Vietti 2022 Barbera d'Asti 'Tre Vigne'

Piemonte produces the best Barberas in the world, or at least the world STANDARDS for Barbera, THE reference point for anyone else producing it anywhere else in the world. And in Piemonte, there are two distinct styles - those from the Alba region (convenienly named "Barbera d'Alba) and those from Asti (Barbera d'Asti).

The two styles differ in that the Alba region produces wines that are a bit stockier, so to speak, that have more heft on the palate. Those from Asti tend to be lighter on their feet though still muscular - an image of a long-distance runner comes to mind as a visual analogy for flavor differences.

The Winery

The Vietti winery, now managed by the family’s fifth generation, is based in the small medieval village of Castiglione Falletto in the heart of Piedmont’s famous “Langhe” region. Here the Currado family carefully and patiently handcrafts lauded wines that are the result of a unique combination of sun, soil and the winemaker's craft. 

Although the family has made wine for two centuries, the first Vietti-labeled wines were produced by third-generation Mario, who transformed the family’s vineyards into an estate winery. In 1952, Luciana Vietti married winemaker and art connoisseur Alfredo Currado, whose intuitions – from the production of one of the first Barolo crus (Rocche di Castiglione – 1965), through the single-varietal vinification of Arneis (1967) to the invention of Artist Labels (1974) – made him both symbol and architect of some of the most significant revolutions of the time.

In 1970 the Viettis began working with artists on an ongoing, original artwork label program, featuring Pier Paolo Pasolini and Janet Fish, which received an exhibition at New York’s MOMA in 1996. In 1990 Alfredo and Luciana’s son Luca joined the family business as winemaker after working at California's Simi Winery, Opus One, Long Vineyards and Bordeaux's Mouton-Rothschild. 

His innovative winemaking utilizes a unique combination of the modern and traditional. Luca's focus on terroir is reflected in his careful cultivation and organic farming of more than 25 single vineyards. The estate has gradually grown over the course of time, and today the vineyards include some of the most highly-prized terroirs within the Barolo winegrowing area.

In 2016 the historic winery was acquired by Krause Holdings, enabling Luca and Elena, always at the head of Vietti brand, to add a number of prized crus to the estate’s holdings, and be able as a result to look to a future with new, stimulating prospects, all while maintaining the family approach for which the cellar has always been known.