Braida Di Gaicomo Bologna Super Barbera Wine Tasting

“Jeremiah was a bull frog.
Was a good friend of mine.
Never understood a single word he said,
but he always had some mighty fine wine.”

Joy to the World by Three Dog Night

And we always have mighty fine wine at the Wine Watch

It is no secret that the Piedmont is one of my favorite wine producing regions of the wine world and the first wine that I really opened my eyes to these great wines was Bricco Dell Uccellone from Braida di Giacomo Bologna winery. Most Piedmontese would hold the Nebbiolo varietal in the highest regard, but I fell in love with Barbera first.  It is ironic that it was Braida's Uccellone that first tickled my fancy as Briada is considered to be the leader with this varietal.  They were the first to believe that Barbera should be placed among the elite red varietals that can produce age worthy world class wines.

Rafaela Bologna is one of my favorite personalities in the piedmont and the wines of Braida are legendary in her hometown of Rocchetta Tanaro. Giacomo Bologna is considered to be one of the founders the modern style of Barbera and was one of the first winemakers in the Piedmont to promote Barbera as a varietal on par with the noble Nebbiolo varietal and treat it as a wine that could be cellared for a decade or more. Join us tonight as we discover the full range of wines that Braida has to offer.  Toni Lampasone will be serving up a special menu to accompany the 12+ wines we have to taste this evening and the fee for this tasting and dinner is $195 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

Braida di Giacomo Bologna Piedmont Wine Tasting
 Thursday, September 23rd
7:30 PM

2018 Braida Il Fiore Bianco
Price: $20.75   Your Price: $18.26     

The logo of “Serra dei Fiori” is a flower which can also be regarded as two pairs of eyes symbolising the mutual consent of the two proprietors. The sign can also be interpreted as the clubs symbol of a playing card. Clubs are trumps!

Straw-yellow colour. A refreshing light wine that is easy to drink and meant to be drunk in its youth! Soil structure and climatic conditions are creating a wine with a pronounced minerality and an elegant acidity thus lifting the wine. The highly aromatic bouquet with ripe fruit aromas and white pepper hints is followed by fresh and grassy citric flavours on the palate. Further floral notes, hints of stone fruit and sweet spices are adding to the richness of the wine; the juicy structure is accomplished by a fresh finish.

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2014 Braida Il Baciale Pinot Noir Barbera
Price: $22.50    Your Price: $19.80    

A wine called the matchmaker as Braida combined Barbera successfully with Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir) and small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This forward thinking blend has resulted in a complex and powerful wine at an attractive price. Il Bacciale is versatile and goes with many types of culinary dishes. It will also age well for several years in the cellar.

2017 Braida Barbera D'Asti Bricco dell Uccellone
Price: $73.25   Your Price: $64.46      Quantity in Stock: 23

Very deep ruby red color with garnet highlights. Rich and complex bouquet with outstanding concentration and density; scents of red berries and forest fruits are particularly evident, with a background of minty spices, vanilla and licorice. Generous flavor with excellent body and remarkable structure, a perfect combination of the characteristics of the grape and the contribution of wood, resulting in refined smoothness and class, with a very long aromatic persistence.

2015 Braida Bricco Della Bigota
Price: $72.00   Sale $63.36     Quantity in Stock: 18

2016 Braida Barbera Bricco Della Bigota
Price: $75.00    Your Price: $66.00     Quantity in Stock: 8

The Bigotta is a vineyard sites in Rocchetta Tanaro. It takes its name from the old lady who lived nearby and paid more attention to religious appearance than its real essence.

"Were There. This is the right level." The meaning of Ai Suma in the local dialect. A wine produced only in particularly favorable vintages and which represents a kind of "peak" for the Braida wine Estate.

“Here we are. It’s the right level”; this is the meaning of the dialect term “Ai Suma”. This wine is only produced in particular favourable years which represents the “zenith” of the company.
           
Very intense ruby red with purple hues. Ample, rich and complex bouquet, with intense notes of wild berries, prunes with vanilla, liquorice and cocoa. A warm mouth feel with a deep structure and at the same time elegant and sensual, harmonious and very persistent. Accompanies heavy meat dishes, roasts, also seasoned meats, game and aged cheeses.

