The Woman with Barolo in Her Blood
This is the second in our ‘Women in Wine Partners’ series which highlights a handful of the many women who are holding the winery together ‘behind the scenes’ with their male partner who is the main face of the winery’s brand. Our goal is to get this women to the forefront.
Valentina Pallaro with husband Aldo Clerico pouring their Barolo Ginestra Cru made from her Conterno family’s vineyard, during their first trip to the USA, in New York City.
In this article, we are getting to know Aldo Clerico’s wife, Valentina.
Sheila Donohue, founder of Vero, first met Aldo in 2017 at a wine trade fair. The second time she met Aldo, at another wine trade fair, he was also by himself. Then, on further meetings and visits, Valentina would ‘pop out’ with a smiling greeting, and then get back to tending to their 2 young daughters, Martina and Melissa and other family affairs.
It wasn’t until Aldo and Valentina left their 2 daughters behind on a trip to NYC in February 2020 (their first time in the US, by the way), that gave Sheila the opportunity to better get to know Valentina and realized her active role in managing their winery.
To ‘set the stage’ with some fun facts, Aldo and Valentina have a lot of things in common:
1) They are both born and raised and still live in the same town: Monforte d’Alba, just south of the town of Barolo, the namesake for this famous wine region producing some of the best red wines in the world.
2) They are both part of Barolo family dynasties:
Aldo’s dad’s cousin is the late Domenico Clerico, a well known Barolo producer, with vineyards ‘next door’ to one another;
Valentina’s grandfather is Paolo Conterno, one of many well known Conterno family wineries in/around Monforte d’Alba, also producing Barolo.
3) Valentina and Aldo are both laid back and unassuming. Meeting them you wouldn’t know that they have this rich and famous heritage ‘in their blood’'.
4) They both love Barolo, and grew up with it around the house.
Valentina (Conterno) Pallaro
Valentina and Aldo’s winery, Aldo Clerico, is located in their hometown of Monforte d’Alba, in the Langhe area of Piedmont, in Northern Italy. Specializing in red wines local to the area, this estate winery focuses on keeping a small production and high quality, letting the local grapes shine through in their wines. To get some background on this small winery and their wines, you can watch our recent VeroTalk event where we traveled virtually to the Langhe area to have a wine tasting with Valentina’s husband Aldo with a chef demonstrating local dishes live on camera (including one of Valentina’s favorite Barolo pairings she talks about below!).
Now let’s hear Valentina’s story and journey in wine, told in her own words, which we translated to English ;).
Valentina Pallaro, working in her Conterno family vineyard in the sought after Barolo Cru, Ginestra, which is used to make Aldo Clerico Barolo Ginestra red wine.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Valentina Pallaro, I am 34 years old and come from a Piemontese family. Born and raised in the Langhe, I have always lived in Monforte d'Alba, the native home of my mother Marisa Conterno, a lifelong woman winemaker and daughter of ‘Paolo Conterno’, the famous winery now run by my uncle Giorgio Conterno. My father, now retired, worked for a company in the plumbing industry. My brother Daniele (39 years old) runs my mother’s winery farm in Monforte, in the area known as Ginestra, the famous Barolo Cru. From one of those vineyards, Aldo and I make our treasured Barolo Ginestra wine.
I attended high school in Alba, graduating in 2007 with a specialty in Business Management. When I finished school, first I worked in an accountant’s office in Alba for two years, after which I worked in my family’s business, Paolo Conterno winery, until 2014. During this period, I met Aldo and after a few years we got married, in 2011. After the birth of our first daughter, Martina, in 2014, Aldo and I decided to begin to work together. Our second daughter, Melissa, was born in 2016.
Valentina harvesting in the vineyards with husband Aldo Clerico.
What is your first memory involving your love for wine? When did your love of wine take root?
As a girl, I spent my days in the countryside, in the vineyards of the Ginestra Cru, with my grandparents and family. I had always watched them work in the vineyards and winery, and saw how the work changed with the seasons. When I could, I would follow them in the vineyard to see how they worked. I especially liked to watch the bottling in the winery. And I would offer to help where I could.
Growing up, I was always around people that worked in the world of wine, but I really started to learn about wine when I worked for my family’s estate, Paolo Conterno. This was when I gained a lot of experience working in the wine business, as is normal for someone that works in a small family run business.
What is your favorite wine, and your favorite dish to pair with this wine?
One of my favorite wines is Barolo, as it is not mere coincidence that it has become known as the ‘King of Wine’. However, while not surprising that my favorite wine is Barolo, especially when my own family makes it, I confess that I love to drink Chablis; it has a pronounced acidity, yet is still elegant and soft. No wonder it is considered one of the more famous white wines, especially for Chardonnay.
