The tower and the great red
On a hill overlooking the Tanaro river, north east of Alba, Barbaresco is a small village that gives its name to the other great red wine of the Langhe, the Barbaresco, made like Barolo from the Nebbiolo grape, but in a smaller area of just four municipalities, Barbaresco, Neive, Treiso and part of Alba. Often called the "queen" next to the "king" Barolo, it is generally more elegant and approachable, with notes of red fruit, roses and spices, and requires a shorter ageing.
The village is dominated by the Torre di Barbaresco, a medieval tower 36 metres high, built around the tenth or eleventh century as a lookout post against the Saracens, the symbol of the village; restored and opened to the public, it has a panoramic terrace at the top, reached by a lift, with a 360-degree view over the vineyards, the Tanaro valley and the Alps. The deconsecrated church of San Donato houses the Enoteca Regionale del Barbaresco, where you can taste the wines of the local producers. It was in Barbaresco that, at the end of the nineteenth century, the director of the Royal Oenological School of Alba, Domizio Cavazza, founded the first cooperative winery and created the Barbaresco wine as we know it. Nearby, the village of Neive, one of the "Borghi più belli d'Italia", is also well worth a visit.
Tip: the panoramic terrace of the tower is open in season; combine Barbaresco with Neive and a tasting at one of the historic wineries.
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