The already cryptic Italian wine label is made even more confusing when selecting a wine in a bottle stamped "Albeisa". What does this strange marking mean? Is it some message of quality being given to unsuspecting wine lovers? In a way it is, as the word "Albeisa" on a bottle of wine celebrates a regions long tradition of winemaking.
At the beginning of the 1700’s, winemakers in the Alba district, proud of their wines and wanting to distinguish them from others made in Piedmont, began using a different shaped bottle, which they called “Albeisa”. During the Napoleonic invasion, however, the “Albeisa” was gradually replaced by two typically French bottles: Bordeaux and Burgundy, which were cheaper to produce and more uniform in shape.
In 1973, 16 companies decided to start using the old “Albeisa” bottle again. These were: Terre del Barolo, Marchesi di Barolo, Produttori del Barbaresco, Giacomo Borgogno, Ceretto, Gaja, Batasiolo, Bartolo Mascarello, Renato Ratti, Oddero, Francesco Rinaldi, Cavallotto, Elvio Cogno, Marchesi Fracassi, Mauro Mascarello and Calissano.
The Union of Producers of Albese Wines was set up and close cooperation began with Vetreria Italiane di Dego, now known as Saint-Gobain Vetri, the only glass factory appointed to manufacture the Albeisa bottle. The aim was to symbolize the prestigious oenology products of the Lange, and only wines produced within this area can be bottled in the Albeisa bottle.
Today, the Union has over 200 members who use nine million “Albeisa” bottles a year. The Union of Producers of Albese wines is a non-profit association, which aims to promote and maximise the value of Albese wines. Every time a producer buys a bottle a tiny percentage of the price goes into a fund used for promotional activities.
So next time you are shopping for Italian wines....Look for the Union Label!
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