My favorite dishes to pair with Barolo are entrees such as roasts, braised meats, and filet (get the recipe for Filetto al Barolo here). These dishes allow the decisive, structured flavors of this red piemontese wine to really shine through. With a white Chablis, I like to enjoy fish-based appetizers or pastas.
Life in the Langhe
How did you get involved in the winery?
I always followed my family’s work, even as a child, and I also wanted to become a part of the business to demonstrate my capabilities in running the day to day activities necessary to keep a family business alive. This means that when I began to work with Aldo in his winery, I didn’t change my life or work, I simply changed the place I worked.
What is your role in the winery? Has it changed since the beginning?
I run the back-office, but occasionally I also work alongside Aldo in the winery itself.
How do you decide and share responsibilities with Aldo?
We talk about it together, on a daily basis, what is needed at the moment for the various demands of the business and our clients.
What are the tasks you prefer to delegate?
Being a small family-run business, we all try to make sure we contribute the best work possible. Naturally, having two daughters that are still young, their needs take precedent for me over the business: I delegate when a particular task would conflict with my care of them.
Valentina with husband Aldo, in their Monforte d’Alba estate winery’s barrel room.
Tasting this Woman in Wine’s Work
Naturally, the wine most representing Valentina’s life in the Barolo vineyards is their Barolo Ginestra; if you look closely at the label you’ll see the two small handprints of her two daughters, Martina and Melissa. Also for Aldo, this wine represents the full embodiment of family in Monforte d’Alba, both of their own young family, and uniting the Clericos with the Conternos.
Valentina and Aldo also craft other Barolos, like their Barolo made from vineyards around their home in Monforte d’Alba and their Barolo from Serralunga d’Alba. For a refresher about Barolo red wine and the Barolo wine region, check out this article.
Try other red grapes and wines from Valentina and Aldo’s home of the Langhe, with their Dolcetto from Dogliani, Barbera d’Alba, and Langhe Nebbiolo.
Try the wine tasting sets we have which feature Valentina and Aldo’s wines:
the Barolo Tasting Set (featuring a nebbiolo and Barolo) and
the Langhe Explorer Set (featuring a Dogliani dolcetto, a barbera, and a nebbiolo).
Both sets have shipping included and free shipping for add-ons, like their Barolo Ginestra and Barolo Serralunga d’Alba.
Taste Valentina and Aldo’s Wines
This is one of the best Barolo wines from the Langhe in Piedmont Italy as well as a great value from one of the storied families of Barolo wineries. This Barolo red wine is the maximum expression of the nebbiolo grape from Aldo Clerico. With vineyards right next to those of Domenico Clerico Barolo vineyards, this Barolo is a good substitute for Burgundy wine.
This garnet colored artisan Barolo has red fruit, rose and spicy leather and tea leaf aromas with elegant structure, long finish leaving a silky mouthfeel. On the nose it is very intense while floral notes mix with typical vineyard scents of violets and red berries. On the palate, the violets blend with licorice flavors and noticeable tannins. A creamy texture from the oak barrels creates a pleasant mix of fresh yet complex flavors.
Tastes Like: Cherries and licorice
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Biodynamic | Native Yeast Fermentation | Single Vineyard
Fun Facts: This is Aldo's first wine made from 5 different Barolo designated vineyards surrounding his home in Monforte d'Alba, all within the Bricco San Pietro MGA. He vinifies each vineyard and then does an assemblage, creating each vintage a unique expression of his nebbiolo vineyards. It is also made with native yeast fermentation, so can be called a natural wine.
Made from the sought-after Ginestra Barolo Cru, this single vineyard wine epitomizes the greatness of the nebbiolo grape from the Barolo wine region, in terms of structure, age-worthiness and fruit expression. The native yeast fermentation used in making this natural wine also helps bring out the special and sought after terroir of the Ginestra cru.
An intense garnet color, on the nose this Barolo tends towards red fruits, with a touch of balsamic notes. As it opens on the palate the elegant tannins harmonize with the acidity for an overall richness that creates a pleasant and enjoyable experience while sipping alone or with food.
Tastes Like: Balsamic Tabacco leaves
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Biodynamic | Native Yeast Fermentation | Single Vineyard
Fun Facts: The Ginestra cru is very limited and only a few wineries have access to harvest from there. Aldo can thanks to his wife’s, Valentina’s, Conterno family vineyards.
Fun Facts: The hands on the bottle represent Aldo’s two daughters; for this reason he often says this is the wine closest to his heart.
