On a recent trip to visit friends in Lake Como, we were very fortunate to experience wine tasting right by the lake. After a lovely lunch, as we were walking towards the direction of the Funicolare (one that brings you up to the town of Brunate), we passed by Fontanelle di Piazza Cavour and we saw several wine producers getting ready for an event—it was, to our surprise, the opening of Un Lago Di Vino or the Lake Como Wine Festival 2023.
After touring the charming town of Brunate, it was time to discover the wines and the winemakers who were taking part. It was an incredible tasting experience and we didn’t even have writing materials. Nevertheless, it’s great to just savor the wines and not worry about forgetting the details.
There were producers from different regions like Veneto, Campania, Tuscany, Lombardy, and Piedmont, among others. Here are some of our favorite bottles from fantastic winemakers that made the event and the experience unforgettable.
This bottle is made from 100% Nebbiolo grape. It’s vibrant ruby in the glass, delicate on the nose, and has subtle spice accents. The tannins are quite solid which makes it full in the mouth and with a moderate finish.
It’s best to pair it with braised beef and stewed pork dishes. We recommend not only during meals but having a glass beside you while reading or writing works too.🍷📝
100% Barbera wine proudly made in the Province of Pavia in the Lombardy region. It is medium to full-bodied with great persistency—a definitive sign that this bottle is well-made. This will pair well with grilled or roasted red meats and gamey dishes.
Grown on the hills of Sannio in Benevento, this 100% Aglianico bottle is deep ruby in the glass with savory aromas of red fruit on the nose. It has a firm structure and harmonious tannin and acidity in the mouth. This bottle boasts a distinct minerality brought about by its terroir which is rich in shell and fish fossils. Pair this with Pecorino Romano or Asiago cheeses and stewed meats.
If you like wine tastings, it’s an event you should not miss when you’re in Lake Como. There will be two more editions happening this year, one in July and one in October.
We were fortunate to try the Bersano Badarina Barolo DOCG 2016 single vineyard bottle from Serralunga d’Alba. The terroir’s soil is mainly made up of sand and limestone. Vinified in stainless steel, with 3 years aging in large Slavonian and French oaks, and another six months in the bottle, this vintage has produced 13,000 bottles.
Bersano is a brand synonymous with high-quality production. Given that their vineyards are situated in an area that has one of the best microclimates in Langhe, this wine exudes a complex bouquet with an elegantly balanced flavor. It is intense ruby in the glass and full-bodied and harmonious in the mouth.
Arturo Bersano founded the winery in 1907 and the company has grown to be one of the most important players in Langhe in the Piedmont region. In 1985 Arturo’s friend, Ugo Massimelli, took charge of the brand’s helm. Old Bersano traditions were maintained and new innovations were implemented as well. To date, Bersano is able to produce 1.2M bottles yearly.
We met Federico Orione, Ugo’s grandson, and at a young age, he has been actively involved with the family business. “We are approaching 40 years since my grandparents took over the Bersano winery and who knows we might be releasing a special bottle commemorating Famiglia Massimelli under the Bersano branding.”, Orione said.
When asked what perfectly pairs with this bottle, Orione shared: “In our family kitchen, we pair it with Brasato and some of our family’s favorite aged cheeses. We open a Barolo bottle for formal dinners and special celebrations.”
The company has been running for 5 generations now and the man at the forefront and current winemaker is Enzo Brezza. Its founder Giacomo Brezza has been making Barolo wines since 1885 together with his father Antonio. At present, Brezza owns 23 hectares of land 20 of which are vineyards within the scope of the Barolo appellation.
Barolo Riserva DOCG Sarmassa Vigna Bricco 2017
This vintage has 14.5% alcohol content. It’s a vibrant garnet ruby in the glass. It has hints of red fruits, dark tobacco, roasted coffee, and subtle mint. The vineyard enjoys a superb climate as it is situated in the south and southwest of the Sarmassa Valley with an altitude of 250 meters.
It stays for 24 months in Slavonian oak barrels ranging from 15-30 hectoliters. Then it goes for another 8 months in cement and then finally in the bottle for 2 and a half years. They have produced 2,400 bottles for this 2017 vintage.
When we tasted the Barolo Riserva Sarmassa 2017 last January at Grandi Langhe in Torino, the wine, though still young, already exudes an impressive structure and roundness. You may drink it now or park it in your cellar as desired.
This bottle goes with anything. It pairs well with meats, especially the La Fassona, a premium quality raw meat from a specific breed of cows grown only in the Piedmont region.
