Gianni Gagliardo Interview

Gianni Gagliardo’s winery is located in Piedmont in Italy and was originally started by a man called Paolo Colla. In the 1950’s Paolo moved the winery to its current location in La Morra in the historical heart of the Barolo wine making region.

Gianni Gagliardo is Paolo’s son-in-law and joined the winery after marrying his daughter but took sole ownership of the winery in 1986. After the birth of his third son, Gianni decided to change the name of the winery to from Paolo Colla to Gianni Gagliardo which in turn precipitated a change in the style and direction to which they made wine.

Gianni introduced the concept of small French barrels and also, and arguably more significantly, introduced a range of top of the line wines including his famous Preve Barolo Reserva, a wine that has been described by Robert Parker as “unique” and “something original and different which will become a milestone”.

The Gianni Gagliardo winery is a family business to the core with all members of the family working side by side to create the wines they produce. Gianni’s three sons are involved in the everyday operations and the company’s reputation stems from the family’s passion for the region and, in particular the love of the Nebbiolo grape.

Gianni himself was in Hong Kong this week so we were fortunate enough to have an audience with him and took the opportunity to ask the legendary winemaker some questions about his wines, how he thinks they pair with Asian food and whether he plans to retire any time soon.

WTHK: You are the founder and President of the Accademia del Barolo. Can you tell me more about what the academy is trying to achieve?

GG: “The Accademia del Barolo is a group of wine producers who have decided to spend some time together the talk about Barolo around the world. To develop the Barolo market we need to tell more people around the world about it and if we want to improve the potential of Barolo we need more people to know about it. We decided to pool our experience to work to improve the concept of Barolo around the world. We never do promotions but we do seminars to explain what is Barolo; the terroir, the Nebbiolo grape etc. Barolo is not just a wine, it’s a history”.

WTHK: You are a pioneer for Barolo auctions in Hong Kong and also in your winery each year with the Asta Del Barolo. Can you tell me more about this?

GG: “This year is the fourteenth edition of the Asta Del Barolo and the reason was we started was to have one event per year. Originally it was all about inviting the press and some famous stars to the event, but I thought, ‘Barolo is the star’ and that we should be focusing on the wine more so. In Barolo there are many different and interesting bottles that have been handed from father to son or sitting in the cellars of people. Many others around the world are interested in acquiring bottles like this so we came up with the idea of auctioning these gems off. The auction is held in the Barolo area but there is a connection by internet which is available in the USA and Hong Kong”.

WTHK: Briefly, why do you think that the popularity of Barolo has increased recently in Hong Kong?

GG: “Ah, simple, because it’s gorgeous wine”!

WTHK: What makes wines from Gianni Gagliardo so special?

GG: “The wines are special for the people who like my taste and like my style of wine for sure. Our wines are elegant and people who like elegant wines like my wines. Our wines have character and honestly in my wines you can taste the terroir and the life and mentality of our whole family. This is very important. We do make great wines but I still believe our best wine has not been made yet. That’s what makes the future so exciting”!

WTHK: How do you find your wines suit Asian food?

GG: “I’ve tried some different combinations and honestly, Nebbiolo is perfect with Chinese food; Barolo too! I am sure the future is to drink wine with Chinese food and Nebbiolo is absolutely perfect for that. Fish, meat, soup; Nebbiolo is an easy wine to match with almost any food”.

WTHK: Your best wines are a blend of single vineyard Barolo made up into one wine. Why do you think that a blend is a better representation of Barolo that a single vineyard bottling?

GG: “The history of Barolo arrives from the blend. The best Barolo’s are blends and always have been because if you want to have a Barolo with good balance you need to know which areas to blend with each other. All Barolo vineyards have different characteristics and blending these together makes a complete wine. A single vineyard is very rare to have perfect balance in the wine, maybe a perfect nose, but by blending it with other vineyards you can achieve the perfect balance. This is why we blend Barolo”.

WTHK: You are best known for your red wines but you make a lovely Moscato and whites from the Favorita grape. Can you explain a little more about this unknown white grape please?

GG: “Yes, the Favorita grape arrived in my mind when I was very young because of the Roero region. When I began working with the winery I wanted to make white wine in the Barolo area because there was none being made. My colleagues began planting Arneis but I find that although this is a nice grape, it does not have a lot of character. So I went to talk with the older folks in the villages and tried to make something different. It’s important to have a project in your life and this was one of mine”.

WTHK: You really are a family business. Do you plan to retire any time soon and let your children do all the hard work?

GG: “I am retired already!! These days I know my three sons don’t need their dad working any more, but the wine is my life and I continue to work, although I have reduced the time I spend in the winery. I use my experience for the Barolo region more these days with the Accademia del Barolo and in other groups to help promote the region. It’s important for a man to not spend his life just eating and drinking, if it’s possible to spend your life helping others then there is a better reason to stay in the world”. 

 

Gianni Gagliardo wines are exclusively imported into Hong Kong by Cellarmaster Wines. To find out more about the wines and how to get your hands on some of them go to their website www.cellarmasterwines.com