Alba and the proposed political choice for wine
Posted on: 29-05-2019 om 10:49:51
| Karina Imschoot
A few weeks ago Lorenzo Paglieri, candidate mayor of Alba, launched the idea of involving the territory of Alba in the Barolo region, an intriguing proposal, but in practice impractical.
My first reaction was sceptical, and I thought that if the city of Alba remained outside the Barolo area in the 1960s, it was also the fault of some of its actors at the time. Not only the producers and winemakers, but also the administrators at the time who did not understand the value of such a commitment. At first, I dismissed the idea and shared the reaction of the Consorzio del Barolo e Barbaresco , which I have collected and told.
On the one hand, it is repeatedly pointed out that Alba, the Langhe and the Roero are the Italian copies of French Burgundy, with the city of Beaune as its capital. On the other hand, the denial that Alba is authoritative enough to play the role of capital for the wines of the Langa and Roero. I have often heard this song, according to which "Alba would not be able to represent the wines of the area, Alba would not really feel part of an area with a strong vocation for wine".
These are all sacred notes, confirmed by the fact that Alba has often taken more from the surrounding area than it has given. One wonders if it was all the fault of the city or if there could also be a contest of the cities and areas around it. I share the view of the Consorzio Barolo Barolo Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe and Dogliani that certain choices are up to the producers, who are really responsible for the production and the strategic decisions regarding the wines of their territory.
Nevertheless, I would like to come back to Alba's hypothesis in the Barolo region in order to present the producers with a broader reasoning, which needs to be carefully evaluated. Today, the city of Alba has many characteristics of wine: on the hills it has an enviable wine-growing area, almost a thousand hectares, a wine-growing heritage that only Monforte and Santo Stefano Belbo can surpass and only few other countries can bring together. Alba is home to the school of oenology and the university specialisation course in viticulture and oenology. Alba participates in many regional wine shops, and since the 1970s has been organising an event such as Vinum, which is closely linked to wine.
As far as DOC and DOCG wines are concerned, the territory of Alba participates in the regions of origin of Asti and Moscato d'Asti, Doc Alba, Barbaresco, Barbera d'Alba, Dolcetto d'Alba, Nebbiolo d'Alba, and logically Doc Langhe and Piemonte. The attraction lacks only Barolo, Roero and a few smaller ones. Barolo and Roero would have the conditions and vineyards to open up to the city of Alba. The choice of how and to what extent is the responsibility of the producers and is probably not even so important. The gesture would be more important and not only formal: it would help to merge the world of Langa and Roero and allow a number of strategic choices to be made that have remained undiscovered until now.
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