Barolo
The castle that dominates the many hills covered with vineyards of Nebbiolo has been first built around the year 1000. The town’s name probably comes from the Celtic “bas reul”, low place, due to its position.
Around 1250 the town was given to the Falletti family, who owned it until 1864; the last member of the family, Giulia, invented the Barolo making technique as it is used today.
In the castle there’s the Regional wine-shop of Barolo, where the best local wines are selected.
History
If not the town of Barolo itself, at least its territory was surely inhabited in the prehistoric era: silica tools and weapons of the neolithic era have been found in the “Fava” site.
A tombstone of the Roman period has been found in 1920 in the village of Vergne.
The castle has been built in the X century when, after the Hungarian and Saracen attacks, Berengario I of Provence allowed the local feudatories and religious people to build defensive fortresses and towers.
In 1250 it was owned by the marquis Falletti, together with 50 more feuds all over Piedmont. They owned the whole Barolo area.
The family came to an end in 1864, when the last marquise, Giulia Colbert, died without heirs. She gave Barolo wine its character and fame.
Photo credits mastino70
Barolo: The king of wines
The barolo area is the richest one, and only becoming more beautiful over the years, as castles, towers, and churches are renovated, and people move in that proudly renovate and decorate their houses and villages.
It’s a glamorous landscape, and you will probably feel like a king or queen as you are passing the beautiful castles and glamorous wine estates.
They crown the hilltops and liven up the hill-sides, which look like neatly combed and shaven pieces of art.
Many will argue that the landscape is at its prettiest in autumn, when the vineyards’ rich palette of colours range from green to yellow, orange, and red, to almost purple.
The mist that fills the valleys around this time, adds to the aura of mystique and splendour.
The village Barolo
The views over Barolo and its vineyards are breath-taking, no matter whether you approach from La Morra, Novello, or Monforte d’Alba; it is simply stunning.
Barolo is in a lower position than its surrounding villages and the hills sloping down to Barolo’s castle resemble an amphitheatre made up of neat rows of vines as far as the eye can see.
It is this quality that made it one of the core recognisable features of the UNESCO World Heritage area.
Being famous for its expensive and exclusive wines, Barolo excites a desire to be curious.
You almost feel shy to enter, afraid to walk into a forbidden territory, where treasures and age-old secrets lie hidden behind old walls and beautifully engraved doors.
Barolo is also characterized by a pleasant homely atmosphere though: with its original inhabitants, the wine-farmers who live and work there, at the core.
Tractors and trucks drive in and out of the village, but there is also the other reality: the Ferraris and Lamborghinis that drive in and out of town.
They may be driven by the same farmer (so great is the wealth generated by the wines produced here), or belong to one of the many wealthy guests that visit this area.
Castles and museums
The Barolo castle was built around the year 1000.
The town’s name probably comes from the Celtic ‘bas reul’ or low place; around 1250 the town was given to the Falletti family, who owned it until 1864.
It was the last member of the family, Giulia Colbert, who invented the Barolo wine making technique as it is used today.
Barolo’s main castle is in the centre of town; it has been restored and is now home to WIMU, the Wine Museum of the Langhe.
It offers an interesting exhibition on wine and wine making, both from an historical and artistic viewpoint.
Opposite the main castle is the cork-screw museum; it may not sound very exciting, but don’t be fooled, its founder has created a great exhibition and wonderful museum shop.
Barolo’s second castle is along the road towards Vergne.
An old legend tells how the castle was once used to throw big and wild parties for invited guests only; the parties would start off with copious dinners and then continue into the night.
One night, when a loud dinner degenerated into a wild and sinful celebration, the floor of the dining room suddenly opened, and all guests fell into an abyss, burying all the sinners alive.
The story goes on that even today, you can hear the sounds of grunting and screaming from under the old walls, and little flames rush through the deserted rooms.
Whereas other castles have been renovated, this castle seems untouched. Is there any truth in the evil spell?
Food & Drinks
The town offers a wide selection of wine shops and most surrounding ‘cantine’ (wineries) are also open to the public.
