The municipality
La torre I vigneti
The tower is the symbol of Barbaresco and from the top you can enjoy the view of the all-around villages and the Tanaro river, surrounded by the natural walls of the Alps. It was built at the end of the XI century, but we do not have many information about its construction, certainly it was part of a complex defense system and probably it was englobed in a castle. Since 1985 the tower is property of the municipality of Barbaresco and it has been restored several times.
The castle dates to the XVIII century and it was built at the behest of the counts Galleani. The structure is now the seat of the “Cantina Sociale del Barbaresco”, a very important local winery; it was created by Domizio Cavassa, the father of the Barbaresco wine, it was then used to produce also spirits. Today is property of the Gaja family and after a total restoration it has returned to its origins.
In the central square of Barbaresco, since June 1999, a bigsundial celebrates the cultivation of the vine with twelve images taken from an ancient trait about agriculture.
The “Enoteca Regionale del Barbaresco”, located in the ex-Confraternity of San Donato, is a point of reference for all the tourists, in fact here they can find more than 120 labels: about 90% of the entire local wine production.
This municipality is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
The wine
Barbaresco AOCG is one of the most fine red wine all over the world. The area of production includes the whole territory of Barbaresco, Treiso and Neive and the hamlet of San Rocco Seno d’Elvio in the municipality of Alba.
This wine has very ancient origins, Tito Livio mentioned it in the “Historia Romana”. Domizio Cavazza, director of the Scuola Enologica of Alba, at the end of the 19th century, decided to enhalnce Barbaresco. This wine is produced with Nebbiolo vine, cultivated on the Tanaro hills, in the municipalities of Barbaresco, Treiso, Neive and in the halmlet of San Rocco Seno d’Evio in Alba. It has been the first AOCG production of Piedmont which can bear the additional label about the list of productive perspectives.
This is a brillant and intense wine, its colour varies from red to garnet and it has a stimulating bouquet of fragrances which remind raspberries, red fruits jam, geranium, violet, but also green pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, wood, toasted hazelnuts, vanilla and anise. The vine is 100% Nebbiolo. The minimum ageing period is 24 months, 12 of those it is stored in oak or chestnut barrels. Barbaresco aged more than 4 years can bears the additional label “Riserva”. The minimum alcoholic content is 12.5%.
The Produttori del Barbaresco winery
The winery was founded in 1958 inside the castle of Barbaresco by 19 members, today they are 50 with about 110 hectares of Nebbiolo vineyards and they control the majority of the historical cru of this area. The Produttori del Barbaresco winery makes wines using Nebbiolo grapes only, producing Barbaresco AOCG with grapes coming from vineyards of different origins and Nebbiolo Langhe AOC with grapes of vineyards suitable to produce a simpler wine and ready to drink.
The high quality of the wines, which are expression of classicism, is obtained thanks to strict rules, in particular about the phytosanitary treatments. This attention makes the Produttori del Barbaresco winery one of the most serious and important one in the whole territory.
Barbaresco a Tavola
The event “Barbaresco a Tavola” this year will take place on 10th, 17th and 24th May: it is a series of events to present the new vintage, paired with special dishes. The local restaurants will propose traditional recipes with 20 types of 2015 Barbaresco, one for each evening, only at the end of the dinner participants will discovers the name of the wine producers. The Barbaresco wines proposed during the tasting can be bought the day after at the Enoteca Regionale del Barbaresco.
The awaited 2015 Barbaresco vintage presents a sumptuous wine with intense colours, wide and complex perfumes, compact and strong taste.
Thanks to the climate, there is an excellent tannins quality, which guarantees elegant, strong and long lasting wines. The harvest has started in advance, at the end of September. The summer temperatures reached 40° C, but, fortunately, thanks to the water reserves collected during the first months of the year, the heat did not stressed out the vineyards. September had a positive trend with an ideal equilibrium situation to guarantee the right colour intensity to the Nebbiolo grapes.