Made with native yeast fermentation, this Barolo Serralunga is a special natural wine. Rich on the nose with dried violets typical of the nebbiolo grape, the bouquet is austere and profound with balsamic notes. Once sipped, the earthy texture is out of this world, which marries pleasantly with the structure, fruit and spice of this elegant red. Well accented tannins are soft and decanting is strongly recommended.
Tastes Like: Earthy Spices
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Biodynamic | Native Yeast Fermentation | Single Vineyard
Fun Facts: This is a single vineyard Barolo from the Serralunga d'Alba village, known to produce the most age worthy Barolos.
Dogliani is known as the area which produces the best dolcettos in the world. This expressive structured yet easy-to-drink red wine has purple color, and floral bouquet with red plum notes. On the palate, this dolcetto opens pleasantly with notable tannins that are, however, not overpowering. It finishes with light almond notes. Coming from a single vineyard near Monchiero, this Dogliani is also make with native yeast fermentation.
It can be enjoyed just after bottling, yet it can better itself after a bit of aging in bottle.
Tastes Like: Juicy plump, plums
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Biodynamic | Native Yeast Fermentation | Single Vineyard
Fun Facts: Originally called Dolcetto di Dogliani, local winemakers lobbied to change the denomination to simply ‘Dogliani’ to avoid the misconception that this wine was ‘little sweet’, as suggested by the translation of ‘dolcetto’ in Italian. They wanted this special dry red wine to be able to make its own name, and let its importance stand for itself.
A really good, soft and fleshy Barbera from Alba, from a single vineyard located in the Barolo designated wine region, one of the best areas for Barbera. Nice acidity and fruitiness with some spice, thanks to 14-16 month aging in new and used oak.
A very balanced and elegant wine on the nose, and a good body and structure on the palate with a pleasant and vibrant acidity. A rounded wine with fresh yet fruity notes that finish with a creamy texture thanks to the oak barrel aging.
Do you want to regularly purchase this wine? Check out the Subscribe and Save option available HERE!
Tastes Like: Pretty, ripe, dark cherries
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Biodynamic | Native Yeast Fermentation | Single Vineyard
Fun Facts: With its aging, this Barbera d’Alba technically follows guidelines for a Barbera d’Alba Superiore, but winemaker Aldo Clerico decides to declassify it.
It is a wine with great structure and personality, an excellent expression of the nebbiolo vine. With a delicate floral bouquet of rose and violets, there is also a finish of licorice. Tasting it really brings out its elegance with pleasant yet decisive tannins that signal great potential for good aging.
As well, the native yeast fermentation used to make this nebbiolo natural wine lets you taste the natural terroir of the Langhe.
Tastes Like: Crunchy pink cherries
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Biodynamic | Native Yeast Fermentation
Fun Facts: This Langhe Nebbiolo is known as a ‘Baby Barolo’, since it comes from Barolo vines, and is a great introduction to the Langhe wines, where some of the best reds in the world come from.
Tucked in the hills of Northern Italy is a land of rolling hills covered in vineyards known as the Langhe. While famous for the Italian King of red wines, Barolo, there are several other varieties that hail from the area that are just as delicious. Wines made with grapes from Dolcetto, Barbera, and Nebbiolo are prized from the Langhe, and native born producer Aldo Clerico has them all in his blood. In this set, try these less famous jewels of Piedmont and the Langhe: a dolcetto from Dogliani, a Barbera d’Alba, and a Langhe Nebbiolo… all from the cream of the crop vineyards in Piedmont.
Shipping in the Continental US is also included for this set, and extends to any other products you add to your order… so this is an excellent time to add on a Barolo or two from the Langhe.
These wines were featured in a VeroTalk with winemaker Aldo Clerico and Vero Chef Jacqueline Mitchell live from Italy in an authentic Italian Trattoria! Watch this virtual food and wine pairing event HERE.
Included in this box are:
Barolo is considered one of the most sought after red wines in the world. It’s made from the nebbiolo grape, which is know for having a great balance between acidity and tannins, and ages very gracefully.
This set contain a Barolo DOCG and ‘Baby Barolo’, a Langhe Nebbiolo made from Barolo vines, by Barolo area native, Aldo Clerico, in Monforte d’Alba.
Any red wine lover, especially one seeking hard-to-find treasures, would enjoy side by side to compare Aldo’s Barolo and his Baby Barolo, Langhe Nebbiolo! Barolo’s elegance, aging ability, and fullness of character all blend together to create a delicious red wine that lingers on the palate.
This special offer set has shipping included for the Continental US. Great as a gift!
Included in this box are:
