Giuseppe Cortese is a family-run estate based in Barbaresco, with roots dating back to the early 20th century. The modern winery was established in the 1970s by Giuseppe Cortese, who focused on estate bottling and quality-driven viticulture.

Today the estate is run by the second generation, with Pier Carlo Cortese overseeing vineyards and winemaking. The family farms around nine hectares, including prized parcels in the Rabajà cru, one of Barbaresco’s most celebrated sites.

Alongside Barbaresco, the estate produces Langhe Nebbiolo, Barbera d’Alba and Dolcetto, all from indigenous Piedmont varieties.

Piedmont, located in northwest Italy at the foothills of the Alps, is one of the country’s most prestigious and renowned wine regions. Known for its rolling hills, diverse microclimates, and rich soils, Piedmont offers ideal conditions for growing some of Italy’s most celebrated grape varieties. The region experiences a continental climate with cold winters and warm summers, moderated by the nearby Alps and the Tanaro River, which helps reduce frost risk and provides humidity essential for certain grape-growing practices.

Piedmont’s key grape varietals include Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Dolcetto for reds, and Moscato Bianco and Cortese for whites. Nebbiolo, the star grape, is famous for producing powerful and complex wines such as Barolo and Barbaresco, characterised by firm tannins, high acidity, and aromas of cherry, tar, and roses. Barbera offers softer, fruit-forward wines with vibrant acidity, while Dolcetto is known for its approachable, juicy style. Moscato Bianco, used in the production of the sparkling Asti, provides aromatic, sweet wines, and Cortese is the grape behind the crisp, floral Gavi wines.

Viticultural challenges in Piedmont include late spring frosts, which can damage young buds, and the risk of hail, especially during summer storms. The region’s steep vineyard slopes also make mechanisation difficult, necessitating labour-intensive cultivation. Despite these challenges, Piedmont continues to produce world-class wines prized for their elegance and ageing potential.

Nebbiolo is one of Italy’s most revered red grape varieties, best known as the foundation of the iconic wines Barolo and Barbaresco from the Piedmont region. Its name likely derives from nebbia (fog), referencing the misty autumn harvests in its native region or the fog-like bloom on its berries.

Viticulturally, Nebbiolo is a demanding grape—early to bud and late to ripen, requiring long, sunny growing seasons and well-exposed hillside vineyards, often on calcareous marl soils. It is sensitive to site, with subtle variations in soil and climate strongly influencing the resulting wine's style.

While its heartland remains in Piedmont, small plantings exist in other Italian regions such as Lombardy (notably Valtellina), and internationally in California, Oregon, Australia, Argentina, and Mexico, though success outside Italy is limited and site-specific.

Nebbiolo produces pale-coloured wines with firm tannins, high acidity, and remarkable ageing potential. Classic flavour profiles include rose, tar, cherry, dried herbs, liquorice, and earthy truffle notes. Styles range from the powerful, long-lived Barolo and Barbaresco to more approachable expressions from Langhe or Roero.

Often austere in youth but transformative with age, Nebbiolo is a grape that rewards patience, offering complexity, elegance, and a profound sense of place.