2000 Braida Barbera D'Asti Ai Suma
Price: $135.00 Sale $118.80 Quantity in Stock: 1

2003 Braida Barbera D'Asti Ai Suma
Price: $115.00 Sale $99.00 Quantity in Stock: 16

2007 Braida Barbera d'Asti Ai Suma
Price: $115.00 Sale $99.00 Quantity in Stock: 4

2008 Braida Barbera d'Asti Ai Suma
Price: $125.00 Sale 110.00 Quantity in Stock: 6

2009 Braida Barbera D'Asti Ai Suma
Price: $115.00 Sale $99.00 Quantity in Stock: 2

 2015 Braida Barbera Di Asti Ai Suma
Price: $87.75 Sale $77.22 Quantity in Stock: 11

2019 Braida Moscato Vigna Senza Nome Moscato (375ml)
Price: $11.25   Sale $9.90

Bright straw yellow, nice foam and rich perlage. An extraordinarily fresh bouquet, and quite varied; from among the many notes one can distinguish fresh fruit, orange blossoms, rose and musk. A sweet flavor, but a graceful one, aromatic characteristics of the grape, delicious and with a long finish.

Menu

Selection of cheese and Charcuterie

King Salmon Carpaccio with Blue Cheese

Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Grilled Wild Mushroom Ragout and Brachetto/Balsamic Foam

Braised Veal Osso Bucco Ravioli with Barbera/Black Truffle Natural Sauce

Dark Chocolate covered berries

The fee for this tasting and dinner is $195 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.  Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any dietary restrictions and chef Toni will be happy to accommodate you.

A bit about Braida Winery

The story of Braida begins as the story of a beautiful village.  Rocchetta Tanaro, located in the Piedmont, is a village which is at the "centre of the world".  And everything began for this wine producer, as in every village story, with a nickname, Braida, which Giuseppe Bologna earned on the field on Sundays, playing "pallone elastico", a typical Piedmont sport.

The head of the family was a carter and cultivated his beautiful Barbera vineyard for himself and his friends.  Giacomo Bologna inherited both the vineyard and the nickname from his father, but especially his unconditional love for his land and his wine, a love which he transmitted first of all to his wife, Anna, then to his children, as well as to all those who traveled some of life's highway with him. 

Giacomo was not only one of the true characters of the Piedmont, but also one of the first "cutting edge" wine producers of this region.  He traveled to Bordeaux and to California to see what the top minds in these regions were doing to produce their best wines.  He came back from his travels and was one of the first wineries in this region to practice controlling the temperature of the alcoholic fermentation and was also one of the first producers to age barbera in small French oak barriques.  Giacomo was one of the first producers in the Piedmont to believe that barbera was more than just an average quality grape varietal.

Today the company is an enlarged and faithful reflection of the philosophy of Giacomo and Anna, of their way of understanding life, the earth, wine and friendships.  It was Anna who, bearing Giacomo's torch, carried forward the projects he had outlined and dreamed of.  At her side were her children, Raffaella and Beppe, sharing with her the years of courageous initiatives and important investments, both in the cellars and the vineyards.  Raffaella and Beppe are both oenologists yet each sibling has a different aptitude - with verve and intelligence Raffaella focuses on the commercial side of the business while Beppe, more reflective and reserved, concentrates on the agricultural sector and production. Both, however, share the same dream, cultivated with enthusiasm, that of conquering for Barbera the status of nobility and quality which some appear to think is due only to the vine-growers of the Burgundy hills.

Wine for both of them is a lifetime's project, a way of expressing themselves through things that are simple and authentic, like their land, which has, inevitably, infected their respective partners, who have joined and now play a full and active role in this family.  Cristina, the wife of Beppe and mother of Greta, works in the administration offices; while Norbert Reinisch, an Austrian doctor and partner to Raffaella, inspired by his love of wine, and during a visit to the Rocchetta Tanaro cellars, met the family's "monella" and fell in love with her - so deeply in fact that he left his homeland and his job to become the company's Exports Director.

Braida is a young company, the result of great synergies, exchanges of ideas and enthusiasm, embracing the family and all members of the company's personnel.  Although they specialize in barbera, Braida also makes rwo wonderful dessert style wines, one from Moscato (entitled Vigna Senze Nome "The wine without a name") and another from Brachetto (Brachetto D’Acqui).  Both are light and slightly frizzante with a low 5% alcohol rating making them a light and refreshing treat anytime of the day.  There are three different barberas produced at Braida:  1) Bricco della Bigota- the granddaddy of all Barberas capable of aging for 10 years or longer.  2) Ai Suma (a piedmontese exclamatory term that is used to express when a long term goal is achieved "We’ve Got it!"  This is a late harvest barbera of epic proportions.  3) Bricco Dell Uccellone, a wine that has perfect balance and is the quintessential example of what barbera can be at its best.  Uccellone is the name of one of the very best vineyards on the hilltops of Rochetta Tanaro. The vineyard takes its name from the old woman who lived in the house next to the plot, who always dressed in black and so was given the nickname l'uselun or ‘big bird’.