PHILOSOPHY Do you remember the two sweethearts’ song “Barbera and Champagne”,of Giorgio Gaber that was in fashion some years ago? The common man drank Barbera, the rich one drank Champagne, but – as the song said – they both toasted to love. At first sight, this match would probably seem odd, actually it is strongly united by natural ties, that take origin from two of the best winy lands of the world. Barbera, synonym of the Piemonte region and result of old peasant traditions, has overcome time and fashions, and today, it still appears with its vigorous and peculiar personality. If youg and conveniently refined, it’s the ideal fellow during the daily board: in addition to intensifing the tasty meat dishes of a great cooking, it belongs to the restricted circle of the home-bred wines. The Barbera d’Asti by Gianluigi Orsini is one good example, an excellent wine born of the impassionate intuition of its “author”,with a few years experience in this field, but with a high motivation; he has made of his spare time a joyful time for grow, prune, pick up and transform the Barbare grape into a dainty and genuine Baccus nectar. Orsini, viticultor for hobby, is a dogged upholder of the “quality at all costs” motto. The vineyard measures 2 hectares and is located at an average altitude of 250 mt a.s.l., with south/south-west exposure; planting density is about 4800 vines per hectare with a yield of a few less than 55/57ql per hectare. Soil is rich in clay, limestone and grit, an ideal soil for the growing of Barbera, of which we produce no less than 9000 bottle of Barbera d’Asti per year. Vineyards are trained without using weed-killers, fertilizers and pesticide; treatments are done with sulphur against the oidium and the alkaline Bordeaux mixture or verdigris (blue vitriol) against the peronospora.