Giacomo "Braida" Bologna - The King Of The Piedmont !

Today I will not only talk about a wine - Barbera from the Italian region of the Piedmont - but more so about the legend behind this wine; one of my dearest Gourmet Brothers Giacomo Bologna. It is 20 years ago, that I had the privilege to meet this man and not a day too soon. In 1990 Giacomo died very untimely what still today I consider one of the biggest loses to the Italian wine community! Giacomo's father had owned a vineyard in Rocchetta Tanaro where he grew typical Piedmont style Barbera. He was not a vigneron. Giacomo however, had a passion for all the best things in life - which included fine wine. He was a "man of the soil", a firm believer that great wine comes from the terroir. He always compared the vineyards of Rocchetta Tanaro and the Barbera grape with the terroir of Burgundy and the Pinot Noir. Giacomo started his quest of becoming a true winemaker in 1961 when he produced his first Barbera - La Monella. In those days Barbera was a cheap table wine, which never yielded more then a few dollars a bottle. There was no respect for Barbera. Giacomo was the first Piedmontese winemaker to conclude that the Barbera would age brilliantly in small oak barrels. At the beginning of 1980 Giacomo took part in a study trip to California with Mario Schiopetto from Friuli and the leading Franciacorta producer Maurizio Zanella. He was bowled over by what he saw on the trip and immediately on his return decided to revolutionize his wine making by introducing the small French oak barrels that he had seen in use in Napa and Sonoma. Giacomo Bologna was the first, along with Angelo Gaja, who was carrying out similar experiments and his first product of this new approach, the celebrated single-vineyard Bricco dell'Uccellone, came out in 1982. It was an immediate winner and provided the key to the incredibly successful future for the Barbera. Two more cru's were born back then - the Uccellone della Bigotta and the Ai Suma. Subsequently a great part of the credit for the revival of the Barberas in the Piedmont must go to Giacomo Bologna who will always be remembered as the architect of the Barbera renaissance. Giacomo has become the King of the Piedmont, a producer who, as Burton Andersons the American wine writer based in Italy, wrote, "did more than anyone to lift the image of Barbera from that of the eternal plebeian to its current aristocratic status."
The story of the Braida Winery starts with a nickname. Braida was what they used to call Giuseppe Bologna. Giacomo Bologna inherited not only his father’s vineyard but also his nickname. Today, the company has expanded while remaining faithful to Giacomo's philosophy, to their way of understanding life, the earth, wine and friendship. In fact, it was Anna who was the driving force in ensuring that the plans Giacomo had traced out were followed through to become a reality. With her children Raffaella and Beppe by her side, together they share in taking calculated risks and making forward-looking investments both in the cellars and in the vineyard. The Braida wines are all synonymous with terroir, purity, elegance and class. Furthermore, they reflect the passion and personality of Giacomo and his descendants.
And this brings me to the King of all Barberas in my books. Bricco dell'Uccellone is the name of one of the very best vineyards on the hilltops of Rochetta Tanaro. The vineyard takes its name from the old woman who lived in the house next to the plot, who always dressed in black and so was given the nickname l'uselun or ‘big bird’. The wine itself displays a deep ruby-red color, with reflections that change over time from violet when young towards garnet when aged. The bouquet is rich, sumptuous, multi-faceted, generous, very well structured and powerful beyond. It is loaded with berries, spices, vanilla and liquorice. The palate is dry and full, with great body and a remarkable harmony of structure, in which the characteristic oak notes, resulting from barrel-ageing. A incredible wine of tremendous smoothness and almost infinite persistence. When ever you have the chance, please give this Barbera a try and send a little salute off to Giacomo!

In Memoriam
Giacomo Bologna