This small
town gives its name to a local product that is much more famous around the
world: Barolo wine, which is said to be “the king of wines, the wine of kings”,
because it is one of the greatest Italian vintage wines and because it is made
in a region, Piedmont, where the House of Savoy that once ruled Italy had its
residence.
What is Barolo wine made of?
There is no
Barolo grape variety: Barolo wine is entirely made of Nebbiolo, a local grape
variety whose name resembles the Italian word for “fog” - which is “nebbia” -
because it is usually harvested in Fall, when the fog already covers the low
hills on which vineyards are planted.
Not all
Nebbiolo, however, turns into Barolo.
Where is
Barolo produced?
Barolo is
produced in a limited area around the municipality of Barolo, that goes - more or less - from Verduno, to the north,
to Monforte d’Alba, to the south, and from the hills to the west of La Morra,
to Serralunga d’Alba, to the east. On the whole, it’s an area about 20 acres
(80 sq km) wide.
The
winemaker is not the only one who makes the wine: much is decided by nature, in
the vineyard.
Nebbiolo
grapes which later will be used to make Barolo can only grow on loamy soils,
rich in clay and sandstone, to provide both quality to the wine and drainage to
the plants’ roots.
The place
where vines can be planted is indicated by Barolo wine production guidelines:
only slopes are allowed, and it is forbidden to use bunches coming from
vineyards grown on flat terrains.
One of the
most renowned area, for instance, lies by the hamlet of Cannubi, to the north
of the small town of Barolo, but the hills around the small town of Serralunga
d’Alba are also famous for their excellent vineyards.
When is it
time of Barolo?
According to
its production guidelines, Barolo must age for 38 months (starting from
November 1st of the year it has been harvested), of which 18
must be spent in wooden casks, before being bottled.
In case it’s
a Barolo Riserva, months of aging increase up to 62, while mandatory period in
casks doesn’t change.
Therefore,
Italian wine laws ratify that a “Barolo” can be marketed only from January 1st
of the fourth year after the grapes it is made of had been harvested, while a
“Barolo riserva” can be marketed only from January 1st
of the sixth year after the grapes it is made of had been harvested.
Who went for
the pharmacist?
There
actually is a third kind of Barolo wine, duly included in the wine’s production
guidelines: Barolo chinato, that is Barolo to which quinine liqueur (“china”,
pronounced [‘kina], into Italian) and some other herbal extracts have been
added.
A
Piedmontese pharmacist as a sort of cure-all cordial invented this beverage in
the XIX century, because it helps digestion and gives relief from cold, but it
was so enjoyable that it soon became an appreciated fortified wine.
Why having
Barolo?
Barolo can
be a complex wine: elegant, but still full bodied and structured, it’s a wine
that must be chosen wisely.
It pairs
perfectly with Piedmontese foods, like game and dishes flavored with exquisite
white truffle from Alba, or - obviously - with brasato (braised meat) al
Barolo.
Besides, it
is so complex and full it can even be drunk alone.
Recommended Barolo Producers
- Bruno Giacosa
- Damiliano
- Pecchenino
- Roberto Voerzio
- Cerreto
- Cocchi (Barolo chinato)
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