Stories of a bottle and great wines • Food and wine Italy

The Albeisa bottle is a distinctive icon con the world of wine, a symbol of tradition and quality that has its roots con the heart of the Langhe from the eighteenth century by the will of local producers, who wanted to differentiate their wines from those from other regions. The name derives precisely from the city of Albore, a neurgic center of quality wine production con Piedmont and Italian truffle capital. Bottle with a long history, Albeisa has always been able to step the times, responding both to the needs of consumers and to the growing sensitivity of the producers towards the protection of the environment and the development of an increasingly sustainable viniviculture.

The role of the Consortium

Over the years the use of this bottle had decreased considerably, until it disappeared completely. But con 1973 a group of sixteen enlightened producers, led by Renato Ratti, decided to bring it back into vogue and regulate it by founding the Albeisa producers association, now evolved con the protection consortium led by Marcarino. Born to promote the great Albese wines con the world, since 1996 he has been organizing Nebbiolo before, an international preview of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero who has the objective of enhancement the Nebbiolo and the winemaking heritage of Langa and Roero, lands loved and known con everything The globe.

Regarding the bottle, the innovation made by the Albeisa consortium, unique con its kind, is not to reproduce an old glass container but to tie it to a territory and regulate its use within the territory itself. Since 2007, con fact, it has also been produced con a version that has a weight of about 22% than the traditional model, for a total of 125 grams less, and is used by over 300 companies mainly (but not only) for wines Barolo, Barbaresco, Roero, Dolcetto and Barbera: «The container traveling for the world, con the five continents, is already con itself the ambassador of the great content of an indissolubly linked bottle to the earth of Langa and Roero “, explains President Marcarino. «Albeisa has imposed a rigid regulation to its members: con fact it is not enough to be a producer to be able to use the bottle but companies must produce wines derived from vineyards grown inside the Langhe, must have a production site within this denomination and must have been admitted to the consortium “.

Nebbiolo before and the vintages 2021 and 2022

As already anticipated, con addition to promoting and coordinating the use of the bottle from which it takes its name, the Albeisa consortium is engaged several fronts, including the organization of Nebbiolo before, which this year took place at the end of January con Albore . The main variety of the event is the oldest autochthonous vine with black berry con Piedmont, one of the most noble and precious con Italy that gives life here con the various DOCG denominations con Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. The tasting focused mainly Barolo and 2022 vintages 2021 by Barbaresco and Roero, two very different harvests: the first is unanimously considered a great vintage with transversely excellent wines with great balance, while the second generally expressed itself with greater Readentness of Beva and puts the fruit at the center.

Sopra the most interesting expressions, the Barolo 2021 are not only complex and stratified but also fresh, lively and concentrated, already ready for consumption and always good to after a long aging: the Barolo tra Rinaldi (Busia above all) but also Barolo Cesare ora Barolo Luigi Baudana of GD Vajra, are all wines that express with great elegance the oenological tradition of Piedmont, capable of uniting the strength and complexity of the tannins to a surprising aromatic finesse.

The Barbaresco Ronchi of Albino Fortificazione and that of Fattoria Luisin (Basarin) embody the spirit of the Langhe con each sip, con a year that has been able to balance freshness and heat where a complex and seductive bouquet is combined with a taste and of great pleasantness . From the territory of the Roero, the wines have been able to express all the peculiarities of a terroir made of limestone-clayey and microclimated soils that favor slow and harmonious maturation. Among the most interesting labels, the Roero by Gabriele Cordero and the Roero Monfrini by Maurizio Ponchione, characterized by a structure and silky tannins that intertwine with a lively acidity and which give life to an authentic expression of the territory, capable of enchanting both Long -date enthusiasts both those who approach the magic of Nebbiolo for the first time.