Planting new vines means investing in the future of the industry and the land. As Braida does

Planting new vines means investing in the future of the industry and the territory. And now “Braida”, the iconic Barbera d’Asti winery and one of the most famous in Piedmont, founded in 1961 by Giacomo Bologna, with already 70 hectares of vines between the Langhe and Monferrato, is back to do so, planting two more, also of Barbera, for its Curej, on the Asinara hill, as Raffaella Bologna, owner, together with her brother Giuseppe, of the historic winery in Rocchetta Tanaro, in the Asti region, explains.
“Every time a vineyard is planted at “Braida”, enthusiasm is renewed and a promise that has united the Bologna family for generations is reinforced: every vineyard that is born is a gift and a commitment for those who will come after. This time we have returned to do so on the hill of Asinara”, explains Raffaella Bologna, “a well-ventilated location that yields healthy fruit and whose altitude, combined with the cooling effect of the surrounding forests, gives the wines lower alcohol contents. We reclaimed a hillside historically planted with vines, a beautiful balcony over the village of Rocchetta Tanaro, by repositioning vineyards that had long since been extirpated. Facing east, southeast and south, the location of this vineyard, which we purchased in 2021, is well sunlit and immersed in a landscape of biodiversity guaranteed by its proximity to the Rocchetta Tanaro Natural Park, a 120-hectare green lung that has been the first protected area in the Asti region since 1980”. The soil here is predominantly sandy mixed with red clay, and is loose and light. Multiple Barbera clones and rootstocks suitable for this type of soil, with very deep roots, have been chosen. Grapes from this new vineyard will, in three years, be added to San Bernardo's production, Curej: the youngest of Braida’s Barbera wines, fresh and with a contemporary feel. In its name, Curej celebrates its origins (it is the nickname of the families that have always inhabited and cared for this small region of Rocchetta Tanaro, where monks were already practicing viticulture in the eighteenth century) and in its aromas and sip it evokes the panorama of vines and woods from which it comes: open, vast, simple, happy. A Barbera to which a brief aging in wood and bottle maturation give freshness, drinkability and enhances the primary aromas.
“The ideal destination for Curej in our opinion is the restaurant table. Curej, in fact, is a wine that lends itself particularly well to being appreciated in a restaurant context, where expert sommeliers can fully enhance its qualities through targeted gastronomic pairings and evocative presentations; catering then is one of the natural channels for Barbera, a wine that pairs very well with multiple cuisines of the world. In particular, for Curej, the natural elegance, lightness and freshness of taste make it a perfect wine to serve by the glass as well”, explains Raffaella. “Curej’s first vintage was 2019; it joins the other expressions of Barbera Braida, each of which interprets with great expressiveness” the specific terroir from which it comes: La Monella, Barbera del Monferrato frizzante, the reserves Montebruna, Bricco dell’Uccellone, Bricco della Bigotta and Ai Suma.
“Barbera is in our DNA”, concludes Raffaella Bologna, “with Curej it is once again. With the family carrying on the philosophy of founder Giacomo Bologna, summed up in these words, “build a large, spacious, well-ventilated cellar and cheer it with many beautiful bottles, these upright ones, those lying down, to be regarded with a friendly eye in the evenings of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter sneering at the thought of that man without song and sound, without women and without wine, who should live a decade longer than you”.