History of the Barbaresco wine

The Barbaresco wine has very deep historical roots. The Romans arrived in the area, submitted the celtic populations that lived here, cutted-down forests of oaks-trees sacred to Mars (Martinenga) and planted the vines. Perhaps it was not already Nebbiolo, but it will soon evolve, through the genetic mutations and the games of destiny.

During the 13th century it was called "nebiul" and original documents show that it was cultivated as far as the Pinerolo area (more than 50 miles apart), therefore demonstrating that this was the pre-eminently piedmontese vine, since "moscato" and "barbera" would have arrived later on, between the 16th and the 17th century.

In the wonderful wooden choir of the Alba Cathedral (15th century) whose visit is warmly suggested, one of the stalls represents the ancient village of Barbaresco overhanged by a fruit-dish full of grapes: we cannot think that it wasn't "nebbiolo". Through the following centuries Nebbiolo gave ground to the more fascionable "moscato" and "barbera", more lucrative and rustic, in many parts of Piedmont, however remaining the absolute principal vine  on the Barolo and Barbaresco hills, where it was acknowleged to give origin to superior wines.

So far, "nebbiolo" between legend and reality. The history of facts, the certainties for Barbaresco begun much later. Here are the more significative dates of a still evolving saga.

• 1799: the austrian army defeats the french in the plain of Genola (Cuneo) on the 4th November. Two days later the army victoriously enters the town of Bra (Cuneo) and the chief-commander general De Melas intimates to the village of Barbaresco to bring "a wagon of excellent nebbiolo". This document is conserved in the parish archives and is the oldest written quotation of Barbaresco and its wines.
• 1870: a bottle conserved at the "Drago" farm of San Rocco Seno d'Elvio carries an hand-written label telling: "Barbaresco 1870". At those times the hamlet of San Rocco Seno d'Elvio was part of the Barbaresco village and this is the oldest bottle where the name "Barbaresco" is used to identify the wine.
• 1894: an historical date, when Barbaresco "comes of age". Domizio Cavazza, headmaster of the Royal Wine-making School of Alba buys the castle of Barbaresco with properties in the areas of Pora and Ovello. In the same year he founded the Social Cellar of Barbaresco, together with about ten local vineyard owners.
  He dictates the "modern method" for nebbiolo wine-making and launched the Barbaresco wine on the national markets, aside the already famous Barolo ... "in you are adjusted the austere gifts of your elder brother ... with you goblets do not need to be limited as with your heavier rivals; to you every hour is favourable and every dish is good companion ... (from Ode to the Barbaresco, 1897, D. Cavazza). To define Domizio Cavazza as  "father of the Barbaresco" is a taken for granted acknowledgment. Everybody knows his tireless and someway amazing work in favour of wine-making and welfare of the local people.
• 1899: The work of the Social Cellar and of other illustrious winemakers of the village (Giovanni Gaja, Gioachino Deforville, DeGiacomi- ecc.) brings good results. Teobaldo Calissano, a Member of Parliament in Rome, presents a law-project for the "safeguard of the true wines Barolo and Barbaresco" from frauds and falsifications".
  Observing the astonishment of the other Members, he invited them on the Langhe hills to taste the wines and personally experience their qualities.
  These are the first italian attempts of legal acts in matter of wine, when in France decades before Bordeax already had its own official classification.
• 1908: on 18th October, following an invitation of the Major, Dr. L. Dogliotti, the Barbaresco's Producers settled up the Union for the tutorship of the production and trade of the authentic Nebbiolo for Barbaresco.
  A few weeks later, their example is followed from their Barolo colleagues, that settled up the "Pro-Barolo association", with the same hints.
  In this way they tried to defend two precious wines from the frauds and the frequent attempts to sell wines of unknown origin with the name of the two villages.
  For the same reason, during the thirties was settled up the first Tutorship League for Barolo and Barbaresco, while the same "controlled origin denomination" - D.O.C. (in 1963) and "controlled and warranted origin denomination" - D.O.C.G. (in 1981) are further actions taken to preserve the major italian wines (at least, this was the original intention ...).
• 1912: an unlucky date, since in that year Domizio Cavazza came to an untimely dead. With him went away the propelling force of the ongoing renewal of Barbaresco, that imposed to the national attention the village and its wine at the same level of the brother Barolo. Without his light, all the area nearly got lost, falling in a deep sleep interrupted only 50 years later. A few months later the first world war begun and with it a long period of big difficulties. The lack of a propelling force was dramatically perceivable.
• 1922: another "black" year, direct consequence of the former. The Social Cellar of Barbaresco shut down ten years after the death of its founder.
  The vines were still grown on our hills, but after the economic self-sufficiency rules imposed by the fascism, a lot of vineyards were converted to seeded fields.
  The production of the precious wine was kept under control by the wine traders of Alba, that bought grapes at a very low price, caring much more about their interests that those of the wine and its production area.
  Good years alternated with bad ones, as always happened, but without the enthusiasm and the will of progress that characterized Barbaresco between the two centuries.
• 1926 e 1933: notwithstanding the "dark years", for the first time in 1926 the Barbaresco wine origin area was officially delimited (Cavazza had already done it in 1898, reporting as well the better "crus"!). This area was later enlarged, including the whole territory of Neive, in 1933, when Barolo and Barbaresco were recognized as "typical wine of excellence".
  The forties and fifties were difficult years for Italy, that must laboriously recovered after the second world war. In these years, the Barolo, strong of an older tradition, a wider production area and more important and powerful winemakers, continued to be "the king of wines and the wine of kings", while the Barbaresco, at the mercy of grapes brokers, had a much harder life; for this reason gained the denomination of "minor brother" that survived until all the sixties and even later.
• 1958: during this year the Barbaresco Productors Winery (Produttori del Barbaresco) was founded, with a rebirth of the whole area. The association, was created by the far-looking parish priest of the village, Rev. Fiorino Marengo, to protect  the growers from the uncertainties of the market and carry on the previous work of Cavazza. At those times, it put together 19 growers (nowadays 63). Following the footprints of the first Social Cellar of 1894, the "Produttori" specialized already from the beginning in the production of a single wine: the Barbaresco.
• 1961: the Gaja winery of Barbaresco decides to make wine only from its own grapes, without buying outside anymore. Therefore gives up producing Barolo; the Barbaresco becomes the "flag" wine for the Gaja winery, that 30 years later would become the most famous "griffe" of italian winemaking. For Barbaresco, that choice was undirectly a big luck: thanks to the quality and the prices .... of the Gaja Barbaresco, no one would dare to call anymore Barbaresco a "minor brother".
• 1966: with Presidential Decree of 23rd April, Barbaresco was aknowledged as D.O.C. wine (controlled origin denomination), first in Italy with Barolo, Brunello of Montalcino and Chianti.
• 1967: following the Barolo example, it is started in the area the wine-making and trading of Barbaresco wines distinguished by growing locality (the french "crus"); the names of the more famous Barbaresco vineyards (Martinenga, Pora, Rabaja', etc.) become synonymous of quality well known and admired all over the world.
• 1980: with Presidential Decree of 3rd October Barbaresco grows to a D.O.C.G. wine (controlled and warranted origin denomination).
• 1997: under the guide of the Consorzio di Tutela, the four villages of the oringinal area proceed to the official mapping sof the sub-areas of Barbaresco wine production, as reported on the map prepared by the Enoteca Regionale, shown in this web site at the page "The area and the sub-areas".