A spellbinding story of commitment and passion, of tradition and foresight.
1894
1894 was a milestone year for Barbaresco. Before this date, the Nebbiolo cultivated here was sold to make Barolo wine or vinified as a simple table wine.
In 1894, Domizio Cavazza, headmaster of the Royal Oenological School of Alba and owner of Barbaresco Castle and the adjoining farm, founded the “Cantine Sociali di Barbaresco” for the “production of luxury and table wines”.
Gathering nine farmers and landowners around him, he began to make wine in the Castle cellars and named the wine after the village itself.
That the Nebbiolo cultivated in Barbaresco had its own distinct character was a well-known fact, but Cavazza was the first to recognise this distinctiveness on the label, with the plan to boost the reputation of the product and of the municipality, following in the footsteps of Barolo, which was just beginning to be established.
This makes 1894 the unofficial year of birth of Barbaresco wine.
Cavazza died in 1913 and the, with the advent of fascism, the cooperative winery was closed in the 1920s.
Meanwhile, Barbaresco began building a reputation for itself: the “Consorzio di Difesa dei Vini Tipici di Pregio Barolo e Barbaresco” was founded in 1934, with the aim of preventing fraud and adulteration and promoting the knowledge and consumption of the wines.
Subjugated by the twenty years of Fascism and the war, the country was slowly emerging from a tunnel, returning to the light after years of difficulties caused by misery entrenched in ancient traditions.
1958
Don Fiorino Marengo arrived in Barbaresco immediately after the Second World War.
A modern-day Saint Francis, the young priest threw himself headlong into a myriad of activities, never for a moment neglecting his ministry. Inspired by the unforgettable example of Domizio Cavazza, Don Fiorino became convinced that the associative experience could be repeated again to seek the emancipation of the country people from extreme poverty and deep-rooted individualism. So in 1958, he brought together nineteen farmers and founded Produttori del Barbaresco “to qualify and guarantee Barbaresco”.
The first vintage was vinified in the courtyard of the priest’s house and sales earned an excellent profit compared to what would have been earned by selling the grapes, as had been the case until then. Construction work on the winery proper, at the foot of the Barbaresco tower, was completed in 1960.
The priest received valuable help from a leading local figure, the pharmacist of Neive. Dr. Maffei was held in the highest regard in the area, he owned several vineyards and was seeking a better yield for his land. The landowner’s business acumen and the priest’s generous ideals were a winning combination. The contribution of Riccardo Cravanzola and Lorenzo Viglino, later to become the first two presidents of the cooperative, was also decisive. They succeeded in involving families from the Ovello and Rabajà areas, immediately giving the fledgling association a convincing topographical identity.
From the ‘60s to the ‘80s
And then of course there was the patient and tireless work of Celestino Vacca, “the secretary”. At the helm of the winery for three decades, he kept the “bar straight” by upholding the golden rules laid down by Don Fiorino: only Barbaresco, full assignment of Nebbiolo grapes by the members, distribution of profits according to the quality of the grapes supplied and not just the quantity. These were simple rules, but completely new for the time, and essential to the winery’s success.
In the early 1960s, Don Fiorino was “transferred” to another parish, but his vision and commitment left an indelible mark. As a result, thanks to the hard work and dedication of its members, the winery continued to grow over the years in the name of quality.
Substantial profits began to flow in at the end of the 1980s and the Produttori del Barbaresco label became increasingly prestigious. The members, now more than 50, had finally become “winegrowers”, known and appreciated the world over.
Between present and future
From the 1990s, the doors of the international market opened wide: the US, Japan, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom competed for a label that had become an international emblem of typicality and uncompromising quality.
Today, Produttori del Barbaresco is regarded as one of the most prestigious wineries in the area and is an example for cooperatives all over the world.
Production totals around 650,000 bottles a year, offering a perfect expression of the terroir and the link with a history in which noble ideals and intelligent entrepreneurial spirit have coexisted, at the service of the community and for the redemption of the territory.