2018 Barbera d’Asti Bricco dell’Uccellone

Happy first day of Spring! We are flat out in the vineyard with pruning duties and neither one of us has the energy to cook. We can do take out and open a bottle of wine, so recently my husband went out to get pizza and he opened up this Barbera. Barbera is a natural for anything red sauce like pizza and spaghetti. Truth be told, we have had this bottle of Barbera before and it didn't quite live up to our expectations because we thought that the entry level Braida Montebruna was just as good. We were wrong. This Bricco dell’Uccellone is rich, complex, fruity and well balanced.

I had to learn more about the makers of this Barbera and searched for Braida. I found their story at Braida. The vineyards owned by Braida is located in Rocchetta Tanaro, a small town in the Monferrato area. The soil of Rocchetta Tanrao is of medium consistency, with equal parts of sand and clay. Wines made from grapes grown here have a more intense aroma and taste spectrum. The Braida Montebruna and Bricco dell’Uccellone are made from grapes grown in this region. For the Bricco dell’Uccellone, the grapes are fermented for 20 days followed by 15 months in barriques from oak of various ages.
The original owner was grandfather Giuseppe, who left the land to his son Giacomo. The name "Braida" comes from the nickname given to grandfather Giuseppe. In 1969, Giacomo Bologna's Barbera del Monferrato, “La Monella” won the gold medal at the Douja d’Or National Wine Competition in Asti. In 1982 Giacomo began to experiment with his innovative idea of pairing Barbera with the barrique resulting in the Bricco dell’Uccellone. After Giacomo's passing in 1990, his sons Giuseppe and Raffaella Bologna took over the management of the company, continuing to pursue Giacomo’s great dream, innovating and investing at the same time.

For me knowing the back story really makes me appreciate the wine that I am drinking.
References:
1. Link to the Braida Website: Braida