Giulio Cocchi was originally a pastry chef who moved to Asti in the late nineteenth century. He became enamored with the local traditions of blending wines with herbs and spices. These concoctions were considered a remedy of Piedmont and drunk as “vin brulé”, a hot and invigorating cure all.

Cocchi attempted his own fortified wine recipe, Cocchi Barolo Chinato, that quickly gained popularity and catapulted his beverage career and cult-like following.