Barolo Chinato (key’ not toe) is an Italian liqueur that originated in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. The history of Chinato dates back to the late 19th century when a pharmacist from Serralunga d’Alba created this liqueur by blending aged Barolo wine with herbs, spices, and a touch of sugar to add sweetness. The goal at the time was to create a medicinal remedy for a variety of ailments like the flu, cold, headaches, and a sour stomach. Not surprisingly, it became a commercial success and continues to be popular today (although less so in the United States) as an aperitif before a meal to jumpstart your appetite, a digestif after dinner to help your tummy digest, or a dessert wine to pair with rich desserts, especially those made with dark chocolate with a higher cocoa content. If you love vermouth and amari, you will also clamor for Chinato.
This liqueur is made by macerating a mix of herbs, spices, and botanicals in a base of neutral grain spirit. The resulting elixir is then added to fully matured Barolo wine to make the final blend. Matured in oak barrels for at least one year before it is bottled and released, this bitter will blast your taste buds with a bit of bliss.
The disclosed botanical library is always fun to identify in the glass. This Giulio Cocchi Barolo Chinato includes:
- Bitter wood and bark: quassia wood and quinine bark. Quinine is china in Italian and therefore the source of the name, Chinato.
- Flowers: gentian, achillea, and roses, all of which grow in the Italian Alps.
- Herbs: artemisia and rhubarb.
- Citrus: bitter orange, a small citrus tree with perfumed white flowers and peels rich in essential oils.
- Spices: mace (the pulpy, external part of the nutmeg seed), star anise, juniper, and coriander.
On the nose and palate, I noted quinine, saffron threads, fresh tarragon leaves, dried bay leaf, tart rhubarb, nutty sandalwood, cardamom seed, candied ginger, dried orange peel, menthol, and fresh dirt. Serve up this Chinato and let me know what you find in your glass!
