Welcome MARCOBARBA to Alberta
Proudly welcoming to Alberta
Three quintessential country wines from biodynamic wine farmer Marco ‘Barba’, a protégé of Veneto natural wine icon, Stefano Menti.
On behalf of a few elderly widows in Marco’s home town, he and his ‘Barbaboyz’ (and his many sheep!) farm and manage several old pergola-trained vineyards dotting the calcareous slopes of the Gambellara region (adjacent to Soave, just east of Verona). If you want to know more about the characteristics of this area you can take a look at www.vinerra.com
Situated at the mouth of the Po Valley, these vineyards are planted in the unique soils where the white sandstones of the Berici Hills intermingle with the dark volcanic soils of Gambellara.
After a summer of tender but gruelling biodynamic hand farming they manually harvest their fruit and bring it to the nearby cellars of Marco’s friend and mentor, Stefano Menti, where the two collaborate to produce these tensile terroir wines.
These are wines of immense pleasure, without pretence or dogma—just great fruit and minimalist winemaking—offered to the world at excellent prices.
Scroll to the bottom to read the full Marcobarba story. But first…
The Wines of Marcobarba in Alberta
Marcobarba - 2020 Barbabolla Pét-Nat
The Barbabolla is a joyful pétillant-naturel (pét-nat) field blend - great fruit unadorned. It’s a zippy, full-flavored bubbly with terrific minerality buoying notes of granny smith apple, biscuits, elderflower, grapefruit peel, apricot, and citrus juice. The only issue is how fast we drink it! Thankfully, it’s sessionable ABV makes it a terrific brunch or aperitif bottle.
Field blend of Garganega, Riesling Italico, Moscato Bianco, Glera, Trebbiano, and more.
Calcareous volcanic soils. Pergola trained.
Biodynamic. Hand farmed and harvested.
First fermentation: spontaneous with indigenous yeast in cement tanks. Second fermentation: in bottle using must from passito dried Garganega to spark a new ferment.
Ageing: Fermented and aged in bottle with no disgorgement of lees.
ABV: 11.0%
Marcobarba - 2020 Barbabianca White
A wine that delivers well over its weight class, the Barbabianca is a textural, flavour-packed treat! A litany of stone fruit flavours ranging from peach fuzz to ripe apricot, nuanced by chamomile, bergamot, honeysuckle, and hints of almond on the nose, with a lingering, delicious pear profile. Well balanced acidity and low alcohol make this wine a true patio pleaser.
Field blend of Garganega, Riesling Italico, Moscato Bianco, Glera, Trebbiano, and more.
Calcareous volcanic soils. Pergola trained.
Biodynamic. Hand farmed and harvested.
Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeast in cement tanks.
Ageing: Aged 9 months in the same cement fermenters and bottled with only 16ppm SO2, unfined and unfiltered. Screw cap for maximum freshness and stability.
ABV: 11.0%
Marcobarba - 2020 Barbarossa Red
Almost effervescent when first popped, the Barbarossa is an easy drinking gusher of a red wine. At room temperature it shows dried cherry and blackberry with nuancing notes of leather, tobacco, licorice, and an earthy minerality. Chilled, the wine can take on a refreshing and nattier profile, cranberry fruited with beetroot and birchy funk dancing on velvety tannins. A wine bar glass-pour classic.
Field blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Raboso Piave, and more.
Calcareous volcanic soils. Pergola trained.
Biodynamic. Hand farmed and harvested.
Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeast in cement tanks.
Aged 12 months in stainless. Bottled with only 19ppm SO2, unfined and unfiltered. Screw cap for maximum freshness and stability.
ABV: 12.5%
Meet Marco ‘Barba’ and his Barbaboyz
Marco ‘Barba’ grew up in Madonna di Lonigo near Vicenza (Veneto, Italy) immersed in grape growing. It is Marco’s handsome face that graces the label of each Marcobarba bottle.
Out of high school, Marco began his adulthood as a carpenter but soon discovered biodynamic agriculture and the anthroposophy of Rudolf Steiner, the Austrian philosopher largely associated with biodynamic agriculture. Totally enamored with biodynamism, Marco moved to the Jura canton of Switzerland as a young man to work as a shepherd and food farmer in the biodynamic tradition.
In 2015, Marco returned to Veneto to begin farming with his friend Stefano Menti, the avantgarde Veneto estate early to pioneer the the Italian vino naturale movement (and Vino al Vino’s first portfolio producer all the way back in 2014). Stefano is a bit of a rebel and labels his wines "vino volutamemnte declassato" (intentionally downgraded wines) even though the wines could be designated DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita).
In helping Stefano in the vineyards, Marco gradually made his way into the cellars. There he began learning from Stefano the complex art of minimalist winemaking.
After years of mentorship, Marco created his own wines using the grapes of several biodynamic vineyards he manages on behalf of a few elderly widows in his native town. He relies on the cellars and guidance of Stefano to produce his truly vino al vino. Vino al vino: the Italian idiom for wine from wine, the wine on the table with dinner, the wine that tastes like the land, the wine that is free from internationalist contortions.
These old-vine, pergola-trained plots are largely co-planted in the old style with numerous varieties so that the parcel field-blends itself into balanced and interesting wines of place. Forget about varietal specificity! These wines are all about site specificity.
Marco and his close knit team of “Barbaboyz” have launched the adventure of the Marcobarba wines with a simple goal: to produce pure grapes from which they can derive straightforward, genuine wines.
Marco likes to say his wines are just like him: rustic and irreverent with a great big heart.
Vino Al Vino is a wine wholesaler and importer in Alberta (Canada) specializing in real wines, wines with minimal intervention. All of our wines are sustainable. Almost all of our wines are certified organic. Many of our wines are certified biodynamic. Many of our wines are full-throttle zero-zero natural wines.
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