About this wine
Ai Suma is Braida's rare 'Super Barbera', a late-harvest single-vineyard wine produced only in exceptional, dry vintages with ideal ripening conditions. Its name comes from the Piedmontese dialect exclamation 'we did it!', reportedly uttered by Giacomo Bologna on 16 October 1989 when he tasted the wine after harvesting Barbera far later than convention — and against the advice of many around him. Grapes are picked at extreme ripeness from Braida's best hillside sites in Rocchetta Tanaro, then undergo about 20 days of temperature-controlled maceration, roughly 15 months in French oak barriques and a further year of bottle ageing before release. The result is an intensely concentrated, warm and structured Barbera with an ample bouquet of wild berries, stewed prune, vanilla, liquorice and cocoa, a powerful yet elegant palate, and a long, persistent finish.
Braida's most powerful and rarest Barbera — only made in the best years, this is the wine to try if you want to see how far this grape can be pushed.
Sommelier's Note
"Ai Suma is Barbera pushed to its outer limit — a late-harvest cuvée born from a moment of defiance in 1989 that still tastes like a small act of rebellion in every vintage it appears."
Food Pairings
Ai Suma's power and structure call for rich, substantial dishes: braised or roasted red meats and game, hearty ragù-based pasta, and mature, hard cheeses. It also works beautifully as a meditative, after-dinner sipping wine.
When to drink it
Special occasions, meditation wine after dinner, gifting to serious wine collectors.
Specs
- Grape Varieties
- Barbera
- Style
- Red
- Alcohol
- 16%
- Price Range
- ¥15,000-18,000
Terroir & Winemaking
Appellation: Barbera d'Asti DOCG. Grape: 100% Barbera, late-harvested at extreme ripeness from Braida's best hillside vineyards in Rocchetta Tanaro. Vinification: approx. 20 days of temperature-controlled maceration on the skins. Ageing: approx. 15 months in French oak barriques (225L), plus about a year of bottle ageing before release. ABV: approx. 16%. First vintage: 1989. Produced only in select, exceptional vintages (e.g. 1989, 1990, 1995-1998, 2000-2001, 2003-2004, 2006-2012, 2015-2017, 2019-2021) with dry conditions and ideal ripening.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What does the name 'Ai Suma' mean?
- It's a Piedmontese dialect exclamation meaning 'we did it!' — reportedly what Giacomo Bologna said on 16 October 1989 when he tasted the wine made from Barbera grapes he had deliberately harvested much later than usual.
- Is Ai Suma produced every year?
- No. Ai Suma is only made in exceptional, dry vintages with ideal ripening conditions for late harvest, so it is not released every year.
- How is Ai Suma different from Braida's other single-vineyard Barberas?
- Unlike Bricco dell'Uccellone or Bricco della Bigotta, Ai Suma is a true late-harvest Barbera, picked at extreme ripeness, giving it higher alcohol (around 16%), greater concentration and a more powerful, warming character.
- What food pairs well with Ai Suma?
- Its power and depth call for rich braised or roasted red meats, game, and aged hard cheeses; it can also be enjoyed on its own as a meditation wine after a meal.
Want to know more about this wine?
Ask Vinami's sommelier — no intimidation, just answers.
Talk to the SommelierMore wines from this producer
ブラケット・ダックイ
Brachetto d'Acqui
RedSparklingSweetBrachetto
Braida's Brachetto d'Acqui is a light, aromatic, gently sparkling sweet red made entirely from the native Brachetto grape, grown in the Acqui Terme area of Piedmont — the only DOCG-level frizzante red in Braida's range. Bright ruby red with purple highlights, it has a vigorous, highly perfumed nose of ripe red fruit, rose petal and violet, with a low-alcohol (around 5.5% ABV), delicately sweet and effervescent palate delivering juicy strawberry, raspberry and red currant. Its natural sweetness and light body make it a classic Piedmontese dessert wine, famously one of the few wines considered a genuine match for chocolate.
ブライダ ブリッコ・デッルッチェローネ バルベーラ・ダスティ
Braida Bricco dell'Uccellone Barbera d'Asti
RedBarbera
Bricco dell'Uccellone is the legendary single-vineyard Barbera that changed Italian wine history. In 1982, Giacomo Bologna of Braida made the bold decision to harvest Barbera grapes later than usual and age them in French oak barriques — the first producer to do so in Piedmont. The wine is sourced from vines planted in 1972 on the Bricco dell'Uccellone hillside in Rocchetta Tanaro, at 160 metres altitude on clay and sand soils with south-eastern exposure. After 20 days of temperature-controlled maceration, the wine ages 12 months in French oak barriques and a further 12 months in bottle. The result is a rich, full-bodied Barbera d'Asti DOCG with intense aromas of blackberry, black cherry, cocoa, and subtle toasted oak balanced by the variety's signature vibrant acidity and velvety tannins. Recognised as the first Barbera sold internationally, it holds the Wein Legende award (2019, Cologne), back-to-back Best Barbera titles in the Guida Essenziale ai Vini d'Italia (2025 & 2026), and 96 points from Wine Enthusiast for the 2021 vintage.
ブリッコ・デッラ・ビゴッタ
Bricco della Bigotta
RedBarbera
Bricco della Bigotta is one of Braida's three legendary single-vineyard Barberas, first produced in 1985 following the pioneering success of Bricco dell'Uccellone. The wine is sourced from the Bigotta hillside vineyard in Rocchetta Tanaro, in the heart of the Asti hills. After hand-harvesting and roughly 20 days of temperature-controlled maceration on the skins, the wine ages for about 15 months in French oak barriques followed by further refinement in bottle before release. The result is a deep ruby-garnet Barbera d'Asti DOCG with an opulent, intense nose of liquorice, violet, plum and vanilla, layered with blackberry and black-cherry compote, mocha and dark earthy notes. On the palate it shows Barbera's signature vibrant acidity wrapped in a dense, vigorous structure, making it one of the most concentrated and age-worthy expressions in the Braida range.
ラ・モネッラ
La Monella
RedSparklingBarbera
La Monella is Braida's founding wine — first produced in 1961, it was the very first Barbera to be bottled and labelled under its own proper name, marking the beginning of the estate's story. Made from young-vine Barbera sourced across several of Braida's Monferrato vineyards, it is vinified without oak: after about 10 days of fermentation, the wine is aged roughly four months in pressurised stainless-steel tanks, which preserves its lively, gently sparkling (frizzante) character. The name means 'the naughty/mischievous girl' in Italian, reflecting the wine's playful, unpretentious personality. In the glass it shows a vivid purplish-ruby colour with a lively froth, aromas of ripe cherry, wild berries, dried blood orange, spice and chocolate, and a medium-bodied, juicy palate with polished tannins, bright acidity and a fresh, citrussy finish.