Giuseppe Vaira is one of those tireless torchbearers whose faith in his region is matched by an exemplary work ethic, the uniformly beautiful results of which constantly justify and fuel that belief. It’s a virtuous cycle that has seen many people fall in love with the Langhe through these wines.
The first time I met him was at the family winery in Vergne when I was taking time off from an assignment at a trade fair in Milan. He’d just landed home from a trade trip in steamy Singapore, jet-lagged and jaded from pouring Nebbiolo in 35-degree heat, when my family and I were halfway through a tasting. His mother, Milena, told him we were visitors from England. He plunged immediately into consummate host mode.
I have the good fortune to know him pretty well now, having worked with the family’s wines for the past seven years with his Australian importer. This conversation took place at the end of January 2026 at the start of a five-day trade visit. It should be easy to follow, but it is useful to have a handle on the estate’s makeup, as well as the Piedmontese luminaries that crop up.
G.D. Vajra was founded in 1972 by Giuseppe’s father, Aldo. It takes its name from Aldo’s father, Giuseppe Domenico Vaira, even though he did not work in the wine industry. (The family name is written with an ‘i’; a printing error in the early days led to the adoption of the ‘j’ styling.) It was, in fact, on Giuseppe’s great-grandfather’s farm that Aldo had his first taste of vineyard work. Aldo and Milena are still involved in the business, which is headed by Giuseppe and his siblings, Francesca and Isidoro (Isi).
Vergne is in Barolo, one of the 11 communes that make up the Barolo production area. This commune is home to the family’s most famous vineyard, Bricco delle Viole, as well as Coste di Rose. G.D. Vajra also produces Barolo from the neighbouring commune of Novello (the Ravera MGA or Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva). In 2009, the family purchased the Luigi Baudana estate in Serralunga d’Alba on the eastern side of Barolo, and we speak about the climatic and geological differences between these two areas. Broadly speaking, the soils of the east are generally referred to as Serravallian (the term Helvetian was formerly used), while Tortonian soils characterise the northwestern communes of Barolo and La Morra, which are closer to the Tanaro River. While acknowledging the inadequacies of these generalisations, the former tend to feature less fertile, yellow-grey compacted sand and clay, and the latter, younger, more fertile blue-grey marl.
Giuseppe and I discuss a range of grape varieties, from lesser-known heirloom grapes making a comeback to the more celebrated mainstays that enjoy solid reputation on international wine lists. In the former camp are the likes of Naschetta, Slarina, Chatus (aka Nebbiolo di Dronero) and Freisa. Anna Schneider and Stefano Raimondi are the renowned ampelographers associated with the University of Turin who have helped identify and revive some of these traditional, forgotten varieties. On the more mainstream front, we talk about the three key reds: Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo, this last responsible for the Barolo and Barbaresco wines that are the pride of Piedmont.
In our chat, I refer to an anecdote that came up in Aldo Vaira’s appearance on Levi Dalton’s I’ll Drink to That podcast. It concerns an encounter with some late legends of Barolo: Aldo Conterno (his brother Giovanni also gets a mention), Bartolo Mascarello (whose daughter Maria Teresa is mentioned) and Dogliani great Quinto Chionetti. (As an aside, the Vaira family also produce wines from Piedmont’s Dogliani region under their Monterustico label.) Beppe Colla, whose name is synonymous with the great Prunotto wines and who later founded his own Poderi Colla label, appears a couple of times. Angelo Gaja, Beppe Rinaldi and Bruno Giacosa, each attached to an eponymous label, also crop up. Of them, only Angelo Gaja is still alive.
Our conversation also dips into a couple of cultural areas. One concerns the so-called Barolo Boys and the 1980s divide that opened up in the area between the aforementioned modernists and traditionalists, the former espousing the use of smaller, newer French oak barriques for softer, slow-maturing wines as opposed to the more backward, reticent, slower-maturing wines traditionally aged in larger, older Slavonian oak botti. And, a different slant on aesthetics, we discuss the influence and artworks of Father Costantino Ruggieri, who designed the G.D. Vajra winery’s beautiful stained glass windows, and Gianni Gallo, whose gorgeous works adorn the family’s labels, as well as those of Vietti and Bruno Rocca.
