It is produced in the entire communal territory of Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d'Alba and parts of the territories of the communes of Cherasco, Diano d'Alba, Grinzane Cavour, La Morra, Monforte d'Alba, Novello, Roddi, Verduno, all in the province of Cuneo. Only vineyards in the hills with suitable slopes and orientations are considered adapted to production. And the terrains must be primarily clayey-calcareous in character.
The Grape is produced from the Nebbiolo variety. The Lampia, Michet and Rosč types are authorized. It matures at the end of October. The clusters are blue intense and extend to grey for the abundant wax that dresses again the grapes. Their form is lengthened, pyramidal, with small grapes, spherical and with substantial peel. The leaves have an average size with three or five lobes.
Barolo stereotypically smells of tar and roses, and can take on an unusual orange tinge with age. when subjected to aging of at least five years, the wine can be labeled a Riserva.
For connoisseurs it is Italy’s most collected wine; for beginners it is a difficult one to understand.
The greatest Barolo vintages include (with exceptional vintages in bold):
| Producers | 1,163 |
| Amount produced | 5,000,000 litres |
| Maximum yield | 8000 kg/ha |
| Maximum yield of wine from grapes | 65% |
| Minimum alcohol level | 13° |
| Minimum total acidity | 5‰ |
| Minimum net dry extract | 23‰ |
| Required aging | three years |
In order to meet the international taste, which preferred fruitier, more-accessible styles, the "modernists" cut fermentation times to a maximum of ten days and put the wine in new French barriques (small oak barrels). That, said traditionalists, made wines that weren't even recognizable as Barolo and tasted more of new oak than of wine.
The controversies between tradionalists and modernists have been called the Barolo wars.
The war has now subsided. Though outspoken modernists are still committed to new oak, many producers are now choosing the middle ground, often using a combination of barriques and large casks. The more prestigious houses, however, still reject barriques and insist on patience only for their exceptional wines. These are auction staples, sought after by aficionados in Italy, Germany, Japan, Switzerland and the United States.
They are aromatic wines that are prepared using Barolo with infusion of China Calissaja bark, Rhubarb root, and about ten other aromatic herbs.