Place: Oltrepò Pavese - Lombardy, ITA

Varieties: Croatina, Uva Rara & Vespolina

Farming: Organic 

Few wines capture the spirit of the place and the people who make it more than Lino Maga’s Barbacarlo wines. The family have owned this 4ha vineyard for centuries and have been producing noteworthy wines here since 1886. Today the family tends to 50 years old vines on the steeply sloped site tucked away in the hills outside of a small town south of Milan.  

There are no chemicals used in the vineyard or the winery (except a bit of SO2 prior to bottling), no certifications and no website at Barbacarlo.  After a careful sorting of the harvested grapes, all wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts in ancient casks. Depending on the vintage, the wines may re-ferment in the bottle. This will provide a light spritz along with a touch of sweetness and spice to the finished wine. This makes each bottle and each vintage a unique experience. As Lino Maga questions: “Why put the vintage on the label if the wines always taste the same?”

"The classic blend of Croatina, Uva Rara and Ughetta from vines up to a hundred years old planted over tufo on the steep slopes of Oltrepò Pavese. In what was a warm decade, this was one of the coolest vintages and the wine offers an uncommon freshness from these parts, with berries, herbs and minerals on display." — note from the importer, QuelVino

Bottles should be stored vertically.