Province CN
Barbaresco, CN
A village of under 600 people on a ridge above the Tanaro, and the centre of the Barbaresco DOCG, a Nebbiolo wine made here and in neighbouring Neive and Treiso. Barbaresco itself accounts for roughly 45 percent of the denomination's production. It is small enough to walk end to end in fifteen minutes and almost entirely given over to wine.
Sights
- The Torre di Barbaresco, the medieval tower that dominates the village and appears on its coat of arms, open for climbing
- Enoteca Regionale del Barbaresco, the regional wine library housed in the deconsecrated 19th-century Chiesa di San Donato
- Produttori del Barbaresco, the growers' cooperative descended from the Cantina Sociale founded in 1894
- The cru hillsides of Asili, Rabaja, Montestefano, Martinenga and Montefico, signposted from the village and readable from the ridge
Things to do
- Taste across producers at the Enoteca before choosing a cellar
- Walk out along the ridge road to the Rabaja and Asili vineyards
- Order Barbaresco with raw veal or agnolotti rather than something heavier
- Compare a young Barbaresco against a Barolo of similar age, the tannins soften earlier here
Annual events
May
Barbaresco a Tavola
A blind tasting of the new Barbaresco vintage organised by the Enoteca Regionale, presented across a series of dinners in the area.
When to visit
May, for the vintage tasting and green vineyards, or October for harvest and truffle season.
