In 1894, Domizio Cavazza, headmaster of the Royal Oenological School of Alba and owner of Barbaresco Castle and the adjoining farm, founded the “Cantine Sociali di Barbaresco” for the “production of luxury and table wines”. Gathering nine farmers and landowners around him, he began to make wine in the Castle cellars and named the wine after the village itself.
That the Nebbiolo cultivated in Barbaresco had its own distinct character was a well-known fact, but Cavazza was the first to recognize this distinctiveness on the label, with the plan to boost the reputation of the product and of the municipality, following in the footsteps of Barolo, which was just beginning to be established.
This makes 1894 the unofficial year of birth of Barbaresco wine.
Cavazza died in 1913 and the, with the advent of fascism, the cooperative winery was closed in the 1920s.
Don Fiorino Marengo arrived in Barbaresco immediately after the Second World War. A modern-day Saint Francis, the young priest threw himself headlong into a myriad of activities, never for a moment neglecting his ministry. Inspired by the unforgettable example of Domizio Cavazza, Don Fiorino became convinced that the associative experience could be repeated again to seek the emancipation of the country people from extreme poverty and deep-rooted individualism. So in 1958, he brought together nineteen farmers and founded Produttori del Barbaresco “to qualify and guarantee Barbaresco”.
The priest received valuable help from a leading local figure, the pharmacist of Neive. Dr. Maffei was held in the highest regard in the area, he owned several vineyards and was seeking a better yield for his land. The contribution of Riccardo Cravanzola and Lorenzo Viglino, later to become the first two presidents of the cooperative, was also decisive. And then of course there was the patient and tireless work of Celestino Vacca, “the secretary”
Substantial profits began to flow in at the end of the 1980s and the Produttori del Barbaresco label became increasingly prestigious. The members, now more than 50, had finally become “winegrowers”, known and appreciated the world over. From the 1990s, the doors of the international market opened wide: the US, Japan, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom competed for a label that had become an international emblem of typicality and uncompromising quality.
Today, Produttori del Barbaresco is regarded as one of the most prestigious wineries in the area and is an example for cooperatives all over the world.