An overlooked variety of Piedmont, Barbera – and its nest, Vinchio e Vaglio Serra

If someone brings up the region of Piedmont in northern Italy, your first thought probably will be Nebbiolo and its famous DOCGs, Barolo and Barbaresco, right? Even there is another successfull red variety there which originates from the hills of Monferrato and amongs italians, it is a very popular choice with their dinner. That is why it is no surprise, that Barbera is one of the most planted variety in the whole country! But still, the best examples will come from this cooler climate place, Piedmont, specifically from Barbera d’Asti DOCG. And there is a cooperative in the region which takes it very seriously, Vinchio e Vaglio Serra.

As I mentioned, they say the variety originated from Monferrato, in central Piedmont, where it has been known from the thirteenth century. As of 2000 it was the third most-planted red grape variety in Italy after Sangiovese and Montepulciano.  In the 1800’s with the italian immigration all over the World ended with the spread of the variety, Argentina, California and Australia are the countries where we can find the majority of the plantings. Barbera is a very vigorous variety and capable of producing high yields if not kept in check by pruning. Excessive yields can diminish the fruit quality in the grape and accentuate Barbera’s natural acidity and sharpness. It is an early ripening variety, usually harvested two weeks earlier then Nebbiolo and it can produce great quality on a wide range of soils but tends to thrive most in less fertile calcareous soils and clay loam. Sandy soils can help limit the vigor and yields.

What we can expect from a Barbera based wine? Usually a medium body with high acidity and medium tannin structure with deep ruby color and ripe fruits of cherry, blackberry and plum. If it has been aged in oak barrels, it will probably be rounder and deeper with spicy notes.

 Of course the most intense expressions are usually from old vines which produces less yields and high quality. And Vinchio e Vaglio Serra Winery is dedicated to these wines and vines. To protect their old vines and make outstanding quality out of it.  The cooperative winery was founded in 1959 with 19 winegrowers to help them against the merchants and improve the quality of the grapes and the resulting wines. During the years they won awards after awards in numerous competions to show the true characteristic of Barbera and the winery now is growing bigger and bigger, today they have 192 farmers in the business.

They are working on numerous well-achieved single vineyards in the area: 

• Monte dell’Olmo was awarded the prestigious prize of the most beautiful hillside landscape of the Nizza area by the UNESCO Treasures.

• The I Tre Vescovi Barbera d’Asti “Superiore” was one of the first projects combining the values of this “terroir” with the expertise of the local winegrowers with the goal to produce a high-quality wine with a good drinkability and an affordable price.  It is one of the “core zones” of the UNESCO World Heritage “Vineyard Landscapes of Piedmont”. The curious name refers to the area where the borders of the towns of Acqui Terme, Alessandria and Asti meet.

• Bricco Laudana is the name of a south-facing ridge of hills between Vinchio and Mombercelli. It is an extraordinary area for winegrowing. The grapes used to make the Nizza DOCG wine which is a sub-zone in Barbera d’Asti DOCG. In 1989 the “Vigne vecchie Bricco Laudana” was the most expensive wine ever sold at the Barbera d’Asti auction held at the castle of Costigliole d’Asti.

• Bric d’la Gramula: A south-facing hill ridge that was named after the man who used to own it about a century ago. It has a historical vineyard dating back to 1954 where the grapes used for the Vigne Vecchie (old vine) wines. Since 2001 it has become one of the exclusive six vineyards used to make the unique Insynthesis wine.

• Bric del Castjon (Castiglione’s hill): it is the highest hill in Vaglio Serra, on the border with Noche, a hamlet of Vinchio. The name probably derives from a fortified camp built here around 1000 AC because of its strategic elevated location.

And of course the big project: The “Vigne Vecchie” (Old Vineyards) project was started during the second half of the 1980’s with the purpose of safeguarding historical vineyards.  The winery decided to launch a program focusing on quality rather than quantity. The “Vigne Vecchie” project was started by Giuliano Noè, a patron of Barbera wine, and dedicated to the production of Barbera wine using only grapes from vineyards that are over 50 years old.

As you can see Vinchio e Vaglio Serra really takes this variety seriously, in fact, they were one of the first ones to do so! They have a wide range of different styles of Barberas from the lighter I Tre Vescovi, their benchmark wine, through the serious Vigne Vecchie (there is a Superiore as well!), and the full-bodied and unique Insynthesis wine.  I have the chance to taste this line up and I recommend you to do so too if you want to see how a great Barbera looks, smells and tastes like!