Italy is a wine country par excellence. No one can deny that the Italians don't hold the top spot when it comes to wine. Once upon a time, it was French wines, but these days they're losing out. Italy's strength lies primarily in its diversity: wine is produced in every Italian region. One of the oldest regions—dating back to the time when Italy was divided into several kingdoms—is Piedmont. Not entirely coincidentally, it's the home of Cornarea.
Piedmont is the birthplace of Barolo, among other wines – also affectionately known as "the king's wine." This internationally acclaimed wine, made with Nebbiolo, is the hallmark of Piedmontese wines. But they offer much more. The Cornarea winery is living proof of this. Founded in the 1970s by Piero and Francesca Cornarea, they immediately recognized the region's potential and planted the Nebbiolo grape in large numbers; now, you'll also find the Barbera grape planted throughout the region.
The Barbera grapes grown around the village of Alba (Barbera d'Alba) in particular have a special reputation. It's precisely for this reason that we were so eagerly awaiting this wine from Cornarea. Brace yourself before you open Cornarea Barbera d'Alba. Its intensity is unimaginable. Your senses will surely be in overdrive as you discover this wine. Think plump plums, delicate cherries, and small red fruit. But there's more: as you swirl Cornarea Barbera d'Alba around your mouth, your taste buds will detect distinct hints of vanilla, tobacco, cocoa, and coffee, enhancing the intensity of this Italian wine.
