ANGELO GAJA

The Gaja winery was founded in the Piemonte region of northern Italy in 1859 by Giovanni Gaja, and it has been family owned and operated for four generations in a constantly evolving arc of inspired winemaking.

Current patriarch, Angelo Gaja, started a revolution in the area following several trips to France, and is credited with taking both Barbaresco and Barolo into new stylistic areas, more often than not through controversial measures. Foremost is his use of oak barriques to soften the Nebbiolo tannins and produce a richer, more concentrated wine than the traditional model. Temperature-controlled fermentation, green harvest, reduction of crop size and the introduction of French varieties have all contributed to his modernist reputation and the soaring international praise for the Gaja wines.

Wine Spectator proclaimed his 1985 Barbarescos ‘the finest wines ever made in Italy.’ With Angelo now past 70, his daughters Gaia and Rossana run the estate, although, it has to be said, the man himself has never officially retired.

Angelo Gaja

Named for his grandfather, the son of winery founder Giovanni Gaja, Angelo Gaja began working at the family winery in 1961 after completing studies in enology at Alba and Montpellier. (He would later earn a degree in economics at the University of Turin.) An indefatigable traveller, Angelo often credits his importing business — which gave him unprecedented access in his visits to wineries — for his expansive knowledge of the world of winemaking. Inspired by contemporary and traditional winemaking approaches in France, in the 1960s he began to apply his experiences to the family winery. He introduced barrique aging, hybrid French bottle formats and longer corks, and clonal and massal selection in the vineyard. In the process, he single-handedly established Barbaresco as one of the great appellations of the world. His electric, charismatic presence and often poetical ruminations on the nature of fine wine make him one of the most respected and beloved figures in the wine industry today.