Cappellano Barolo Chinato

Medicine and pharmacy have brought significant and wonderful contributions to the oenological field. At the end of the 19th century, pharmacist Giuseppe Cappellano invented a curative wine that was very aromatic, an effective remedy for malaria and a good medicinal sedative. Very soon this blend, which combined Barolo, a traditional wine from Piedmont, with aromatic herbs, became an Italian classic, even getting its own D.O.C.G. Barolo Chinato. And of course, Giuseppe Cappellano, whose family owned the Cappellano winery, used this red wine made by his brother Giovanni Cappellano, who created wines that won him the bronze medal at the Universal Exposition in Paris in 1900. It is not surprising that this secret recipe, which uses China Calissaia bark, has always been jealously guarded by the company, which is now run by Augusto Cappellano (Giovanni’s great-great-grandson) and where Cappellano Barolo Chinato is still being produced.

Cappellano Barolo Chinato is a wine flavoured and macerated with aromatic herbs using a Barolo as the base. The grapes used for this wine are grown in the Gabuti vineyard, one of the most prestigious vineyards in the Langhe. Obviously, this wine always has to be produced in accordance with the requirements of the D.O.C.G., and aged for at least 62 months (18 of which will be in barrels). The rest of the ingredients, which are the list of botanicals, are known only to the Cappellano family. Their suspicion is so high that each of the spices are bought in different pharmacies and herbalists, so that no one can get the coveted recipe.

This recipe was recovered relatively recently by Baldo Cappellano, the fourth generation of this family and Gustavo’s father, who decided to bring this recipe back to life. In part, this is the spirit in which Cappellano is formed, a winery that, despite its classic and traditional character, is sometimes imbued with a revolutionary air that, despite its age, continues to keep it among the group of must-try Italian wines that every good wine taster should experience.