A winemaking career spanning parts of six decades has come to an end with the passing of Alfredo Currado. The Piedmont icon was 78.
When Currado’s father-in-law, Mario Vietti, died in 1960, Currado took over the family winemaking duties. But he wasn’t content to simply keep the business going. Currado had a creative streak that served him well as he innovated and brought the Vietta label worldwide attention and praise.
It didn’t take him long to place his stamp on the Vietti enterprise. In 1961, he introduced the first single vineyard-designated wines from Italy’s Barolo growing region with his Barolo Rocche and Barolo Masseria.
Single-variety wines were equally rare in the Piedmont before Currado took over the Vietti cellar. That’s why his release of a 1967 bottling of 100% Arneis is considered an historic event in Italy. In succeeding years, Arneis has become a hit with the wine-drinking public.
Then in the 1970s, Currado brought further attention to Barolo with the release of a series of wines featuring the works of noted artists such as Mino Maccari, Janet Fish and Wayne Thiebaud.
Franco Ziliani, an Italian wine writer, called Currado “one of the great elders” of Barolo.
Now, if there’s any justice in the world, he’s simply making wine on a much higher plane.
