Looking to the past to redesign the future: this has always been the approach with which we have taken up the family winemaking tradition. It allowed us to be part of this beautiful and peaceful revolution, NIZZA DOCG.
“With a long history of winegrowing behind us that dates back to the mid-1700s on the hills of Cocconato, our family has always looked at Barbera with great interest. The beautiful lands of Agliano Terme have fascinated us because of the way they were able to characterise it“, says Paolo Bava, who, together with his brothers Roberto and Giulio, the niece Francesca and the nephew Giorgio, is now at the helm of Bava Winery.
Our family’s paths crossed with those of Nizza DOCG even before this wine saw the light of day:
“After decades of harvesting grapes in the area, in the early 1990s, we fell in love with a farmhouse, positioned at the top of a hill, but characterised by such a gentle slope as to seem flat, Pianoalto.
Vineyards embrace the farmhouse on the highest part, and it was here that we met Amedeo, a man from the South with a robust and tenacious character and a passion for Barbera. He was the caretaker, careful connoisseur and conductor of our vineyards for many years”.
Pianoalto, the NIZZA DOCG of our cellars, was born from the best part of these vineyards.
From Barbera to NIZZA DOCG
The first harvests were about getting to know the vineyards and trying to understand how best to bring out the character and potential of the Barbera of the farmstead. The first bottle to reach the market was from the 1996 vintage.
Paolo Bava continues: “Our memory for NIZZA is this: as in a photo, we find the unmistakable Pianoalto sunshade, which has become the symbol of the label of our NIZZA DOCG, the soft rows of the old vines and Amedeo’s satisfied smile during the days of the harvest”.
Thus, what initially seemed a somewhat visionary venture turned out to be a winning intuition: “We put in NIZZA a lot of effort, creativity, and hard work when most others were not yet considering its potential. We immediately believed in it, sharing projects and hopes, taking the taste and beauty of this extraordinary corner of Piedmont with us during trips, tastings and events”.
NIZZA has come a long way from being just an idea of a few. “Today, NIZZA DOCG represents a land and a group of people who have worked together towards a common goal. The fruit of their shared work is now recognised by those who taste it, and we are proud to be a part of this group“.