The patron saint of Canelli is Saint Thomas the Apostle, celebrated on 21 December, with the parish church dedicated to him in the town centre. Canelli is the second most important town in the province of Asti, together with Nizza Monferrato, both as a productive and cultural centre and by population, and owes its fortune, from the late 18th century onward, to the development of the Moscato d'Asti and Asti Spumante wine industry.
Beneath the town run the famous «underground cathedrals», masterpieces of oenological engineering and architecture where millions of bottles ferment at a constant temperature of 12 to 14 degrees: on 22 June 2014 Canelli and Asti Spumante were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, part of the vineyard landscape of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato. The town is home to some of Piedmont's most historic wine companies, such as Gancia, Bosca, Contratto and Coppo, and in 1994 a flood of the Belbo stream invaded the cellars, causing serious damage to the fermenting sparkling wine.