Founded in 1958 by Don Fiorino Marengo, a parish priest in the Barbaresco area, Produttori del Barbaresco is a cooperative that is composed of 53 families and growers. If you add up the vineyards of its members, there’s a total measure of 100 hectares. The Societa Agricola Cooperativa’s membership is composed of meticulous Nebbiolo growers in the Langhe area.
Barbaresco DOCG 2019
This bottle makes up 40% of the total production. It parks for 2 years in big barrels of about 25-50 hectoliters and 75 hectoliters. They use a very traditional method to produce an estimated 550,000 bottles each year. A single vineyard of this bottle is already sold out a year in advance and when the bottles are ready, they should be personally picked up at the Produtorri del Barbaresco’s cellar.
Currently, the cooperative has 15 office personnel and they sell all over Italy. Its biggest markets are USA and Italy. Look for the label of authenticity with a Pertinax coin on it. Pertinax is a former emperor of Rome born in Barbaresco and it is believed that this coin was found in Barbaresco. The best dishes to pair this bottle with are traditional Piedmont kinds of pasta like Plin Ravioli and Tajarin (homemade pasta with eggs, and white truffle).
We tried the Anselma Barolo 2009 at the private tasting hosted by Langhe Vini Italy at the famous La Mole Antonelliana the night before the two-day Grandi Langhe 2023 event commenced. We fell in love with their Barolo and so we had to pay them a visit at the event. We went over to visit their booth twice as once is not enough because there were also others who were waiting in line to have a taste of their famous vintages.
What’s interesting is that on the back label of each bottle, you will see the year of its release from the winery. It is handwritten so this means that there is careful inspection and quality control involved. They produce 4,000 – 8,000 bottles on average, using a combination of grapes from three different communes: Monforte, Barolo, and Serralunga.
While this style is what makes their wines unique, it gives strong tannins to the wines to boot; which is the main characteristic of the wines they produce. A unique wine profile that they have maintained since they started producing their Barolos back in 1993. This year, they are releasing a special Famiglia Anselma Borolo 3-bottle box as their way of telling their story spanning 30 years. The box will include vintages 1993, 2003, and 2013.
“Passione per un Grande Territorio Italiano”
According to Dr. Maurizio Anselma, “We only use natural yeast and a separate vinification through long maceration of up to 90 days.” They use Slavonian oak barrels to keep the wine for a minimum of 2 years and another 2 and a half years in the bottle.
“We even keep some bottles and release them at a later date. And as for pairing, it goes with any food with no sweet sauce. We discovered in our family kitchen that it goes well with fried anchovies with cheese.”, Dr. Anselma added.
Famiglia Anselma Barolo Castello della Volta 3, 12060 Barolo, Piedmont, Italy Contact: +39 0173 560511; info@anselma.it
The Bera family wines were born in the ’70s with its first harvest in 1971 bringing to life their now famous Moscato D’Asti. They only started producing Barbaresco wines in the 90s, twenty years after their business of winemaking kicked off. Bera Winery’s Barbaresco bottles are from 60-year-old vines which also brought about their first Riserva vintages: 2007 and 2009. The winery has only begun to produce Barolo just recently but they now export all over the world with their main markets being Japan, China, and Russia.
Barolo DOCG 2018
Created from 30-35-year-old vines across 11 hectares of vineyards. This bottle is from a combination of 2 vineyards, one facing southeast and the other facing southwest of the sun. Bright ruby red with a strong fragrance and some floral notes, orange, berries, and some spice. This vintage has produced 5,000 bottles. The Nebbiolo grapes in Castiglione Falletto emanate on its product: A full-flavored, dry, luminous red with spicy notes and hints of licorice, vanilla, and truffle.
Bera Mosconi Barolo DOCG 2017
The temperature for this vintage is colder. It’s at a higher altitude of about 500m above sea level with a very windy climate, thereby resulting in elegant, fresh, and stronger vines. It has aromas of berries, hints of leather with a great structure, some dried fruit, and a subtle hint of fennel on the tongue.
Bera Vini Via Castellero 12, Cascina Palazzo, Neviglie, Piedmont Contact: +39 0173 630194; info@bera.it
We joined PW Distributors of New York and other wine professionals in Turin, Italy, to witness the second edition of the Grandi Langhe 2023 held at OGR Torino (Officine Grandi Riparazioni), January 30-31. It was a great preview of the new DOCG and DOC vintages of Langhe and Roero in Piedmont.
