FRANCO ROCCA CANTINA DEL BRICCHETTO, NEIVE

Today we are presenting Franco Rocca – a little man with a great heart and a huge personality! He takes farming and winemaking seriously, often taking the harder route in order to respect the plants, nature and give you the best quality he can possibly make. Franco does it all – even the tastings (and for those of you who were lucky enough to see, loves singing opera!). Take a look at the video to get to know Franco!

FRANCO ROCCA – 3rd generation & current owner/winemaker

BARBERA BRICCO STERPONE

Franco Rocca’s Barbera d’Alba Bricco Sterpone is coming from an old vineyard on the border of Neive and Mango villages. He believes this Barbera is best kept for a long time in oak, ranging from 20-24 months. This is equivalent or longer than even many Barbarescos in the area giving it a dark fruit and spicy bouquet. This is a warm, full bodied and elegant wine which can be drunk now or held up to 10 years. We recommend pairing with barbecued meats and creamy risotto.

BARBERA D’ALBA “The best wine is the one drunk with friends”

The Barbera d’Alba DOC is coming from barbera grapes shown in the large area including Langhe and Roero as seen on the map. The grape is one of the most planted, especially in Northern Italy. It adapts more easily to different soils, making it less finicky compared to other Piemontese varietals. It used to be considered a more “rustic” wine in the past, mostly due to its high acidity. However, with modern winemaking styles and a better understanding of the grape, we now think of Barbera as a beautiful wine that can be drunk fresh and young but also as a wine with great ageing potential and complexity. Barbera d’Alba compared to Barbera d’Asti tends to be slightly rounder with more ripe fruit characteristics. To be called a Barbera d’Alba there are no regulations about ageing the wine although to be called Superiore it must be aged for at least a year. Franco Rocca Bricco Sterpone is technically a “Superiore” although it is not written on the label. Barbera tends to be full bodied and robust, which goes well with all kinds of foods thanks to its nice palate cleansing qualities.