The fine wines of the Langhe > Barbaresco wine

One of the greatest Piedmontese wines, which must be tasted passionately, is Barbaresco wine. Barbaresco wine has very ancient origins: Titus Livy mentioned it in its monumental work about Roman history; according to ancient traditions, the Gauls came down to Italy, attracted by the goodness of Barbaritium wine, from whom “Barbariscum” and then “Barbaresco” derived; according to others, its name would derive from the barbarian hordes which, before and after the falling of Rome, slaughtered throughout Italy. Anciently, Barbaresco wine used to be called “Nebbiolo” or “Barolo” indifferently, and it was vinified by adding to it “Moscatello” and “Passereta” grapes, which gave it a sweetish and effervescent taste. The modern Barbaresco wine is mentioned already in 1799, when the Austrian General Melas asked for a “Nebbiolo from Barbaresco” to decently celebrate his victory over the French. It was only by the middle of 1800 that the dry type of this wine began to be produced. It was Professor Domizio Cavazza, a well-known enologist, who oriented the new vinification technique, and founded in 1894 a social cellar for the exclusive production of Barbaresco: he compared it to the greatest French wine and defined it “fine, soft, generous”. The typical areas where Barbaresco wine is produced are: the municipalities of Barbaresco, Treiso, Neive, and a small part of the hamlet San Rocco Senodelvio (belonging to the municipality of Alba). The ideal conditions for this production are hilly vineyards, whose ground is mostly clayey or calcareous. There are 482 Barbaresco wine producers and 489 hectares of ground: the maximum quantity which is possible to produce, according to these data, is hl 27.426, although the annual average is 17.750 hl. Vines and variants which are suitable for its production are: the sub-varieties of Nebbiolo, which are Michet, Lampia, and Rosé. The minimum alcoholic content which is allowed is 12,5%; its compulsory ageing is 2 years, and at least one of them in chest or durmast casks; its colour is grenade red, with orange reflections; its characteristic smell is pleasant and intense; its taste is dry, full, robust, but also velvety. The product, which is subjected to an ageing longer than 4 years, can be qualified as “Reserve”. Its ideal matching is delicious meat dishes and game; in the area it matches a roasted goat, richly spiced. If it very smelly it well matches aged cheeses, kidneys and livers.