Giuseppe and Francesca Vaira of G.D. Vajra winery. Huon Hooke
Francesca Vaira is an expectant mother, soon to be a first-time mum: is this partly why she’s so animated about the future of her wine region?
“We are the only Barolo producer investing in Dogliani. We bought land in Dogliani not so we can have more nebbiolo, but to invest in dolcetto.” – Francesca Vaira
G.D. Vajra is the family business (though Vaira with an ‘i’ is the family name), specialising in Barolo but with a broader view of the Langhe region. She utters the surprising words “We are making wine from 20 different grape varieties now.”
Biodiversity is on their minds at Vajra. The nebbiolo grape increasingly dominates the Langhe landscape.
“Nebbiolo is 40% of our production, but in the region it is more like 80%.”
The list far exceeds the usual Langhe varieties, nebbiolo, barbera, dolcetto and freisa. They make pinot nero (pinot noir), riesling, nascetta, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and are experimenting with little-known and ancient local varieties.
“We are the only Barolo producer investing in Dogliani (the principal dolcetto comune). We bought land in Dogliani not so we can have more nebbiolo, but to invest in dolcetto.”
This is a theme that comes up with all Barolo producers I’ve spoken to. What is the future of dolcetto? And how can we tell the world about dolcetto, the sadly overlooked Langhe red grape?
The comment is made that dolcetto is surely the wine for the times: lighter weight,
This Article was originally published on The Real Review
