TIM ATKIN´S ARTICLE (AUTHORIZED)

Interview with Angelo Gaja: At an age when most men are contemplating the prospect of a free bus pass, Angelo Gaja is as youthful and energetic as ever. His hair may be grey now, but Italy’s most famous winemaker still moves at a pace that is closer to a jog than a stroll. Spend three hours with him and he barely pauses to catch his breath. The flair, the passion, the downright brio of the fellow are remarkable.

Gaja meets me at the entrance to his winery in Barbaresco, dressed in a suit and designer coat with the collar turned up against the cold. The 2009 harvest has barely finished, but Gaja is already buzzing about the wines that are fermenting in his stylish modern cellar. “2009 is like 1990,” he tells me, grabbing my arm for emphasis, “good everywhere. There was a little bit of rain in the south, but in northern and central Italy, it’s an excellent vintage.”

How things have changed. When Gaja joined the family winery in 1961, it was a struggle to make good Barbaresco. “In five vintages out of ten, Nebbiolo didn’t reach 12% alcohol,” he remembers. “We couldn’t chaptalise and even if we reduced yields, it was hard for us. It often rained in September. Climate change has been a boon for Piedmont. Since 1995, the grapes have reached full maturity almost every year.” With the exception of 2002, when Gaja bottled no Barbaresco or Barolo, every other vintage has been “beautiful”, although 2003 was not without its problems. The worry now, says Gaja, is that “too much sun will make alcohol levels too high”.

The Gaja winery was celebrating its 150th anniversary when I visited, complete with an exhibition showing the four different generations, including Gaja’s three children, two of whom are already working in the business. Angelo is often described as the man who dragged Piedmont into the modern world, but as we walk past the photos, he pauses in front of a black and white portrait of his father, Giovanni. “My success is due largely to him,” he tells me. “An artisan is someone who learns from within his family. I went to school with him in the winery and the vineyard.”

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