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DAY 8
BAROLO WINE TASTING
OVERNIGHT IN MONTELUPO ALBESE
For those with no interest in wine, the attraction of the Langhe is the stunning scenery, especially in autumn when the vineyards turn multi-colored. You do not have to drink wine to enjoy this tour.
But for those who appreciate exceptional wine, the added allure of this tour and the Langhe is the opportunity to taste Barolo in its native land.
Barolo has been called "the king of wines, the wine of kings”. It has been described as "a robust and complex wine, a majestic expression of Nebbiolo grape."
Certified Sommelier and wine importer Michael Horne on his Dall'Uva website writes, "Each Barolo wine produced in the area has characteristics and nuances that are unique to the vineyard soils, the micro-climate and
the winemaker, but most show very pleasant scents of tar and roses, with herbs and violets, raspberry and tobacco on the nose and palate as they age."
Barolo was originally a sweet wine. The wine owes its development into what it is today and its current worldwide success to the then mayor of Grinzane, Count Camillo Benso di Cavour, one of the four major heroes of the Italian Risorgimento ("Rising Again", i.e., unification).
In 1843, Count Cavour hired a French enologist, Count Louis Oudart, and put him in charge of of making wines in Grinzane's cellars. A French woman, Marquise Falletti of Barolo, a friend of Cavour who lived nearby, asked
Oudart how she could improve her wines and make them more like French wines. Oudart made suggestions relating to the production process. The Marquise adopted his methods and changed Barolo from a sweet wine to a great dry wine.
Cavour followed suit and in a short time his wines had become famous.
Tar and Roses: An Overview of the Barolo and Barbaresco Wine Regions
“Tar and roses symbolize the traditional and new styles of Barolo. These contrasting scents are commonly found in the bouquet of the wine:
the fresh fragrance of roses comes immediately from the grapes, while the deeper, full aroma of tar emerges with ageing.”
Lettie Teague - Food & Wine Magazine
"A few generalizations: The commune of Barolo produces wines famed for their concentration, while the wines from the neighboring La Morra commune are more 'feminine'.
The three other communes, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and Monforte d’Alba, are all located on Barolo’s eastern side, and they generally tend to produce
wines that are bigger, more structured and slower to mature than those from the communes in the west.Within these five communes are hundreds of vineyards or crus,
whose names may or may not appear on the bottle, and they too have different characteristics and varying degrees of fame."
Alan Richman's Wine Guide: Barolo and Barbaresco
Bruno Giacosa: Pioneering Precision in Piedmont
"No discussion of Barolo and Barbaresco would be complete without mention of Bruno Giacosa, one of Italy’s most esteemed producers. Paolo Tenti reports on 'the genius of Neive.'
He's the producer who inspired a generation of winemakers. A pioneer in introducing single-vineyard bottlings of Barolo and Barbaresco. And a man who's not afraid to say no to
a vintage if he thinks the grapes are not good enough."
Barrel of Barolo at the Elio Grasso Winery
©Photo by Michael Reed ~ Creative World Travel
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