May 1968 – the outbreak of student protests in Europe. Aldo Vajra is 15 years old and joins the group of young protesters who flooded the streets of Turin. Perhaps the story would have taken another turn, if Aldo was not discovered by his father and immediately send to Barolo to spend the summer on the grandparents’ farm, far away from trouble. Those months spend between the vines and fields ignited Aldo’s dream to be a winemaker. Taking over the family estate soon after, he pursued his passion with zeal and one of the early pioneers of organic farming. In 1971 the estate became one of the first in Piedmont to be organically certified. Based in Vergne, the highest village in the commune of Barolo, the estate is now described as “one of Piedmont’s best kept secrets… with sublime hand-crafted, artisan wines of the very highest level”.
The Winecroft featured red wine for July is the 2019 G.D. Vajra Langhe Nebbiolo. Nebbiolo is the grape behind the great Barolo wine of Piemonte, known as the “Wine of Kings”. Langhe Nebbiolo is the ‘second wine’ made in an early-drinking style. The wine has intense notes of violet and rose, accompanied by ripe red berry fruits complemented by silky tannins and delicate acidity. A great value alternative to Barolo.
This wine is on the winelist at La Trompette, the Michelin-starred restaurant in Chiswick, London.
