Barolo and Barbaresco by Kerin O'Keefe (Hardcover)

BAROLO AND BARBARESCO: THE KING AND QUEEN OF ITALIAN WINE 

Following on the success of her books on Brunello di Montalcino, renowned author and wine critic Kerin O'Keefe takes readers on a historic and in-depth journey to Piedmont to discover Barolo and Barbaresco, two of Italy's most fascinating and storied wines. In this groundbreaking new book, O'Keefe gives a comprehensive overview of the stunning side-by-side growing areas of these two world-class wines that are separated only by the city of Alba and profiles a number of the fiercely individualistic winemakers who create structured yet elegant and complex wines of remarkable depth from Italy's most noble grape, Nebbiolo.

A masterful narrator of the aristocratic origins of winemaking in this region, O'Keefe gives readers a clear picture of why Barolo is called both the King of Wines and the Wine of Kings. Profiles of key Barolo and Barbaresco villages include fascinating stories of the families, wine producers, and idiosyncratic personalities that have shaped the area and its wines and helped ignite the Quality Wine Revolution that eventually swept through all of Italy.

The book also considers practical factors impacting viticulture and enology in the Langhe region, including climate change, destructive use of harsh chemicals in the vineyards versus the gentler treatments used for centuries, the various schools of thought regarding vinification and aging, and expansion and zoning of vineyard areas. Readers will also appreciate the author's numerous tasting notes, a helpful vintage guide to Barolo and Barbaresco and a glossary of useful Italian wine terms.

 KERIN O'KEEFE reviews all Italian wines for Wine Enthusiast. Prior to her appointment with Wine Enthusiast, O’Keefe, who moved to Italy in 1991, wrote regularly on Italian wine for Decanter, as well as for World of Fine Wine and on winesearcher.com. She is a former contributing editor for Wine News magazine, and is the author of Franco Biondi Santi: The Gentleman of Brunello (Veronelli Editore, 2005), a recipient of a Gourmand Wine Book Award. Her latest two books are Brunello di Montalcino: Understanding and Appreciating One of Italy’s Greatest Wines (University of California Press, 2012) and Barolo and Barbaresco: the King and Queen of Italian Wine (University of California Press, 2014).

Source: Publisher and www.winemag.com