Giacomo Bologna's Braida winery is the story of Barbera, a great passion and dedication passed down over several generations to the point of writing an important history of Piedmontese oenology.
"Braida" was the nickname that Giacomo's father, Giuseppe Bologna, a carter by profession, earned while playing elastic ball because of his resemblance to a champion of the sport. From his father Giacomo inherited, along with the nickname, a love of sports and horses and a large Barbera vineyard in the hills of Rocchetta.
The first vintage of wines from the Braida winery dates back to 1961, when Giacomo Bologna decided to bottle the lively Barbera del Monferrato "La Monella." In 1969 this wine was presented at the Douja d'Or National Wine Competition in Asti, winning the gold medal that allowed it to participate in the various fairs free of charge.
From the beginning of 1982 Giacomo began experimenting with his innovative idea of pairing Barbera - barrique, it was a revolutionary idea. He transformed Barbera from an acidic, ready-to-drink wine to a unique, complex and long-lived wine by aging it, for the first time in the history of the grape variety, in French oak barrels. Thus were born the legendary wines such as Bricco dell'Uccellone and Bricco della Bigotta that still remain symbols of'the Braida winery.

Today Giacomo Bologna is widely regarded as the father of Barbera, who has made this Piedmontese grape variety known throughout the world.