DOCG area for dry red wine in the Italian region of Piedmont, named after the commune of the same name located 15 kilometres south of Alba. It was classified as DOC in 1966 and as DOCG in 1980. The area comprises around 1,300 hectares of vineyards with countless parcels in the Langhe mountains with the municipalities (or just parts of them) of Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Cherasco, Grinziano, La Morra (by far the largest area with one third of the surface), Monforte d'Alba, Novello Rossi, Serralunga d'Alba and Verduno. They are predominantly south-facing on steep slopes. The historic core areas of Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, La Morra, Monforte and Serralunga account for more than 80 percent of production.
The birth of Barolo
Until the middle of the 19th century, the wine was not vinified dry. Due to the late ripening of Nebbiolo and the fact that fermentation only took place in the cold season up to December, there were only insufficient yeasts available. This meant that there was always a relatively high residual sweetness in the wine. Giulietta Falletti (Marquesa of Barolo) called in the French oenologist Louis Oudart to help. He moved the fermentation process to newly built underground wine cellars, ensured constant temperatures and improved cellar hygiene. King Victor Emmanuel II (1820-1878) even provided the necessary funds for the cellar experiments. (1820-1878) even provided his hunting lodge Fontanafredda in the mountains of Serralunga d'Alba (province of Cuneo) and his son Emanuele Alberto (1851-1894) the vineyards. Oudart first vinified the wine dry around 1850...
