A rare wine event brought wines from 200 northern Italian wine producers to the United States for only the third time in recent years. Barolo and Barbaresco World Opening was an opportunity to taste the exceptional Red Wines of the Consorzio Tutela Barolo and Barbaresco of the Langhe region of Piedmont. The experience was one of the premiere wine events of the season.

“The Langhe near Turin produces some of the finest Red Wines in all of Italy,” said Matteo Ascheri, President of the Consorzio. With his son Giuseppe, he operates Azienda Agricola Giacomo Ascheri, a family-owned winery which originated in the early 19th century.

“We allow the wines to speak for themselves,” Ascheri explained to me over a glass of his winery’s 2022 Langhe Nebbiolo. “Their acceptance, particularly among the fine dining restaurant community, has exceeded our expectations.”

Non-intervention is the dominant philosophy of winemakers in the region, moderating the use of modern technology with traditional methods that allow the wines to mature gradually using such techniques as aging in large casks. “The goal is to capture the most faithful expression of the vineyard,” Ascheri theorized. “The aim is to respect the wine’s elegance, finesse, natural concentration and balance.”

Besides his own beautiful wines, which his son Giuseppe was on hand to pour, there were hundreds of wines to sample.

Because of the unique and varied landscapes in the Piedmont, the Nebbiolo grape has been allowed to flourish and  intensify its legacy as the shining star of Barolo DOCG and Barbaresco DOCG.

The region’s network of family-owned wineries is dedicated to the preservation of their centuries-old winemaking legacy. Look for the wines of the Consorzio Tutela Barolo and Barbaresco DOCG the next time you visit your local wine shop or restaurant. For more, visit langhevini.it.