Nada Fiorenzo, Barbaresco DOCG, Rombone

About Nada Fiorenzo

The family lives and works in the Langa hills in the northwest Italian region of Piedmont, famous for its great wines and white Alba truffles. This is where Barbaresco is born. Deeply rooted in these steep hillsides, the Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto wines keep alive in the memory the wisdom of local farming folk. Rombone and Manzola vineyards are situated in the commune of Treiso, our Montaribaldi vineyards in that of Barbaresco: small plots of land where, as the seasons pass slowly by, the vines reach out to the sunlight. The vine rows are trained with the traditional Guyot upwards vertically trellised system. The vines and the soil are farmed with respect for the balance of the environment, a sine qua non for quality grapes. Soft crushing is followed by maceration and primary fermentation with the grape skins and grapeseeds, which converts the sugars into alcohol. The operation is performed in vats at controlled temperatures using traditional methods such as pumping over and plunging. Then comes secondary fermentation, the conversion of hard malic acid into softer lactic acid in vats. The new wine is then aged in barrels, where it softens its rough edges. This means a short period of time for fresh-tasting wines, but much longer, up to two years, for Barbarescos. Bottling, finally, involves a few months in the underground cellar, where the wine seeks out its own harmony.