Is Barolo the Next Burgundy?

With Burgundy prices reaching starry heights, we find out why Barolo is the next frontier for oenophiles.

- NIMMI MALHOTRA

Three-Michelin-starred French fine-dining restaurant Odette stocks around 400 Burgundy wine labels.

However, its wine director, Vincent Tan, notes that allocations have tightened over the past decade. As a result, the prices of wines from lesser known regions like St Aubin have increased.

More importantly, the price of importing Burgundy wines has doubled. "The price increase in Burgundy is due to its small production scale. One cuvée produces only 600 to 1,500 bottles. In terms of rarity, Burgundy is very hard to match," he says.

Echoing the same sentiment is Stéphanie Rigourd, general manager and partner of The Vintage Wine Club, which represents a dozen prominent Burgundy estates. She shares that the Burgundy region in France is vulnerable to extreme weather, which feeds into its rarity. "Unfortunately, the weather conditions in the last few vintages of 2016, 2018, and 2019 were a disaster, with frost, hail, and disease, and the producers lost many of their crops," she says.

With an uncertain supply and soaring prices, it is no surprise that attention has shifted to other wines, such as Oregon Pinot Noir and Barolo, long touted as "the next Burgundy".

Comparisons between Burgundian red and Barolo are not new among wine lovers.

Barolo, which is both the name of a village and a wine style, hails from Langhe, the scenic wine-growing region in Piedmont. Hailed as the "king of wines", Barolo is Italy's most majestic red made from the ancient Nebbiolo grape, a tannic, thick-skinned varietal known for its structure, complexity, and ageability.

On the other hand, Burgundy, celebrated as one of the greatest wines in the world, is made with pinot noir grapes in the Burgundy region.