In October 2013, I travelled to Barolo, Italy in pursuit of the Nebbiolo grape ripening on the vine. I hiked through the vineyards responsible for the single cru culture, that of making wine from a single vineyard, that has been growing in Barolo since the 1950s. I learned first hand from the farmers of these vineyards as to why the terroir – the soil, aspect and microclimate - of each cru is different and how these subtle differences manifest in their wine. I tasted hundreds of wines from dozens of producers.
Relying on the accounts of my personal pursuit and a wide spectrum of research, Wine Hunter: Barolo explores these renowned vineyards, the producers, and the wonderful wines of Barolo. It is my hope that this guide will be accessible and relevant to novices and experts alike.
Barolo village from the slopes of the Paiagallo vineyard
Barolo is a village, a commune, and a world that grows a wine by the same name. Barolo, castles and farms, cantinas and farmers, rolling hills and waves of vines, fermentation tanks, aging casks, and wine. Barolo is a word you roll around in your mouth like a hot agnolotti and the wine you drink down with it. Barolo makes you want to eat, drink, speak and embrace Italian, love Italian, sometimes even be Italian. If you say “Barolo” out loud in your best Italian accent, without reservation, without compunction, you might actually feel you are. “Barolo!” It feels like saying, “Hit me!” during a round of blackjack: possibilities, hope, expectation. If you get what you asked for you sit back in your chair with a big smile on your face. If you don’t, you slump forward and brood at the table in silence.
Barolo is a name unlike any other name. Barolo is a small village of the Langhe, in the Piemonte region of northern Italy; Barolo is the commune of land and people surrounding that village and has been for a long, long time. More recently, Barolo developed as a designated winegrowing region that includes the Barolo commune as well as many of the surrounding communes. In 1980, this region achieved the highest classification for winegrowing in Italy, Denominazion di Origine Controllata e Garantita or DOCG. Today, this region, known as the Barolo DOCG, is the only place in the world that can produce the beloved wine known as Barolo.