Bric Bertu Barbera d'Alba Negro 2017

At the top of a hill known as (Bric) "Bertu" there is a vineyard of the same name. Here Barbera wine-makers have found a space and a local climate that is ideal. The choicest grapes are scrupulously hand-picked at the beginning of October when they are perfectly ripe. After the grapes have been removed from their stalks and crushed, the wine is matured, firstly in large containers, then in small French oak barrels (Allier and Tronchez). At the end of the following summer the wine is bottled and left for a few months to refine. This wine has a decisive personality. It is alight colour with a compact grain. It has a full aroma with a fruity and pleasantly spicy note. The taste is richly structured, full and long-lasting. Contains sulphites. Produced by Azienda Agricola Negro Angelo e Figli - di Giovanni Negro - Fraz. Sant’Anna, 1 - 12040, Monteu Roero (CN) - Italy.

The producer

There are accurate historical references to this rural company located in Sant'Anna di Monteu Roero. The old register preserved in the historical archives of the municipality of Monteu Roero testifies that in 1670 the son of one deceased 'Audino', Giovanni Domenico Negro, owned a house with an oven, yard, winery and vines in the same area where the "Perdaudin" vineyard and smallholding is situated today. For centuries generations of the same family have developed their wine-making skills here. The Negro family have continued to cultivate their vines with the same enthusiasm and professionalism, harvesting precious bunches of grapes and producing agreeable wines year after year. Roero - the area where the Negro company is situated - is an area rich in factors essential for the production of quality wines. The climate is temperate-cold, with a good temperature range and relatively low humidity compared to nearby areas. The land, formed out of the remains of an ancient sea, is made up of sand (between 20% and 40%), a good percentage of limestone and a little clay, lending the soil a light and permeable structure. The wines that originate here have a pronounced aroma and complex structure - not heavy, but with a precise and unmistakable character. The wineries themselves are situated close to the Riveri holdings in the hamlet of Sant'Anna, and have been carefully equipped with modern technology that works alongside older tried and tested traditions. The result of this marriage between tradition and technology is a very agreeable wine, impeccable from the point of view of quality, rich in distinctive character, with a strong fragrance and complex structure, capable of winning approval both in Italy and on a world-wide scale.

Best with

The rich structure of this wine makes it the perfect accompaniment for important dishes, above all, braised and stuffed red meats and mature or spicy cheeses.

How to serve it

It is advisable to open the bottle several minutes before and serve it at 18 - 20 degrees centigrade. The best glasses to use are clear, transparent crystal goblets.

How to keep

It is a wine with a remarkable ability to improve with age and, if it is kept well, it has an average conservation period of twelve to fifteen years. The bottles should be laid horizontally in a cool, dark, humid wine-cellar.