Barolo: the king of the wines, the wine of the Kings

Barolo is one of the most prestigious, age-worthy, and collectible wines in the world. The magic starts first with Nebbiolo, the grape that goes into Barolo and Barbaresco, two of the world’s most revered and expensive wines in the world. Nebbiolo does not grow just anywhere, it must be cultivated in the Langhe hills in certain demarcated areas within 11 different villages located just south of the city of Alba, in Piedmont, a region in northwest Italy that borders France. It is a delicate grape that requires attention in the vineyard. The Nebbiolo grape is hard to grow as it needs a right combination of sun, rain, and a mild, foggy autumn and a length of maturation and aging to soften up, round out and mature. The Barolo is a very complex wine that demands patience, as it is best enjoyed at 10-15 years old. “Fine wines need the patience to wait” Barolo is rich and powerful and it is the symbolic wine of Piedmont, known for its forceful tannins and for its intriguing and contrasting aromas of both tar and rose. The aging in the barrel affects the color, the bouquet, and the intense perfume of Barolo and the aroma of red fruits is its permanent appearance. The uniqueness and fineness of Barolo were immediately rewarded with DOCG status when the certificate was first introduced in 1980 and the exceptional nature of the wine had to be protected in a political document, called “disciplinare”. The first bottle of modern Barolo was bottled in 1844 and only 100 bottles were filled. The King of Sardinia, Carlo Alberto, and the king of Italy Vittorio Emanuele II founded their own winery, and Barolo thus became both the king of wines and the wine of kings. The style of Barolo evolves again in the 70s and 80s, during the “Barolo war” when the trends of the international wine markets favor less tannic wines that do not need to be aged so long before drinking, thus leading to the stylistic tug of war between modernists and traditionalist producers. Nowadays, at this point, the producers are not fighting over which method is correct, and a mix of tradition and innovation makes today’s Barolos better than ever.