Produttori del Barbaresco

Produttori del Barbaresco is a producer of red wines from the Nebbiolo grape in the Barbaresco appellation. As well as being one of the very finest and best-known producers in Barbaresco, it is also regarded as one of the greatest wine cooperatives in the world.

There are around 58 member growers with a combined total of around 100 hectares (250 acres) of vineyards. The flagship wine is the generic Barbaresco known for its reliable quality, elegant Nebbiolo typicity and great value. Produttori del Barbaresco also makes nine different single-vineyard (cru) riserva Barbarescos in better vintages. These are all vinified and aged in the same style to highlight the differences in terroir. The portfolio is completed by a Langhe Nebbiolo, which is made from young vines in Barbaresco-classified vineyards – as such, it stands up to any Nebbiolo wine in its price bracket. The company also produces Grappa in un-aged and aged versions.

An earlier cooperative, founded in 1894, had established Barbaresco as a separate wine district rather than just a supplier of Barolo, but it was closed down in the 1930s due to Mussolini's economic policies. By 1958, the priest of the village of Barbaresco realized that the only way the small growers of the area would survive was if they joined together. He united 19 growers under the Produttori del Barbaresco name, and the first three vintages were made in the church basement before the operation was moved across the village square to the current winery.