Plantings in Barolo to be halted for three years

Vine plantings in Barolo will be put on hold for three years from January 2020 in order to regulate production of the revered Italian red, the region’s consorzio has revealed.

Ceretto’s Monsordo Bernadina estate in Alba. Plantings in Barolo have been put on hold by the consorzio for the next three years

Speaking to db during a recent visit to Piedmont, Ilaria Bertini, head of communications for the Barolo and Barbaresco Consorzio, said:

“We don’t want to be faced with the situation of a glut of wine, so the consorzio has taken the step to stop any new plantings of vines in the Barolo region for the next three years.

“The new rule will come into place in January 2020 and we will revise the situation in 2023. It is a preventative measure to control the production of Barolo and preserve the landscape.

“If there are any new vines planted during that time, producers won’t be able to label the wine as Barolo, it will have to be declassified.” Bertini told db that the reaction to the plan from producers had so far been positive – “we’ve had no big disagreements or objections to the idea yet,” she said.

Barolo is a significantly larger region than Barbaresco. According to the consorzio, there are currently 2,100 hectares of vines planted in Barolo and 378 producers, while there are just 763 hectares of vines in Barbaresco and 211 producers.

In terms of annual production, around 14 million bottles of Barolo are made each year and 5 million bottles of Barbaresco. The US is Barolo’s number one export market by volume, accounting for 20% of exports. Other key markets include the UK, Germany, Switzerland and Japan.