and shrubs; then the new vineyard was planted: 2 hectares for Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon and 1 hectare for Chardonnay.

Once the necessary permits had been obtained, on 27 October 1997, the old farmhouse was demolished to make way for the new construction, Castello Luigi.

Luigi Zanini designed a helicoidal underground cellar, 18.5 metres deep, to ensure that all cellar work was carried out by gravity: from crushing to racking to bottling, without the wine ever having to undergo any mechanical intervention.

The first grape harvest to be bottled was the 1996 vintage for the Castello Luigi white wine and the 1997 vintage for the Castello Luigi red wine. After 23 years, with the 2020 vintage, a new red wine was born: Belvedere del Castello Luigi.

Over the years, until today, the estate has grouped together 29 hectares of land, with a vineyard area of 6 hectares dedicated to the production of the 3 Castello Luigi wines.