Barolo Chinato
Barolo Chinato: Piedmont's stylish after-dinner drink.
(Image credit: Realy Easy Star / Toni Spagone / Alamy)

We explain a bit more about this curious after-dinner drink from Italy's Piedmont region. Will it be making an appearance on your Christmas Day menu?

Michael Garner, co-author of Barolo: Tar and Roses, explains what Barolo Chinato [pronounced ‘key-nah-toe’] is all about in a nutshell:

What is it?

Barolo Chinato is an aromatised wine, such as vermouth, made by adding a maceration of herbs and spices to Barolo DOCG. It was invented in the late 1800s, probably by Giovanni Cappellano, a pharmacist whose family owned vineyards in Serralunga d’Alba.

Who makes it?

Cappellano and Cocchi remain the most famous producers, though many Barolo houses make Chinato. These include Barale, Ceretto, Cordero di Montezemolo, Marchesi di Barolo and Vajra.

Two to try this Christmas:

UK: Cocchi, Barolo Chinato NV, 16.5%abv, 50cl – £44 Harvey Nichols

US: Cappellano, Barolo Chinato NV, 50cl – $54.99 K&L (CA) | $44.99 Slope Cellars (NY)

Where does the name come from?

Chinato takes its name from China, the Italian word for Cinchona officinalis, the native South American tree from which quinine is extracted.

The bark of this tree is one of the principal flavourings of Barolo Chinato, along with gentian root, camomile, cardamom and clove.

negroni, barolo chinato

Not for the faint hearted: A Negroni bolstered with Barolo Chinato.
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Editor’s note

How is Barolo Chinato made?

Full recipes vary and are usually a closely guarded family secret, says Garner.

pio cesare barolo chinato

(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Barolo producer Pio Cesare says that it uses China Calissaja and Succirubra barks and macerates these with a ‘small amount’ of classic Barolo for 21 days.

‘We then add a mixture of aromatic herbs, such as gentian roots, rhubarb, cardamom seeds, sweet and bitter orange, cinnamon and others,’ it says. ‘Then, after a few weeks ageing, we add the proper amount of our classic Barolo.’

The infusion then undergoes light fining and is aged in oak for four months, before being aged in bottle for a further two months.

Winemakers have been adding herbs and spices to wines for thousands of years, potentially at one stage to help preserve the wines during transport.

Vermouth, a close relative of Chinato and which counts northern Italy as one of its heartlands is often made with a light-bodied wine and is an ‘aromatised wine’ that has been fortified with spirit, such as brandy, which has been steeped in herbs and spices.

Read more about ancient wines styles in Andrew Jefford’s interview with professor Patrick McGovern, known as the ‘Indiana Jones of ancient wine’.

Extra reporting by Chris Mercer.

Got a question for Decanter’s experts? Email us: editor@decanter.com or on social media with #askDecanter

Explore More
Michael Garner
Michael Garner
Decanter Magazine, Italian Expert & DWWA Regional Chair for Northern Italy

Michael Garner has worked in the wine business for 40 years, mostly specialising in the wines of Italy. He is the co-author of Barolo: Tar and Roses, taught for the WSET for many years and is a regular contributor to Decanter. He is also co-owner of Italian Wine Specialists Tria Wines with business partner Paul Merritt. His second book: Amarone and The Fine Wines of Verona was published in 2017, and a third is on its way. Garner was first a DWWA judge in 2007.  Having judged on the Italian panels at the DWWA for a number of years, Michael Garner joined the team of Regional Chairs in 2019, heading up the Northern Italy panel.