Just To Clarify something about nebbiolo grape and barolo

[fanofbarolo]

Nebbiolo is a grape that grows in northern Italy. Piemonte is the area where the greatest quantity of Nebbiolo is planted.
Barolo represents a wine style in the same way that Chianti is a wine style.
There are hundreds of wineries that produce Chianti as there are many who produce "Barolo".
Not all wine produced with the nebbiolo grape becomes "barolo".
When you buy a barolo kit you are buying what should be 100 percent nebbiolo grape.and even if it is 100 percent nebbiolo grape, the final product will not be exactly like a barolo because most wineries will age the grape in wood barrels for a minimum 18 to 24 months.
I believe the rule in Italy is you have to use real barrels.
When you buy a barolo kit just remember not to compare.
The other thing is barolo style wines are not drinkable right away.
You need to wait a year or two for the tannins to soften.
I bought nebbiolo juice and the wine is aging..I will rack again in my 6 month, then it will go into a small barrel which I will age the wine for a few weeks and then I will bottle and let it sleep for two years.
You can add chips of wood but that is not the same as a barrel.
Remember to ask any juice or kit merchant to tell you exactly what is the percentage of nebbiolo juice in the Pail or kit. If he can not answer the question than do not buy it.
If the label says nebbiolo then it should be 100percent nebbiolo.
If it says barolo, it should contain 100 percent nebbiolo juice.

 

[richmke]

Last year, I made the WE Eclipse Piedmont Barolo. Seems like WE has renamed the kit to WE Eclipse Piedmont Nebbiolo.

This reminds me of when I was looking up Port Wines. A lot of people want to make a Tawny Port. But the way commercial wineries make Tawny Port is to age it in barrels for 6 years. So, any kit can only be "Tawny Like", unless it is aged in barrels for 6 years, in which case any port kit can become a Tawny port.

 

[David219]

For a home winemaker wishing to make a Barolo style wine from a kit, is there a recommended minimum time the wine needs to remain in the barrel to be truest to the style? I just bottled a WE Eclipse Barolo that I left in my neutral Vadai barrel for just slightly over 4 months. Are other Nebbiolo grape wines not traditionally aged in a barrel? Is it just that extended length of time in the barrel that gives the Barolo distinction versus less barrel time?