All of the Vineyards I Visited in Barolo Wine Country
Though Barolo wine country is relatively small and all of the sub-regions are close to one another, each sub-region of Barolo has made itself known for a slightly different style of wine. We spent most of our time in Barolo’s Rocchette and La Morra areas, known for some of the highest quality Barolo in the world, and got to make a stop in Barbaresco!
Barolo and Barbaresco are made from the red Nebbiolo grape, known to produce powerful, full-bodied, highly tannic (dry) wines with cherry, leather, clay, and purple floral flavors. It’s grown primarily in Italy’s Piedmont wine country, and is one of the oldest grapes in the world!
Here’s a rundown of the wineries we visited in Barolo:
Trediberri Winery
Trediberri has a gorgeous property surrounded by rolling hills and dreamy views for days. We got to taste their Rose of Nebbiolo (absolutely delicious!), their Dolcetto, Langhe Nebbiolo, and several of their Barolos!
Curto Winery
You come to Curto for their world class wine, but stay for the incredible energy of owner/winemaker, Nadia Curto - her joy is infectious! Nadia was one of my favorite people I met in all of Piedmont. She was the kindest, happiest person I think I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting, and alongside her sparkling personality, she’s an incredible winemaker!
Curto is where the day got reaaally Barolo-heavy! We tasted lots of variations of Barolo from their “L’Informale” or “the informal wine”, their lightest Nebbiolo-based wine, to their 2016 Barolo Riserva!
Virna Winery
Virna’s winemaker also happens to be the first female enologist in all of Italy! The women in wine in Barolo are SO impressive! We tasted Virna’s Barbera, Langhe Nebbiolo, and four of their delicious Barolo’s.
Aurelio Settimo Winery
We were lucky for the opportunity to walk Aurelio Settimo’s most important vineyards (the views were INCREDIBLE), the tried their rose of Nebbiolo and Dolcetto, and their 2012, 2015, and 2016 Barolos. Tasting a single producer’s same wines over the course of several years, also known as a vertical tasting, is such a cool way to understand just how important weather is to each vintage!
Ristorante Marc Lanteri at The Castello
To call this wine paired lunch IN A CASTLE a peak of our trip is an understatement! We had a three-course wine paired lunch in a private room hosted by the chef and his wife. The meal was one of the best we had in all of Italy and the wines we tried were so unique (a Chenin Blanc/Chardonnay blend, an orange wine made from the Cortese grape, and an unfiltered red wine!) and paired perfectly with each dish. The butter truffle pasta was such a treat!
Francone Winery
Francone was our only stop in Barbaresco and I’m so glad we got to taste there! Their sparkling rose of Nebbiolo made in the traditional method (check out my blog post on sparkling wine for more details!) was the best I’ve had! We also got to try a popular local white varietal called Nascetta, their Langhe Nebbiolo, and two of their Barbarescos (also made from the Nebbiolo grape)!
Azienda Agricola Sukula
As if our tastings could get any better, on the last night of our trip, we had a wine paired dinner with winemaker Riikka Sukula of Azienda Agricola Sukula at a lovely restaurant in Alba, Voglia di Vino. Each of her wines was perfectly paired with each course of the meal, and spending the evening with Riikka and learning about her story while sipping her wines was a truly unforgettable experience. In short, Riikka grew up in Finland and worked in the restaurant industry alongside her husband. She’d always dreamed of making her own wine, and all of her mentors told her that the best way to do it was to go all in on her dream and move to Italy, so she took the leap! Sukula Wines are extremely small production, about 4,000 bottles per year, and I feel SO lucky to have had the chance to try her sparkling wine, Barbera, and Barolos, and get to know Riikka!
I so highly recommend connecting with Valerie for help planning your next trip to Barolo wine country! Our trip could not have been more perfect, and I’m just so lucky I found her!
Feel free to leave a comment or reach out to me with any questions about the lovely land of Barolo!
Salute!