Braida
di Giacomo Bologna
"Stretch ball," a local Piedmontese
sport, is the pastime that occupied Giuseppe Bologna every
Sunday in his youth, earning him the nickname 'Braida.'
At a young age Giuseppe founded the Braida estate, cultivating
a single vineyard of Barbera to make wine for himself and
his friends. It was this vineyard that he passed on to Giacomo
Bologna along with an unbounded love for this wine and the
land where it was made. Giacomo truly appreciated the finer
things in life and produced a wine that catered to his own
exacting standards. He believed that great wine must come
from great soil and had been fortunate enough to inherit
land that was ideal for grape growing.
Giacomo Bologna was actually the first
to realize that Barbera could age brilliantly in small oak
barrels. In the 1980's he put this discovery to use, creating
three now-famous crus, Uccellone, Bricco della Bogotta,
and Ai Suma. The extraction, clarity, and superb balance
of these wines is simply unbelievable. Today, Giacomo's
wife Anna and their children continue the plans and dreams
that he conceived long ago. Giacomo's family stresses that
while wine is made with your hands through established techniques,
it cannot truly be great unless the winemaker has a great
passion for it.
|
|
