Geographic Mentions for Barolo The use of Geographic Names is provided for by the DOCG wine legislation as a way to identify more restricted areas inside the appellation itself. In the Barolo zone, the possibility of creating sub-zones has been discussed at length, but these can only be made legal by the Ministry of Agriculture which requires that the areas be sufficiently large, including several producers and consisting of features that render them distinct from the rest of the area. Unofficially, one could argue that the real sub-zones of Nebbiolo in Piedmont are the different appellations such as: Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara, Ghemme, Lessona, etc. In Piedmont, where viticulture is primarily on hillsides, both the type of soil and the exposure have always been very important. The combination of various elements of quality has led experts to identify the best single vineyard : these experts have included Vignolo-Lutati, then Renato Ratti and later on the curators of the "Atlas of Vineyards in the Langa" by Slow Food Editore. cru For historical, geographical and political reasons, Barolo could never create an official classification such as the French Bordeaux model of and yet, over time some names of vineyards have become known for the quality of their , the skill applied in the vineyards and winery and their winemaker's ability to promote his product. cru terroir Many of these Geographic Names have been present on Barolo labels for quite some time. In order to avoid inappropriate use of these names, the Ministry of Agriculture (through I.C.Q. – Institute for Quality Control) has requested that these names be precisely defined by their borders and size in order to calculate the exact annual production through a Vintage Declaration. This work, which has been followed by the Barolo Consortium together with the communes and the province, took several years because it required drawing borders, defining names which were not clear or under dispute by different proprietors, or could claim different sizes according to historical documents. Currently, two other wines can boast of this same official clarification of names: Barbaresco, whose list was completed in 2007, two years before Barolo due to its smaller size and Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba, whose list was completed in the 1980's and uses the Piedmontese word to indicate . This work will continue in order to include all other DOCG and DOC wines in the region. Sori cru The Barolo area is composed of 177 Geographic Names which were officially approved in December 2009. These names should not be confused with the term (vineyard), which according to the DOC regulation indicates a vineyard with a smaller yield and produces wine with higher alcohol content. vigna All of this information can be found on the official website of the Barolo Consortium: . www.langhevini.it