Wood ageing has played a crucial role in the history of this wine, contributing to the transformation of Barbera from an everyday wine to the great protagonist of Italian oenology.
Today, the use of wood is more conscious and targeted, and makes it possible to better preserve the fruit (without altering it) and enhance the typical features of the vine.
Early experiments with wood
Wood ageing of Barbera is a relatively recent practice in the history of this grape variety, yet it has represented a fundamental turning point in its qualitative evolution. In the 1980s, the grapes were harvested in October, when the days were cooler and shorter. However, Barbera would never reach optimum ripeness and its sugar content did not allow wines with natural alcohol contents above 13% to be obtained.
To overcome these limitations, some producers began experimenting with wood ageing to add structure to the wines. One of the first examples was Giacomo Bologna’s Bricco dell’Uccellone, the first Barbera aged in barriques, launched in 1983.
Shortly after, in 1985, Vinchio Vaglio started the ‘Vigne Vecchie’ project, selecting vineyards that were over 50 years old, characterised by better exposure and lower production per plant. These grapes, with a greater structure, lent themselves perfectly to wood ageing.
The role of climate and cultivation techniques
Until the 2000s, the use of wood was still uncommon and often experimental. However, as the climate progressively changed, Barbera began to benefit from better ripening and lower acidity. Cultural practices such as thinning out the bunches further contributed to increasing the sugar content of the grapes.
Since Barbera has a low concentration of tannins and is rich in anthocyanins, the passage in small or large wood increases its complexity without weighing down its structure.
In recent years, the market has also progressively moved towards wines with a marked presence of wood, leading to an increasingly widespread use of barriques, sometimes excessively so. The passage in large or small barrels allowed Barbera to acquire greater complexity, even if the wine was not yet sufficiently structured and resented this excessive use of wood.
Vinchio Vaglio: the mother of all Barbera
On the new plantings, from the 2000s onwards, less vigorous rootstocks and selected clones (AT 83 and AT 84) with smaller bunches and less productive vines were introduced: all practices that led to wines with higher alcoholic content, but above all of great quality, to the benefit of aromatic concentration and structure.
Thanks to the quality of its grapes, Vinchio Vaglio became a point of reference for the purchase of bulk Barbera by the best bottlers. This reputation was also recognised by Carlin Petrini, founder of Slow Food, who called the company “the mother of all Barbera”. Luigi Veronelli, the first journalist to talk about quality Italian wine, and Tullio Mussa, the visionary host of Nizza Monferrato, also played a crucial role in promoting Barbera as a great wine for ageing.
In 2002, the “Nizza” project was born, which obtained the DOCG in 2014, becoming the highest quality expression of Barbera. Vinchio Vaglio’s oenologist, Giuliano Noè, acknowledged as “the father of quality Barbera”, played a decisive role in the creation of the first specifications for Nizza DOCG, inspired by the Vigne Vecchie production protocol.
Using wood for today’s Barbera
While initially there was great heterogeneity among producers in terms of soils, production areas and use of wood, in recent years it has become increasingly evident that there is not just one Barbera, but infinite ways of interpreting this grape variety.
If in the past ageing was often excessive and ended up overpowering the characteristics of the vine, in recent years, the trend has changed: a balance is sought between the fruit and the wood, calibrating the size of the barrels and their age.
At Vinchio Vaglio we use large 75-hectolitre barrels and barriques, carefully dosing their impact also according to the age of the different woods so as not to alter the character of the Barbera, though we also use steel and cement tanks, depending on the wine we wish to obtain.
A light passage in wood is useful to improve the Barbera in terms of structure, but it is essential to ensure the fruit is not distorted.
The opinion of oenologist Giuseppe Rattazzo
Barbera is a very versatile grape variety, and Vinchio Vaglio produces very different types.
We have wines where no wood is used at all, such as Sorì dei Mori and Vigne Vecchie 50, which are stored in steel or cement tanks. Tre Vescovi, on the other hand, spends a fairly long period in 75 Hl oak barrels. These are wines with structure that give prominence to the fruit both in the mouth and on the nose. These types are very well received in today’s market because they are less demanding and easy to approach.
At Vinchio Vaglio, however, we also produce wines such as Sei Vigne Insynthesis Nizza Riserva, Nizza Laudana or Vigne Vecchie Barbera Superiore that make more or less lengthy passages in wood of different sizes and thus have great structure, improve with the passage of time and, thanks to ageing in the bottle as well, acquire elegance and longevity.
Oenologist Giuseppe Rattazzo