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 to experiment 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 made this Piedmontese grape variety known throughout the world.
Description
The name Bricco dell'Uccellone comes from the nickname of a woman who lived on the hill of the vineyards. Her nose resembled a bird's beak, plus she always wore black: this earned her the nickname in the village. In 1982 Giacomo Bologna 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 was born the great wine like Bricco dell'Uccellone - a mythical wine, a true ambassador of Barbera in the world.
Organoleptic characteristics:
The wine has a very intense ruby red color with garnet highlights. Aroma rich, complex, of remarkable concentration and thickness; hints of red and small fruits are particularly evident, in the background some minty spices, vanilla and licorice. Generous flavor, full-bodied and remarkably structured, perfect amalgam of the characters of the grape variety and the contribution of wood, in a combination of great softness and great class, very long aromatic persistence.
