Giuseppe Bologna was a wheelwright by trade. He owned a large Barbera vineyard at Rocchetta Tanaro and made a little wine for himself and his friends. Giuseppe’s son Giacomo inherited the vineyard and his father’s nickname, Braida, which he gave to the vineyard. In 1982, after a study tour of Californian wineries, Giacomo drastically decreased his harvests and began to make wine in small barrels. This gave Barbera, low in tannin and rich in acids, a more complex and elegant structure. Giacomo Bologna’s love of the land, wine and life produced a superb Barbera. Barbera had previously been used for cheap local wine and was catapulted into the arena of great wines known all over the world.

In 1990, after Giacomo’s premature death, it was his wife who continued his work. Today, their daughter Raffaella manages sales, while their son Giuseppe (Beppe) is in charge of growing and production. The family works enthusiastically for wine, its culture and the land on which it grows.

Rocchetta Tanaro is a small town of around 1400 people in the Piemontese province of Asti. It is on the Asti Wine Road, which runs along a small hilly area between the right bank of the Tanaro River and the Apennine Mountains. Vines are cultivated between 250 and 450 metres above sea level. The continental climate offers hot summers, warm springs and autumns, and cool winters. The river valley offers ideal sun exposure for grape growing. The climate and vegetation form a bridge between the Langhe region, with its Mediterranean landscape, and Turin’s hills, with their Alpine influence.