It welcomed stakeholders and professionals from the world of wine from merchants, buyers, restaurateurs, importers, distributors, and biotech practitioners with a focus on ethics not just in the vineyards but in the development of viticulture in general. Over 240 wineries presented a preview of the new DOCG and DOC vintages in the two-day event.
Here are the first few of the producers we visited and had fun chatting with at the event. We’ll update you with amazing wines and stories from other producers like Anselma, Mossio, Parusso, Palladino, Ratti, and more in the coming days.
Massucco
Roero DOCG 2018 The Roero DOCG 2018 is grown in the Commune Castagnito near Alba. It stays for 12 months in small barrels and 20 months in the cellar. It’s not too aggressive on the tannin and has a little bit of tobacco and spice. The soil is predominantly marl with some clay and sandy soil. This vintage produced 2,000 bottles.
Azienda Agricola Massucco was founded in the early 1900s by Silvestre Massucco. According to Loris Massucco, the current winemaker and part of the 4th generation of the family, “Nowadays, the 5th generation of the Massucco family is being groomed to run the winery. Time will come that they will take the lead and make decisions for the business.”
“Pairing with fatty meats to balance with the tannic bottle. A Brasato stew cooked with wine is also an awesome pair. Grilled greasy meats, aged cheese, fatty cheese like Parmigiano or Catelmagno, a typical Piemontese cheese is good.”, Massucco added.
Roero Riserva 2015 This 2015 Roero Riserva that the Massucco winery is offering, sits for 2-3 days in a temperature-controlled room to dry the grapes before it gets macerated at a low temperature to take lots of color. It remains 7-10 months in steel tanks before it is moved to cement tanks for 20 days. The aging starts for 20 months in small barrels and then it remains in the cellar for another 32 months in bottle before it goes out to the market.
Barbera D’Alba Superiore 2019 This vintage stays in large French oak barrels for 10-12 months and a minimum of 1 year in the bottle. This is approachable now but it’s perfect to be consumed from June 2023. Good to age for another 2 to 3 years. Has notes of red fruits, strawberry jam, and prunes. Perfect to pair with Ravioli or lean meats, pepperoni pizza, and any sausages.
The Mura Mura brand has brought four of its finest bottles, namely: Starderi Barbaresco DOCG 2019, Serragrilli Barbaresco DOCG 2019, Faset Barbaresco DOCG 2019, and Mercuzio Langhe DOC Nebbiolo 2019.
The Mercuzio Langhe DOC Nebbiolo 2019 is light-bodied, aromatic, and possesses great complexity. They have produced 4,980 bottles for this vintage. Starderi Barbaresco DOCG 2019 is a great balance of subtle sweetness and silky tannin. Its vines are born and raised on loamy marl (minerals, silt, and clay), and this elegantly structured vintage has yielded 1,750 bottles.
The Faset Barbaresco DOCG 2019, on the other hand, is more perfumed and delicate which is brought about by a more sandy soil and a good climate due to its proximity to the Tanaro River. Our favorite is the Serragrilli Barbaresco DOCG 2019, named after the hills of Serragrilli, it has southeastern sun exposure that brings elegance and muscular tannins to the 2,063 bottles it has produced for this vintage.
The Bera family wines were born in the ’70s with its first harvest in 1971 bringing to life their now famous Moscato D’Asti. They started producing Barbaresco wines in the 90s, twenty years hence its business of winemaking kicked off. Bera Winery’s Barbaresco bottles are from 60-year-old vines which also brought about their first Riserva vintages: 2007 and 2009. The winery has only begun to produce Barolo just recently but they now export all over the world with their main markets being Japan, China, and Russia.
Barolo DOCG 2018 Created from 30-35-year-old vines across 11 hectares of vineyards. This bottle is from a combination of 2 vineyards, one facing southeast and the other facing southwest of the sun. Bright ruby red with a strong fragrance and some floral notes, orange, berries, and some spice. This vintage has 5000 bottles. The Nebbiolo grapes in Castiglione Falletto emanate on its product: A full-flavored, dry, luminous red with spicy notes and hints of licorice, vanilla, and truffle.
Bera Mosconi Barolo DOCG 2017 The temperature for this vintage is colder. It’s at a higher altitude of about 500m above sea level with a very windy climate, thereby resulting in elegant, fresh, and stronger vines. It has aromas of berries, hints of leather with a great structure, some dried fruit, and a subtle hint of fennel on the tongue.
Bera Vini Via Castellero 12, Cascina Palazzo, Neviglie, Piedmont Contact: +39 0173 630194; info@bera.it
Photo credits: Famiglia Massucco, Bera Winery, Mura Mura
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