The estate - Giacomo Oddero

“I’m an old wine-grower with two daughters and three wonderful grandchildren, I’ve just reached my 80s but I’m still lively and lucid. I recite the classics, I read Shakespeare, Manzoni, Pavese and Fenoglio.”

“I take care of my business, I cultivate many interests and behind me I have a life which is already quite long. I’ve spent it in the vineyards and defending the quality of Italian wine and the hills where it is made. Quality is winning. We have won together, many of us.”

“Today Italian wines are highly esteemed around the world. This development can be seen above all in the Langhe, around Alba. Barolo, Barbaresco, Langhe Nebbiolo and Barbera d’Alba are now renowned names among the world’s elite wines. To reach these results I have worked very hard… I could tell you endless stories about the past years, the battles fought to have the right regulations to protect our products; not just wine, but also cheeses and more. If you come visit, you can get to know us, taste our wines, and also hear the story of our family, which has been growing grapes in these hills since the 18th century.”

“You will be able appreciate the heat of our land, the coolness of the cellars and above all the warmth of a welcome from hosts who feel honored by your presence.”

An eclectic figure, Giacomo Oddero has played a range of important roles with great determination throughout his life. Originally from Alba, a citizen of the Langhe hills, he has been involved in public administration at both a municipal and provincial level, and in the 150-year-old family business, Poderi e Cantine Oddero of La Morra. Along the way he has become a promoter of the quality of Langhe wines and the cheeses of the Cuneo area.

It is worth remembering that as the Province of Cuneo’s agricultural councillor he signed the D.O.C. (controlled denomination of origin) and D.O.C.G. (controlled and guaranteed denomination of origin) specifications and the regulations for almost all the local agricultural products: from wines and cheeses to Langhe hazelnuts and the fruits and vegetables grown in the lowlands.

In particular, the D.O.C. designation was granted to Barolo and Barbaresco in 1960 and D.O.C.G. in 1980; to Barbera d’Alba in 1970 and to Dolcetto d’Alba in 1974. For over 15 years Giacomo chaired the Cuneo Chamber of Commerce and he successfully helped bring the world’s attention to the province, its products and its people. In 1997 he established the National Study Centre for Alba Truffles, of which he is currently the president. The Centre is responsible for researching, analyzing and tasting this subterranean fungus, which together with wine is the most important product defining southern Piedmont.

He dedicated his attention also to water, as he was in charge of the construction of the first aqueduct in the Langhe region; and not only, but also to the famous cheeses of Piedmont, founding the ONAF organisation, to the fruits and to the chestnuts of the Cuneo valley.

Finally the family business. Located near La Morra, in the area covered by the Barolo denomination, it also has vineyards spread throughout Serralunga, Monforte d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto, Trezzo Tinella and Vinchio d’Asti. Actively assisted by his two daughters, and now also a granddaughter, Giacomo always seeks to follow that principle of quality which has helped him in many public campaigns. Oddero produces primarily red wines from the Langhe, with the place of honor going without a doubt to Barolo.