The Albeisa,
expression of a wine area

The Albeisa bottle dates back to the beginning of the 18th century, when the Alba-area producers, proud of their own wines and desirous of distinguishing them from other wines, adopted a bottle with a distinctive shape and named it the Albeisa, or Alba bottle. With the invasion of Napoleon, however, this bottle was gradually replaced by two shapes typical of French wines, the Bordeaux and Burgundy bottles. These were more economical and they had a more regular profile, since the glass was blown into moulds that were perfectly cylindrical. In 1973, 16 producers decided to resurrect the venerable Albeisa bottle, adapting it to more modern demands and adding the name Albeisa in relief on the bottle.

The Unione Produttori Vini Albesi, the Union of Alba Wine Producers, was established, and an agreement was struck with Vetrerie Italiane di Dego, today Saint-Gobain Vetri, the only glassworks authorised to produce the Albeisa.

The purpose is to showcase and to distinguish even more the superb wines of the Langhe and Roero hills. In fact, only the wines from the official denominations of this area may be bottled in the Albeisa. The Unione Produttori Vini Albesi is a non-profit organisation whose primary mission is to more fully develop and promote the wine production of the Alba area by means of events, such as the "Nebbiolo Prima" (preview tasting for the world wine press), and by the creation of promotional materials, such as the new Riedel-Albeisa tasting glass.

Very few wine bottles across the globe immediately identify a wine area and its wines, and the Albeisa, with its unique shape, is in that select few. Over 200 wineries producing 12 million bottles of wine per year make the Albeisa bottle without any doubt a resounding success and an eloquent expression of an unsurpassed terroir, that of the Langhe and Roero.

Press Reviews 2011 >