Cappellano, Barolo Chinato on Sale

Cappellano, Barolo Chinato

As it says right there on the label, today’s special attraction is a vino aromatizzato—an “aromatized” wine. It is essentially a sweet vermouth, albeit one made from top-tier Barolo wine. Known as Barolo “Chinato,” thanks to its inclusion of quinine bark (among other flavorings), it was invented in the 1800s by pharmacist and Barolo vintner Giuseppe Cappellano. 

His original intention was for it to be a medicinal tonic to aid digestion, but in the modern era it has evolved into an after-dinner sipper to rival the many famous bitter liqueurs produced in nearby Turin. These days, Giuseppe Cappellano’s great-grandson, Augusto—who succeeded his late father, Teobaldo, at the helm of the family’s acclaimed winery in Serralunga d’Alba—still mixes the various herbs, spices, peels, and barks for the chinato by hand, in an old cast-iron mortar and pestle. Many Barolo producers make chinato (pronounced key-NAH-toe) for private consumption, but only a few release commercial bottlings, all of which have followed Cappellano’s lead. This is the original, the trailblazer, the Gold Standard, and for all of us who’ve embraced Italian amaro culture—whether that bittersweet sensation begins or ends a meal—this is a must-have. It’ll last for months after being opened, and is sure to dazzle anyone you pour it for. There isn’t much, so act fast!

I think we’ve all gotten to the point where we recognize how uniquely delicious and versatile vermouth-style wines can be. There are entire bars in Barcelona (and elsewhere) devoted to the stuff! Throughout our home state of California, winemakers are creating signature versions. With Cappellano Chinato, you’re getting Barolo wine from one of the greatest producers in the region, infused with an assortment of botanicals and spices, and fortified with a small amount of grape spirit. As Cappellano’s importer puts it, “Cappellano’s Chinato blitzes the senses with a goosebumps-inducing kaleidoscope of aromas and sensations—the nose of the stuff alone is worth the price of admission.” Part of the fun is trying to guess which flavorings might be included in the mix. We know at the very least that it contains the bittering agent cinchona bark, or china in Italian; chinato essentially means “quinined.”

Cappellano’s is also one of the few commercially available Barolo Chinatos out there; most Barolo producers make their own versions, but those are usually reserved for private consumption. With the huge rise in interest in vermouth and amaro among crafty bartenders, Barolo Chinato has occasionally been called into service as a cocktail ingredient, but I find that blasphemous: In the case of this bottling, it is crafted from 100% Nebbiolo from the “Gabutti” cru in Serralunga. You’re going to drown that in booze/mixers? I don’t think so.

The Cappellano family recipe for Chinato is, unsurprisingly, a jealously guarded secret. You’ll detect notes of licorice, ginger, cloves, vanilla, rhubarb, and orange peel, all of which are layered in with the dried cherry fruit and “tar and roses” character of Nebbiolo from Barolo. Aged in barrel and lightly sweetened, its combination of elevated alcohol and sweetness lends it a long, but not indefinite, shelf life once opened. Serve it a little cooler than cellar temperature (around 50 degrees) in all-purpose white wine stems, and if you really want a low-budget, high-impact presentation, get yourself a block of good dark chocolate and dispense it in chunks with one of those stubby Parmesan knives. This is the ultimate ‘chocolate wine’ and a truly special way to cap off a great meal. Enjoy!