I recently had an e.mail from Lorien, our Social Media Manager at blogs.transparent.com, saying that she’d just discovered Barolo wine, fallen in love with it, and would like to know more. Well firstly I must admit that I’m not a wine expert. I knew that Barolo was a strong, heavy red wine from Northern Italy, perhaps Piedmont or maybe Lombardy, but I really wasn’t sure. So I had a look in my Italian Encyclopedia which informed me that Barolo is a highly valued Piedmontese red wine, produced from Nebbiolo grapes, and that it takes its name from the town of Barolo near Cuneo, in the Langhe area.

My encyclopedia carried on to describe the wine as follows: Ha limpidezza brillante, sapore asciutto, pieno, robusto e vellutato, profumo intenso, gradazione minima 13°, e richiede un invecchiamento di almeno tre anni, di cui due in botti di rovere o castagno (it has brilliant clarity, dry, full, robust and velvety taste, intense aroma, a minimum alcohol content of 13°, and needs to be aged for at least three years, two of which should take place in oak or chestnut caskets).

All this sounded interesting, but I wanted to find out a bit more, so I phoned my friends Anna and Luigi, who run una enoteca (a vintner, or wine merchant) called ‘Vinum Est’ here in Pontremoli. As soon as I mentioned the name Barolo, Luigi replied with great enthusiasm: “Ah, il re dei vini italiani!” (Ah, the king of the Italian wines!). Barolo, in fact, has been competing with the best French wines for at least 40 years, long before the well known Tuscan and Umbrian wines started to become famous.

Barolo is a wine that needs to be aged, and it’s usually put on the market when it’s at least four years old. Hence the wine produced in the year 2006 is just coming onto the market now. However, according to Luigi, to drink a Barolo which is less than ten years old is an act of vandalism! The older it is the better, and it’s at its best when it is between twelve and twenty years of age. In fact a bottle from a great producer can still be good at the age of thirty!  Barolo, of course, should be carefully stored in a cool, dark place (at not more than 20°C), and as with all wines, the bottle should be kept in a horizontal position so that il tappo di sughero (the cork) doesn’t dry out.

Le annate del vino (wine vintages) are divided into the following categories: eccellente (excellent), ottimo (very good), and buono (good). Le annate eccellenti del Barolo sono gli anni (the excellent vintages for Barolo are the years) 1971, 1978, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1996, 1999, 2001 and 2004.

The most important producers are: Bruno Giacosa; Poderi Aldo Conterno; Poderi Luigi Einaudi; Paolo Scavino; Ceretto; Paolo Voerzio. Be aware that there are other producers who have the same surname but a different first name, but they don’t produce such important or valuable wines.

To enjoy the full flavor of Barolo, you should uncork the bottle a few hours in advance in order to allow it to breathe without “essere scaraffato” (being poured into a jug). If you are in a restaurant this is, of course, not possible unless the restaurateur is telepathic and is therefore able to prepare the wine before you’ve even booked the table! Nowadays it is quite common to use large wine glasses, which allow the wine to breathe more quickly. Nevertheless, the wine should always be left to rest for a while before you drink it (Take note Lorien!).

When I asked Anna what one should eat with Barolo, she told me that because Barolo is a powerful wine it should accompany strong flavored meat dishes, such as brasato (braised beef), saltimbocca coi funghi (rolled veal with ham and sage in a mushroom sauce), faraona al tartufo (guinea fowl with truffle), lepre (hare), fagiano (pheasant), or agnello (lamb). For an accompanying cheese she recommends Raschera, a Piedmontese cheese made from milk from the Alpine pastures. Are you salivating?

So, how much would you expect to pay for a bottle of Barolo? Well, according to Luigi the least you would have to pay for a ‘dignified’ Barolo is 40 Euros, although you wouldn’t be able to get a bottle from one of the famous producers for less than 100 Euros. For a good vintage bottle on the other hand, you would have to pay a minimum of 200 Euros! For those of you who would never dream of spending 200 Euros on a bottle of wine, Anna highly recommends Ettore Germano, a good brand which you can acquire for prices starting from around 50 Euros! In all of the wine guides Ettore Germano‘s wines are usually granted cinque grappoli (five grape bunches, equivalent to five stars), the top rating.

Wine, in general, is usually inexpensive here in Italy. So, to give you an idea of how relatively expensive even a 50 Euros bottle of Barolo is, a few days ago my father bought four liters of Lambrusco wine, which was on special offer at the local supermarket, for 2.30 Euros! Even Anna and Luigi, who have been studying wines since the Seventies and run a wine shop, only pay around 3 Euros a bottle for a decent everyday table wine.

Grazie  Anna e Luigi per il vostro aiuto! (Thank you Anna and Luigi for your help!)

For further information, Anna and Luigi can be contacted at: vinum.est@libero.it