Cantina Terlarno and Produttori del Barbaresco: an amazing dinner with two of the world’s great cooperative wineries, tasting back to the 1960s
I was very happy to attend this dinner! Held by the excellent Fine + Rare at Wiltons, the evening featured 25 wines with both producers going back to the 1960s. Are these the best cooperatives in the world? On this showing, it’s hard to argue against.
Cantina Terlano
Website: https://www.cantina-terlano.com/en/
Klaus Gasser introduced Cantina Terlano, who are based in the Alto Adige. He’s the director of marketing and sales there. The winery was founded in 1893 at the time of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and this region passed to Italy at the end of the first war. ‘Tyrol is cut in two,’ says Gasser. ‘In the daytime we are Germans and in the nighttime we are Italians.’
The region is close to Graubunden in Switzerland, but now has a very strong Italian influence.
Terlano has its own appellation (DOC Alto Adige Terlano), and the Cantina has a monopoly situation, with the 200 or so families growing grapes here all supplying the cooperative. There is no ‘village level’ quality here. On the flats, there are many fantastic apple farmers. Then on the hills leading to the mountains, the vineyards are all top notch. The grapes are grown from altitudes of 230-900 m, but the sweet spot is 550-650 m, and the famed Vorberg is 400-900 m.
The average holding here is 1.2 hectares (there are 1500 parcels), and they are expensive (around €1 m/hectare). They did a classification of the vineyards 25 years ago, and if you have the grand cru holdings, you get a lot of money for your grapes. Average yields are a decent 49 hl/ha. ‘We keep the money in the region,’ says Gasser, ‘and this keeps the families in the region.’
When the winery was founded in 1893 the grapes in the region were Pinot Bianco and Chardonnay (although this was originally called yellow Pinot Bianco, and it wasn’t identified as Chardonnay until 1984). Then Sauvignon Blanc came to the region in 1910.
Cantina Terlano Vorberg Riserva 2023 Alto Adige Terlano, Italy
Pinot Bianco, fermented and aged in large oak casks and cement tanks. 18 months on lees. Beautiful freshness and tension with delicate fine herbal notes and some minerals. Expressive and fine with a tapering finish. 93/100
Cantina Terlano Vorberg Riserva 2019 Alto Adige Terlano, Italy
There’s a bit of richness here with pear and white peach, as well as nice tension, and some fine spices. Slight salinity. This has focus and delicacy, with a slight green hint that works well. 95/100
Cantina Terlano Vorberg Riserva 1966 Alto Adige Terlano, Italy
Golden colour, with nuts, honey and spice. Harmonious with lovely precision still, as well as nutty, appley depth. Finishes broad and salty. 95/100
Cantina Terlano Pinot Bianco Rarity 2013 Alto Adige Terlano, Italy
This comes from 50 year old vines at 570 m in Vorburg and is aged in 2500 litre casks for one year, then minimum 10 years on lees in stainless steel. They have vintages back to 1979 still on lees. This was bottles in August 2025. Pure, textural and precise with lovely tension, showing a saline twist to the bold citrus and pear fruit with a hint of apple. Very fine. 95/100
Cantina Terlano Pinot Bianco Rarity 2010 Alto Adige Terlano, Italy
This was bottled after 11 years on lees, but they have kept some back that was bottled after 15 years on lees. Subtle honeyed notes with nice texture and some crystalline citrus fruit, showing firm, spicy detail, as well as a slight saltiness. Powerful and bold with great concentration of fruit. 95/100
Cantina Terlano Pinot Bianco Rarity 2005 Alto Adige Terlano, Italy
Some honeyed, oxidative notes. Bold and expansive with some green pepper and tinned pea. Quite rich, but with some tension, and nice acidity. 94/100
Cantina Terlano Nova Domus Terlaner Riserva 2023 Alto Adige Terlano, Italy
This is a field blend of 60% Pinot Bianco, 30% Chardonnay and 10% Sauvignon Blanc. 18 months in 3000 litre casks. Complex and layered with bold pear and peach fruit with some pithy notes. Slightly salty with nice tension, and some richer peachy notes. 94/100
Cantina Terlano Nova Domus Terlaner Riserva 2013 Alto Adige Terlano, Italy
This is 65% Pinot Bianco, 30% Chardonnay and 5% Sauvignon Blanc. Subtle toast, mineral and spice on the nose. Really lovely tension with bright apple, pear and white peach fruit. Still youthful and fresh with real intensity and balance. 95/100
Cantina Terlano Primo Grand Cuvée 2023 Alto Adige Terlano, Italy
Lovely focus, with spice and a hint of toast on the nose. Lemon and lime fruit showing nice depth on the palate with some slight saltiness. Very sophisticated, with beautiful depth and intensity. Still quite primary. 94/100
Cantina Terlano Primo Grand Cuvée 2016 Alto Adige Terlano, Italy
Some honey and spice on the nose. Textured with fine spices alongside pear and peach fruit on the palate, as well as a twist of lime brightness. Very fine with lovely weight. 95/100
Cantina Terlano 1983 Alto Adige Terlano, Italy
Pinot Bianco and a bit of Silvaner. 8 months in large oak. Complex with fine spices and notes of wax and honey. Lovely crystalline citrus fruit. Saline and slightly smoky with some incense notes. Beautiful. 96/100
Cantina Terlano Rarity 1991 Alto Adige Terlano, Italy
60% Pinot Bianco, 30% Chardonnay, 10% Sauvignon Blanc This spent one year in large oak then 24 years on lees in stainless steel. Delicate, pristine and focused. Fresh and textured with bold citrus fruit showing real intensity and purity. A beautiful, layered wine. 96/100
Produttori del Barbaresco
Website: https://www.produttoridelbarbaresco.com/en/
Managing director Luca Cravanzola introduced Produttori del Barbaresco. This is a very small cooperative working solely with Nebbiolo. They have Langhe Nebbiolo, Barbaresco, and then nine top crus of Barbaresco, which they first started making in 1967.
