I Historical Trademarks of Made in Italy: Marchesi di Barolo
23 June, 2025
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I Historical Trademarks of Made in Italy: Marchesi di Barolo
We the Italians magazine’s June column on Historical Trademarks celebrates Marchesi di Barolo, one of Italy’s oldest and most prestigious wineries.
Marchesi di Barolo has its roots in the heart of the Langhe, where Barolo wine was still sweet and sparkling in the late 18th century. The turning point came in the first half of the 19th century thanks to Giulia Colbert Falletti, a French-born marquise who was the first to introduce winemaking in large oak barrels and long aging, giving birth to modern Barolo. Her wine even won over the Savoy court, to the point that Charles Albert received 325 barrels as a gift, one for each day of the year.
When the marquise died in 1864, the estate passed to the Opera Pia Barolo founded by her. In 1929, it was taken over by Pietro and Ernesto Abbona, who continued production by guarding the historic cellars in the center of Barolo, where large barrels more than a century old are still refined. Since then the Abbona family, now in its sixth generation, has combined tradition, sustainability and the enhancement of historic cru such as Cannubi, Coste di Rose and Sarmassa.
Present in more than 60 countries, Marchesi di Barolo is among the protagonists of Italian wine culture and welcomes thousands of visitors every year to its historic cellars, an ambassador to the world of Italy’s wine and cultural heritage.
Don’t miss the next installment of the column, featuring a new star of the ItalianHistorical Trademarks.