Italian wine and grape guide : Barbaresco DOCG

If Barolo is considered the king of Italian wine, we can say without a doubt that Barbaresco is one of the many princes.

Barbaresco is a great red wine made with 100% Nebbiolo grapes grown in vineyards located in and around the town of Barbaresco from which it takes its name, and the villages of Treiso and Neive, in the Langhe region, in Piedmont.

The Barbaresco wine was granted the DOCG, Denominazione di origine controllata and Garantita status in 1980 and the “disciplinare”, the regulation that indicates the wine making process and lists the characteristics the wine should have, states that Barbaresco wines must be aged for a minimum of 2 years, with at least 9 months in oak, prior to release, and aged for at least 4 years to be labelled as “Riserva”. Barbaresco Riserva is only made in exceptional vintages. The ageing, and obviously the provenance of the grapes, are the main differences between Barbaresco and Barolo.

Barbaresco wines require a shorter, but it doesn’t mean that Barbaresco is not ageing worth wine, they have proved in more than one occasion, to stand ageing magnificently.

The typical Barbaresco wine has a bouquets of roses or violets with notes of cherry and when young, the wine is very tannic, although not as harsh as the Barolo, tannins that soften with ageing, for a vintage chart see the Wine Spectator site.