Barolo or Barbaresco? The Gaja family and the art of Nebbiolo.

The Langhe and its fog

Piedmont, meaning 'foothills', lies in northwest Italy below the Alps, bordering France and Switzerland. Its most famous wines come from the Langhe, whose name evokes tongues: rows of long hills, one behind the other. In autumn the valleys fill with fog, the nebbia that may have given Nebbiolo its name.

Nebbiolo is notoriously demanding. It needs exactly the right climate, exposure and soil, and the gentle slopes of the Langhe provide different angles to the sun, each changing the character of the grapes. Fresh winds and cool nights help preserve the acidity that keeps these wines balanced.

Two villages, one grape

Both areas share clay and limestone soils, but Gaia Gaja explains the subtle difference. Barbaresco has a little more sand, giving more open, perfumed wines with softer tannins. Barolo's soils are more compact, giving firmer tannins and bolder wines. Some call Barolo masculine and Barbaresco feminine; Angelo disagrees and sees them more as twins of comparable quality.

Nebbiolo itself is a grape of texture rather than power. Expect light red fruit like strawberry and cherry, floral notes and the classic 'roses and tar', with high acidity and tannins that sweep across the palate. Gaia's tip: pay attention to where you taste it, because the flavor lingers in the throat rather than the center of the mouth.

Five generations of artisans

The winery was founded in 1859. Angelo describes how his grandmother pushed for quality, and how his father lived by four steps of the artisan: to do, to know how to do, to teach how to do and to make it known. His father also had a crazy idea: to make Barbaresco more important than Barolo.

Angelo joined in 1961 and pursued that goal with temperature control, French oak and single vineyard bottlings. Sorì San Lorenzo, Sorì Tildìn and Costa Russi became the dream wines of many collectors. See how he refused his importers' pleas for cheaper wines, rosé or sparkling, and why for years his single vineyard wines left the Barbaresco appellation after he blended in a little Barbera. Find out what his children decided to do next.

Keeping doubt and building resilience

Angelo's most famous lesson to his children is to keep twenty or thirty percent of doubt in everything. Today Gaia, Giovanni and their sister test that idea in the vineyards. They prune only on a waning moon to lower vigor, plant cereals to calm overly rich soils and fava beans to feed poor ones, and keep many different Nebbiolo clones together to strengthen the vineyard as a community.

The film also shows pheromone traps that confuse vine moths without insecticides, and a new experiment with bees, which may carry the same yeasts found on the grapes.

In the cellar the work is equally detailed. Their Barbaresco is a blend of 14 vineyards, sometimes split into 30 or more lots, and each batch is judged right after fermentation to decide how it should age. Gone are the very long macerations of the past, which the film compares to leaving a teabag in a cup for weeks.

What to eat with Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo can feel austere on its own but shines with food. Truffles are the classic local match, and the old saying pairs Barolo with game and Barbaresco with birds. Young wines want richer, fattier meat; older ones are lovely with white meat. Gaia's surprise pairing is sashimi, especially fatty tuna, salmon and scallops.

Watch the episode for the family's lively lunch table, where decisions are made without a board, and to hear the one food nobody should ever serve with Barolo.

Go furtherWant to taste along? Find Gaja’s wines and where to buy them near you on Wine-Searcher.