Fifty-three farmers belong to the cooperative, and altogether they farm just 120 hectares, which makes this a very small cooperative. Barbaresco is small, and there are just 300 hectares in total.
This cantina sociale dates back to 1894, but closed with fascism in the 1920s. After this Barbaresco had lots of troubles and most of the Nebbiolo was sold to wine merchants with quite a bit ending up in Barolo. The lure of the factories in Torino led people away from the land. Produttori as we know it began in 1958.
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco 1998 Piemonte, Italy
This was a good vintage, but they didn’t bottle the single vineyards this year. Full in colour. Textured and fine with a hint of Portiness. Lovely weight and texture, showing richness and a warm spicy dimension. Bold with amazing depth and richness. This is beautiful in a rich, ripe style. 95/100
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco 1983 Piemonte, Italy
Another year with no single crus. Faded colour, browning. This has beautiful aromas of spice and madeira, with orange peel, wax and old furniture. Lovely depth with fine spicy detail. It’s really mature, but still offers a lot of joy. 94/100
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco 1982 Piemonte, Italy
A great year, and a truly great wine. Still vibrant in colour with a slightly bricking rim showing its age. This has a lovely savoury, spicy edge with sweet red cherries and plums as well as a hint of mint. Really amazing texture and finesse. So elegant, drinking beautifully with lovely finesse. Remarkable. 98/100
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco 1975 Piemonte, Italy
Quite deep in colour. Notes of tar, spice, resin and dried herbs. Lovely density with a savoury, spicy edge to the raspberry and cherry fruit. Quite firm and savoury with nice density. Earthy. Interesting. 94/100
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco 1973 Piemonte, Italy
Warm and spicy with nice texture and real elegant. Juicy with fine spices. So supple and elegant with real finesse. Fine and herby with some cherry fruit and a touch of iron. Tapering, expressive and really beautiful. 97/100
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco 1967 Piemonte, Italy
This still has some colour with just a bit of bricking at the rim. Refined and finely spiced with some maturity, but also real elegance and still has some fruit. Fine-grained and beautifully expressive with subtle salinity. Just beautiful. 96/100
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Rabajá 2020 Piemonte, Italy
The crus are made in top vintages, and they make all 9 or none. Such finesse and purity here. Raspberry and cherry fruit with good texture and weight. Such elegance to this wine, with purity to the fruit and a silky mid-palate. Beautifully layered. 96/100
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Rabajá 2011 Piemonte, Italy
Still dark in colour, this shows lovely detail. It’s savoury, tarry and slightly spicy with black cherries and blackberries, and a bit of tannic grip. Nice intensity, showing a savoury edge. 94/100
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano 2016 Piemonte, Italy
This is considered to be the Barolo from Barbaresco, with more tannin than most. Nice intensity. Classic style with some fine spicy detail. Lovely density, showing fine spices, black cherry and good grip and intensity. Beautiful stuff. 95/100
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano 2014 Piemonte, Italy
Concentrated and focused with black cherry and blackberry fruit. Amazing precision here with silky cherries, berries and lovely spicy intensity. Refined and dense at the same time. 96/100
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Pora Riserva 1988 Piemonte, Italy
This is the closest of the 9 crus to the river, and there’s some sand and limestone in the soils. Savoury, spicy and taut. Mineral with notes of wax and woodsmoke. Dense and spicy. This is quite brisk but the tannins are silky. 93/100
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Pora Riserva 1982 Piemonte, Italy
Complex, taut and savoury. Bold with a touch of iodine and spice. Concentrated and firm with nice density and some savoury structure. Still quite grippy with lovely focus to the citrus and orange peel. Cherry and spice notes too. 96/100
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Ovelli 1979 Piemonte, Italy
Spicy, savoury and a bit earthy. Nice spicy detail with some freshness. Savoury and grainy with nice detail. Earthy and intense. 93/100
Wiltons deserves a shout out for some impeccable food:
