The Regulations for Barbaresco
and the Additional Geographical Specifications

The present regulations for the production of Barbaresco Docg are the result of a modification of the document that on the 1st July 1980 awarded this wine the Registered and Certified Designation of Origin. The present document was released by a Decree of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies on the 21st February 2007 and published in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, issue 51, on the 2nd March 2007.
The most important change is the adoption of the 66 geographical specifications (Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive), such as Rabajà, Asili, Ovello, Gallina, Paioré etc., that the producers started to put on their labels some years ago, in order to be recognizable within the entire production.
It is an important  act of openness towards the consumer, who will be sure that, when he finds a label with one of these geographical specifications, it refers to a concrete fact and it is not just a mark.
Besides the 66 “Geographical Specifications” which have already been included in the Regulations, another 6 have not been included yet (but it can be done in the future), because single producers have never claimed them.
Herein below we report the rules of the new Regulations.
Art. 1 defines the kinds of Barbaresco Docg: Barbaresco and Barbaresco Riserva. Both can be labeled with an “Additional Geographical Specification”.
Art. 2 specifies the ampelography of Barbaresco: 100% Nebbiolo of the biotypes Michet and Lampia.
Art. 3 defines the zone of origin of the grapes: the three communes of Barbaresco, Neive and Treiso as well as the hamlet of San Rocco Senodelvio, which to Barbaresco in the past belonged and is a part of the town of Alba nowadays.
In Art. 4 the rules for the growing methods are listed. In particular:
• soil: clay, limestone and mixtures of both;
• position: hills;
• altitude: lower than 550m a.s.l.;
• exposure: south, east and west;
• minimum density of plants for new vineyards: 3,500 plants per hectare;
• training: Cordon Training;
• pruning method: Guyot.
The maximum yield per hectare was set at 8,000kg and the minimum alcohol by volume is 12% Vol.
Art. 5 contains the rules for the vinification methods. In particular:
The maximum yield grapes/wine is 70% at the raking and 68% at the end of the compulsory ageing period.  With regards to the ageing, the following rules have been adopted. The ageing officially starts on the 1st November of the year in which the grapes are harvested, it has to last 26 months for Barbaresco and 50 months for Barbaresco Riserva. During the ageing period, the wine must be preserved in wooden barrels for at least 9 months. According to these regulations. Barbaresco can be marketed from the 1st January of the third year after the grape harvest, while Barbaresco Riserva Docg has to wait until the 1st January of the fifth year after the harvest.
Art. 6 defines the features that the two kinds of Barbaresco are expected to present when they are ready for the market. Both for “Barbaresco” and for “Barbaresco Riserva”, the minimum alcohol by volume is 12,5 % Vol., the minimum total acidity is 0.45% and the net dry extract is 22 g/l. These minimum values are significantly lower than the actual values achieved by several producers.
Art. 7 contains the rules for the labeling of Barbaresco. In this article, the 66 “Additional Geographical Specifications” that have been adopted by the Regulations are listed. Furthermore, this article specifies the rules for the use of the term “Vigna” (Vineyard) together with the corresponding place-name on the label. Finally, the article confirms that the vintage year must be reported on the label.
The last article, n. 8, contains the rules for the packaging of Barbaresco, giving details for the bottle sizes allowed for Barbaresco: the sizes which have been established by the regulations in force are allowed, except for the 2-liter containers and containers smaller than 0.375 liter. This article allows for the use of 6-, 9-, 12- and 15-liter containers for promotional aims only.
 An important and complex change (it concerns several items) includes the possibility to use the term “Vigna” together with a specific place-name on the label. Furthermore, according to Art. 4 the full production can be achieved only starting from the seventh year of the vineyard, while from the third to the sixth year the maximum production has to be limited (4,500kg in the third, 5,000 in the fourth, 5,800 in the fifth and 6,500 in the sixth year). Similar restrictive rules have been established for the specifications on the labels too:

• All the grapes must be harvested in the same vineyard;
• The geographical specification has to be listed in the “Approved list” drawn by the institution that regulates the Albo Vigneti (Vineyard Register) of the Designation;
• In the designation and presentation of Barbaresco, only the producers who make the wine and bottle it in their cellars are allowed to put the specification “Vigna” on their label;
• The vinification and the ageing process must occur in different containers; the geographical specification “Vigna” with the place-name must be reported in the documents for the grape registration, in the registers and in the delivery notes.
• The geographical specification “Vigna” with the place-name must be reported on the label with types that have to be 50% or less in size with respect to the type size used for the Designation of Origin.

The 66 Additional Geographical Specifications that have been adopted:
Albesani, Asili, Ausario, Balluri, Basarin, Bernardot, Bordini, Bricco di Neive, Bricco di Treiso, Bric-Micca, Ca’ Grossa, Canova, Cars, Casot, Castellizzano, Cavanna, Cole, Cottà, Currà, Faset, Fausoni, Ferrere, Gaia-Principe, Gallina, Garassino, Giacone, Giacosa, Manzola, Marcarini, Marcorino, Martinenga, Meruzzano, Montaribaldi, Montefico, Montersino, Montestefano, Muncagota, Nervo, Ovello, Pajè, Pajorè, Pora, Rabajà, Rabajà-Bas, Rio Sordo, Rivetti, Rizzi, Roccalini, Rocche Massalupo, Rombone, Roncaglie, Roncagliette, Ronchi, San Cristoforo, San Giuliano, San Stunet, Secondine, Serraboella, Serracapelli, Serragrilli, Starderi, Tre Stelle, Trifolera, Valeirano, Vallegrande and Vicenziana

The 6 Additional Geographical Specifications that have not been adopted yet:
Bungioan, Canta, Casasse, Cortini, Niccolini and Sant’Alessandro.