Barolo, the most powerful and dramatic expression of the nebbiolo grape, takes its name from the village of the same name 15 km/9 miles to the south of the town of Alba in the region of piemonte in north west Italy.
Barolo as a name started to appear on labels only in the mid 19th century, coinciding with the introduction of glass bottles in the region around 1844. Before that it had been sold in cask only. Camillo Benzo, Count of Cavour, the architect of Italian unity, played a decisive role in Barolo’s fortunes by modernizing his family’s estate in Grinzane, with the introduction of a monoculture of vines, an idea that may have been inspired by his frequent travels to France. He hired Frenchman Louis Oudart as his oenologist, and he is credited with creating the first modern Barolo by fermenting it fully to dryness, although 10 years before him, Cavour had begun working with Pier Francesco Staglieno who introduced fermentation in closed vats, which greatly reduced premature oxidation and levels of volatile acidity in the wines.
