Wine tasting in the Barbaresco region of Italy

To us an enjoyable vacation in Italy always includes wine tasting in one of their many beautiful regions. During our last vacation in Italy’s Piedmont region we focused on tasting in the villages of the Barbaresco region. The name of the region is derived from the official wine classification region of the Barbaresco wines, made of nebbiolo grapes. It comprises primarily the villages of Barbaresco, Neive, and Treiso (plus and outlying district of Alba) and sits in the Langhe region Northeast of Alba.

The village of Barbaresco, which has population of less than 700 people, is a beautiful setting for wine tasting. We chose to taste at Gigi Bianco (Azienda Agricola Gigi Bianco) which is in the heart of the town near the historical tower “Torre di Barbaresco”.

The winery cellar and the tasting room are found in the heart of housing showcasing how much wine making is part of their culture and their lives. It is their livelihood!

We enjoyed a beautiful taste of vineyard specific wines to understand the difference between them. We also had an opportunity to visit their cellar with the winemaker.

In Neive we visited the Castello di Neive which is a historic castle. It is located within Neive and is quite large (about 150 acres in total area). We were able to tour the castle and winery cellar as well as taste current wine offerings of Barbaresco nebbiolo and other varietals. The visit of the grounds and buildings was impressive especially considering the era during which it was built.

In Treiso we chose to taste in a more rural setting at Orlando Abrigo (Azienda Agricola Abrigo Orlando). Visiting this winery truly felt like visiting family. We were greeted by “Nonna” who we helped open a bottle of wine so we could have a splash while waiting for our tasting. We enjoyed that wine outside overlooking the beautiful views and met the extended family who was taking a break and preparing to head to a wedding. We were made to feel at home and that is the Italian way! The tasting was wonderful as well. We met the owner and winemaker at some point as well.