How to pour it
a Barolo in
Bring the bottle to 16 to 18 degrees. In a heated room, that is usually too warm, so place it in a cool room for half an hour or briefly in the refrigerator. Above twenty degrees, the alcohol takes over and the aroma you are doing it for disappears.
Cut all the way around the capsule below the ridge on the neck and wipe the rim clean. An older Barolo often has a long cork that has become brittle, so place the spiral straight in the center, twist it in deep enough, and pull it up in one smooth motion.
Pour the wine into a decanter. A young Barolo can easily need two hours before the tannins soften and the aroma opens up. With an old bottle, do the opposite: decant it carefully shortly before the meal, leave the sediment in the bottle, and give it little further time.
Pour until the glass is about one-third full. In a 65 cl glass or larger, that is still a generous base, and the empty space above captures the aroma. Swirl gently, smell, and only pour more when the glass is empty; this keeps the wine at the right temperature.
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The story
Barolo comes from the Langhe, the hills south of Alba in Piedmont. The region comprises eleven municipalities, including Barolo itself, La Morra, Serralunga d'Alba, Castiglione Falletto, Monforte d'Alba, and Verduno. Only one grape may be used: Nebbiolo. The regulations require the wine to mature in wood for a prescribed period and then in the bottle, so nothing young reaches the market; a riserva must wait even longer. You often hear it called the wine of kings. That is a nickname, not an official designation.
The right glass
Barolo needs space. A rounded Burgundy bowl of 65 cl or more gives the wine surface area to take in air, while the inward-curving rim holds in aromas of rose, tar, and cherry. A narrow bowl suppresses those same aromas and leaves only the tannins. Below are two spacious models; you can find the rest among the red wine glasses. For decanting, see the decanters.
Luigi Bormioli Talismano Burgundy wine glass 75 cl (4 pieces)
Schott Zwiesel Classico Burgundy glass 81.4 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 87,90.
The right tools
For a Barolo, besides the glass, you mainly need a corkscrew with a long spiral, a decanter for decanting, and, if necessary, an aerator when time is short. The bar tools below only come in handy when wine goes into a cocktail: a jigger for measuring and a zester for a citrus twist. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 68,85.
What do you serve alongside it?
Barolo usually appears at the table with the main course and is replaced before and after it. These are the wines served around it during a long meal, from a glass of crémant beforehand to moscato with dessert. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails pair well with it, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Within those eleven municipalities, the styles vary considerably. Around La Morra and Verduno, the soil is sandier and richer in limestone, and the wines are lighter, more aromatic, and ready to drink sooner. Around Serralunga d'Alba and Monforte d'Alba, the soil is more compact, producing wines that are more powerful and slower to develop. On top of that, the MGA names appear on the label: officially defined vineyard names such as Cannubi or Brunate, indicating which plot the grapes come from. A riserva is the same wine with a longer prescribed ageing period. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Serve barolo at 16 to 18 degrees and give it plenty of time to breathe. At the table, it calls for hearty food: white truffle over simple pasta or risotto, roasted or braised game, and aged hard cheese with a little crystal-like crunch. Fat and umami tame the tannin, while lean or sweet food brings it to the fore.
Good to know
Eleven municipalities, one grape
Barolo is a defined region in the Langhe and may be made only from nebbiolo. Eleven municipalities fall wholly or partly within it, with Barolo, La Morra, Serralunga d'Alba, Castiglione Falletto, Monforte d'Alba, and Verduno being the names you most often see on the label. A blend of different grapes, as is common in many other regions, does not exist here.
The prescribed ageing period and the riserva
The regulations stipulate that after harvest, barolo must mature for a set period before it may be sold, part of it in wood and the rest in bottle. A riserva has a longer mandatory ageing period and therefore reaches the market even later. What the regulations do not prescribe is the type of barrel: one producer uses large, traditional botti, another small barriques, and you can hear the difference in the glass.
La Morra versus Serralunga
The two extremes within the region lie on opposite sides of the valley. In the west, around La Morra and Verduno, the soil is sandier and richer in limestone; the wines are lighter in structure, perfumed, and accessible earlier. In the east, around Serralunga d'Alba and Monforte d'Alba, the soil is more compact and poorer, producing wines that are tighter, more powerful, and slower to develop. The same grape variety, a different pace.
What the vineyard names on the label mean
Alongside the municipality, many bottles list an MGA, an officially defined vineyard name. Names such as Cannubi or Brunate are delimited parcels within the area, each with its own location, elevation, and soil. They therefore say something about where the grapes come from, not about a quality level like a French cru. If no name is listed, the wine comes from multiple parcels.
The nickname wine of kings
You often read and hear that barolo is the wine of kings and the king of wines. That is a nickname that has been used for generations and is not an official or legal designation. It says something about the area's reputation and the price of the most famous bottles, and nothing about exactly what is in the bottle.
How much alcohol it contains and how long it lasts
Barolo contains roughly 13.5 to 15 percent alcohol; the percentage is stated on the label. When young, it is usually firm with tannins and closed on the nose, and many bottles need years before that changes. After that, they can last a long time. An opened bottle will keep for another two to three days with a stopper in the refrigerator; take it out of the cold again half an hour before serving.
Frequently asked questions
Which grape is barolo made from?
From nebbiolo, and nothing else. Barolo is a defined area of eleven municipalities around the village of Barolo in the Langhe, in Piedmont, where only that one grape variety is permitted. Its pale color, firm tannins, and aromas of rose and tar all come from nebbiolo.
Why is barolo called the wine of kings?
That is a nickname that has long been attached to the area, alongside the reversal king of wines. It is not an official designation and does not appear in the regulations either. The nickname says something about the reputation and price of the most famous bottles, not about what is in any random bottle.
What is the difference between La Morra and Serralunga?
That is the difference between the two sides of the valley. Around La Morra and Verduno, the soil is sandier and richer in limestone, and the wines are lighter, more aromatic, and accessible sooner. Around Serralunga d'Alba and Monforte d'Alba, the soil is more compact, and the wines are fuller-bodied and slower to develop. It is about location and soil, not quality.
At what temperature and in which glass should you serve barolo?
At 16 to 18 degrees, in a spacious Burgundy glass of 65 cl or more with a rounded bowl and inward-curving rim. Give a young bottle about two hours in the decanter and pour to one-third full, so the aroma can fill the space above it.
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