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First ever ‘Barolo en Primeur’ auction takes place next month

29 September 2021 By Jessica Mason

The Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo Foundation is set to host its first-ever ‘Barolo en Primeur’ auction next month.

The event, which is in partnership together with the Consortium for the Protection of Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe and Dogliani, global auction house Christie’s and wine critic Antonio Galloni, will take place on 30 October.

The ‘Barolo en Primeur’ auction will be held at the Grinzane Castle in Piedmont, Italy and will be live-streamed on the day. The event will feature 15 barriques, each yielding approximately 300 bottles, ready for the market in 2024, following the mandatory ageing process for Barolo. Christie’s is set to open the bid for the barriques at £22,209 (US$30,000) and each bottle will be earmarked with a number and a special label created by the Italian artist Giuseppe Penone.

Matteo Ascheri, president of the Consortium for the Protection of Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe and Dogliani said: “This is a truly historic event for Barolo. It’s also a beacon for the whole Italian wine sector, which has always been dedicated to promoting excellence, but for the first time in this exclusive, prestigious way.”

Galloni added: “The event offers collectors an unprecedented opportunity to participate in a philanthropic initiative of great importance and to benefit from a barrique of Barolo of the 2020 vintage, obtained from a specific parcel within a historic vineyard. Bidders should be encouraged by the rarity of the wines, the specially commissioned works of art and charitable causes, and all this contributes to making this initiative truly special.”

Lanati, winemaker of the Barolo Gustava explained: “Each individual barrique has its unique characteristics, since the vineyard has been divided into separately vinified parcels of land.”

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