G.D. Vajra, Barolo, Piedmont, Italy
Bricco delle Viole
G.D. Vajra, Barolo, Piedmont, Italy
G.D. Vajra is a tale of youthful rebellion and agrarian passion. In the tumultuous year of 1968, young Aldo Vaira, aged 15, found himself banished to his grandparents’ homestead in Barolo after getting mixed up in political riots. It wasn’t long before Aldo channelled his fervour into viticulture, and he swiftly took over the running of the family vineyards in Vergne, 3 km from the centre of Barolo.
G.D. Vajra’s pioneering ethos was manifested when G.D. Vajra became the first winery in Barolo to embrace organic viticulture in 1972, and again in 1985, it was the first to plant Riesling.
Vajra has always championed Piedmont’s lesser valued indigenous varietals, such as Dolcetto, Barbera, and Freisa, and crafts three distinct single-vineyard Barolos, notably the esteemed Bricco delle Viole which sits at elevation of 480 meters, one of the highest in the commune of Barolo.
Today the estate is a family run entity steered by Aldo and his wife Milena together with their children Giuseppe, Francesca and Isidoro, upholding its commitment to organic farming and the care of its old vines.
“Ours is a story of challenges, opportunity and growth,” explains Isidoro Vajra “We really love our work and respect our land and the people who work with us. Each year we plant new vineyards as a sign of hope for those who come after us, so that one day they will enjoy our old vines. We have taken over an old Barbera vineyard, but we are still reconstructing its history; we are also in negotiations for a Dolcetto vineyard that is about 80-90 years old. We will see, I will update you later.”
The vineyards that reach 35 years and older were established before 1970-1975 through massal selection (the first massal selection in Piedmont was conducted on Dolcetto grapes, as they were the most significant variety at the time). Isidoro believes that these ancient vines are a treasure to be conserved. “Their flavour is exceptional, and during challenging vintages, they yield the finest fruits,” says Isidoro.
D.G. Vajra is currently collaborating with Dr Anna Schneider and Dr Stefano Raimondi, both recognised authorities working together in Italian and international ampelography: researcher at CNR, Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, to catalogue all the vine populations and to identify those with distinctive characteristics or qualities. They have already created an ampelographic collection of grape varieties from Piedmont that have been abandoned by farmers. Furthermore, their research aims to find vines that are resistant to diseases such as Flavescence Dorée and Esca and have already made some promising observations in this area.
