Everyone I know loves Italian wines. Maybe it is because Italian wines remind everyone of a casual lifestyle and Italian gastronomy invokes so many positive feelings in us. Tell people you are opening a Barolo and their face lights up.
To me, I love Barolos because they are dark, rich and heavy. They are fragrant and have a bit of earthiness. However, Barolos need a lot of time to age so you either need to store them a long time or aerate them for hours in a decanter before they are approachable. In addition, Barolos are fairly expensive. Most Barolos sell for $100 or more. So how do you get your Barolo fix without breaking your budget?
First, you have understand that a Barolo wine is a red wine made in the Northern Region in Italy of Piedmont and are made with the Nebbiolo grape. But there are other wines also made in the Piedmont region from the same grape variety in a region right next to Barolo. These are labelled Barbaresco wines. There are differences in the aging requirements, soil and location that make Barolo wines much fuller and tannic as compared to Barbaresco wines. As such, Barolos need more ageing before they are ready to drink. Barbaresco wines actually drink much earlier than Barolos and most people won’t be able to tell the difference. But the price of Barbarescos are slighty lower than Barolos.
But there is more! There is another type of wine in Piedmont that also uses the Nebbiolo grape. It is comes from the Langhe region. Langhe is the catch all region for wine produced in that certain part of Piedmont that encompasses Barolo and Barbaresco. So all Barolos and Barbarescos are technically Langhe wines but Langhe wines can’t be labelled Barolo or Barbaresco because not all their grapes are grown in those specific regions. It is like Barolo is Vancouver, Barbaresco is Richmond and Langhe is the GVRD. How wines are labelled is very interesting for wine afficionados but for drinking consumers, all we care about is the taste of the wine. Because Langhe is not well known, the price of Langhe wines are about 50% less than Barolos and Barbarescos and to most consumers, who drink the wines they purchase right away, Langhe wines provide great value compared to Barolo and Barbaresco wines. I would not suggest aging a Langhe wine for more than 5 years but if you are on a budget, enjoy Barolo wines and don’t really want or care about aging your wines, Langhe wines are the way to go. Next time you have a wine snob at your home, serve them a Langhe wine blind and see what they think!
My suggestion this week is Giovanni Rosso 2017 Langhe Nebbiolo (SKU: 779702). Most current Barolos and Barbarescos sold in the liquor store are too young to drink so while you are waiting for them to mature, take a taste of this lovely wine. This family owned operation has been growing grapes since the 19th century but only started producing wines under their own label since 1995. They also produce Barolo but at $28.99, this gives you exceptional value for the price.
Until next time, happy drinking!
Tony Kwan is a lifestyle writer. Lawyer by day, food and wine lover by night, Tony aims to give you an insider’s guide to the best that life has to offer.
