Sommelier, Wine Educator and Restauranteur Matthew Kaner helps educate wine consumers to the MGA classification of Barolo and Barbaresco

Knowledge is power, and today’s wines yield a magnetic force when defined, drawing wine lovers to their ethereal essence based on the vineyard terroir.  And so it is for Italy’s most regal Nebbiolo grape, the lure of the Barolo DOCG is strong, outshining other Nebbiolo-producing areas in the region.  In 2010, Barolo zone production regulations were amended to include the MGA, Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva (or MeGA), a specific vineyard area that is similar to the French cru or climat, preceded in 2007 by the Barbaresco zone.  But these delineations don’t necessarily denote superior vineyards, and aren’t confined to just one grape varietal.  In fact, an MGA can cross commune or village lines, and can include any grape varietal grown in the Barolo area.  What it does do is help define the style of the MGA for wine drinkers, lending itself to further refine tasting expectations of a very prestigious area.

There are 170 officially recognized MGAs in the Barolo DOCG production area, covering 11 communes producing 14 million bottles of wine from 2,200 hectares of vineyards, and 66 MGAs in Barbaresco DOCG.  In the Barolo DOCG area, geography determines the style of wine, with three important factors, geology, elevation, and exposure.  Three main north-south ridges divide the zone, with two valleys in between, influencing the style of wines produced, either on the ridge slopes, valley floor or at the highest elevation, under equal conditions.  Altitude imparts fruity notes, vibrant acidity, and softer tannins to wine.  For vineyards, sun exposure is important as well, calculated into warmth for the grapes; cooler, east-facing vines produce fresher, fruitier wines, warmer, south-to-southwest facing vines produce earthier, less fruity wines, with higher alcohol and sturdier tannins, and so it goes for the other directional aspects of grape-growing.  Barolo is a layer cake of soils, once under the sea, these marine sediments fossilized into all important limestone, very similar to the Burgundy region.  The younger Tortonian soils of La Morra and Barolo produce elegant wines, softer, fruitier and more aromatic, easier to drink at a younger age.  The older Helvetian soils of Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d’Alba and Monforte d’Alba produce more intense and structured wines, and mature slowly, requiring at least a decade of patience to be enjoyed.

As you can see by now, the world of MGAs in Barolo can be complex, and are meant to define what style of wine can be produced, and not the quality, it’s all a matter of taste.  It can be confusing, trying to understand this new classification of Barolo, since MGA doesn’t guarantee quality.  In fact, MGA is technically separate from single vineyard wines, which are referred to as “Vigna”.  An example, Fontanafredda bottles a Barolo from their MGA of the same name, but also from a single vineyard “La Rosa” that is within the Fontanafredda MGA.  And if that’s not enough to wrap your head around, MGA doesn’t even have to appear on the label, it’s up to consumers to link up the name of the place on the bottle to the MGA.  All MGAs are considered equal, yet some stand out and are universally recognized, such as Cannubi, which actually is linked to five different MGAs.  But overall vintage quality, year to year, depends on weather in September, needing warm and relatively dry conditions, and another factor, climate change over time.

Alessandro Masnaghetti on mapping the MGAs of Barolo and Barbaresco DOCG

Alessandro Masnaghetti explains his MGA research

In April 2022, the Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Dogliani travelled to Los Angeles, hosting the Barolo & Barbaresco World Opening Grand Tasting.  Two seminars, “Barolo and the MGA Vineyards: Landscape, Climate, Geology and Drone Views” and “Barbaresco and the MGA Vineyards: Landscape, Geology and Drone Views” attempted to raise awareness of the MeGA (Menzione Geografica Aggiunitive) and how these microclimates impacted the individual wines’ expression.  It was fascinating, to not only learn about these individual terroirs, but to see the drone views and vineyard maps created by famed Italian Cartographer Alessandro Masnaghetti, presented on his website BaroloMGA360°, bringing to life how vineyard location affects wine styles.

​More than 200 producers poured their Barolo and Barbaresco DOCG appellation wines, and the very fun and creative MGA row of tasting tables brought the Barolo and Barbaresco styles into sharp focus, with bottles standing among the single vineyard MGAs on glass-covered maps.  It was a chance to taste different producers’ wines from the same MGA, attempting to discover what was the common thread or distinctive style.  ​Here are a few of my favorites:

And I realized, that just like Burgundy, learning about the single vineyard MGAs of Barolo and Barbaresco, could take a lifetime, but what a life!  Tasting through the glory of Nebbiolo through the red wine-soaked lens of Barolo and Barbaresco, ferreting out the nuances that appeal personally, with an ever-changing landscape of climate and discovery, it’s a mission worthy of your time.