Most impressive of all is Barolo’s enoteca in the centre of town, where there is an impressive range of wines that can all be tasted by the glass.; this is perhaps the best way to find your favourite Barolo.
The three-dimensional map
One of my favourite artefacts, that can be found in many shops and wineries of the area, is the scale model of the Barolo area: it is like a three-dimensional map on which you can see hills and valleys, villages and vineyards extension.
You really get a practical perception of the dimension of the area where Barolo wine can be produced and of the territory conformation.
For this reason, the map is frequently used by wineries during the wine tastings, to let understand the link between the taste of the wine and the territory where the grape is cultivated.
They have much to do with each other.
Restaurants
Of course, the restaurants in Barolo do not disappoint.
you could visit La Cantinella, a Slow Food recommended “trattoria” that offers beautiful Piedmontese food in a homely atmosphere; this is where I had my first white truffle dish, so for me this place is for always etched in my memory.
You could also make your visit more glamorous, and visit the Michelin starred Massimo Camia: whichever you choose, you are guaranteed to have an unforgettable experience.
Barolo wine
Barolo is the most prestigious wine in the region; it is produced from the Nebbiolo grape that matures at the end of September.
Only vineyards in the hills with suitable slopes and orientations are considered for production, and the terrains must consist primarily of clayey-calcareous soil.
There are around 1100 producers of Barolo; together they make around 5 million litres of wine a year.
To be qualified as a Barolo, the wine has to be aged a minimum of 3 years and has to have a minimum of 13° of alcohol; if the wine has been aged for at least five years, it can be labelled a “Riserva”.
The Barolo wine is referred to as the "Wine of kings, and king of wines"; for connoisseurs it is Italy's most collected wine; for beginners it is a difficult one to understand as the taste is very deep and strong.
Peculiarities to the senses
Its smell is often described as that of pine trees initially, and tar and roses after that.
Its colour can be unusually orange when aged; it is a prestigious wine that gets the real winegrower’s heart to beat faster.
They nourish and cherish ‘their’ wine and defend it with their heart and soul and as always, when sentiments get overheated, wars and arguments may result.
Traditionalists and progressives
The ‘war’ of the Barolo is one between conservative and progressive wine growers: the ‘traditionalists’ versus the ‘modernists’.
The original Barolos used to be very tannic because the wine was left fermenting on the grape skins for at least 3 weeks, leading to the extraction of the skins’ tannins into the wine.
After that, the wine was aged in large wooden casks, a process that would take more than 10 years to soften up the wine.
The result was a strong wine that could be kept for many years.
Traditionalist producers include Rinaldi, Marcarini, Mascarello, Brovia, Conterno, Burlotto, Oddero, Barale, Cavallotto, Massolino and Bruno "the Maestro" Giacosa.
In order to create a more fruity and accessible wine for the international taste and market, progressive winegrowers – ‘the modernists’ – chose to cut the fermentation period with skins to a maximum of ten days and to age the wine in French barriques (small oak barrels).
The result, according to the traditionalists, was a wine that wasn’t recognisable as a Barolo and that tasted more of oak than wine.
It did however open up a larger market for the products though.
Modernist producers include Scavino, Rosso, Rivetti, Ceretto, Boglietti, Veglio, Altare, Sandrone, Clerico, and Einaudi.
The war has now subsided as most producers have chosen the middle ground, often using a combination of barriques and large casks.
The more prestigious houses, however, still reject barriques and insist on patience for their exceptional wines.
These are auction staples, sought after by aficionados in Italy, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, and the United States.
The popularity of the wine and its region has also led to a true boom of Barolo related products such as Balsamico and Cugnà di Barolo.
The "children" of Barolo
Besides wines, the Barolo also produces the two traditional products of Chinato and Grappa.
The origins of the Barolo Chinato date back to the nineteenth century.
It is an aromatic wine that is prepared using Barolo with infusion of China Calissaja bark, rhubarb root, and about ten other aromatic herbs.
The Grappa di Barolo is produced by distilling the residues of the Nebbiolo grapes’ pressing; the distillation makes use of a traditional process after which the Grappa ages in oak for at least three years.
It renders the colour from yellow to slightly amber, and makes the taste pleasantly smooth.