CorkonomicsThe economics of wine production, collection, and vineyards
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Vineyard land · Pauillac≈$2,798,250 a hectare▼ down 17% on 20232024Opening price · Château Lafite Rothschild 2025≈$376 a bottle▲ up 17% on the year beforeSold at auction · Romanée-Conti Grand Cru, DRC 2019$22,917 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Burgundy grand cru (Pinot Noir)$48–283US duty on wine from · Canada+50%since Aug 2026Everyday bottle in a US shop$13.77 a litre▼ down 1.3% in a yearSep 2026Vineyard land · Margaux≈$1,567,020 a hectare▼ down 7% on 20232024Opening price · Château Cheval Blanc 2025≈$376 a bottle▲ up 22% on the year beforeSold at auction · La Tâche Grand Cru, DRC 2018$5,417 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Champagne prestige cuvée$26–89US duty on wine from · Australia+12.5%since Jul 2026Vineyard land · Côte-Rôtie≈$1,511,055 a hectare▲ up 8% on 20232024Opening price · Château Mouton Rothschild 2025≈$336 a bottle▲ up 19% on the year beforeSold at auction · Richebourg Grand Cru, DRC 2012$3,542 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Bordeaux classified growth (2nd–5th)$17–61US duty on wine from · New Zealand+12.5%since Jul 2026Vineyard land · Côte de Nuits grand cru≈$7,275,450 a hectare2019Opening price · Château Palmer 2025≈$268 a bottle▼ down 19% on the year beforeVineyard land · Pomerol≈$2,238,600 a hectare2023
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Piedmont

Foggy hills, and the mighty Nebbiolo grape.

Italy · Save

Vineyards in Piedmont

Piedmont in a minute

The grapes
Nebbiolo, with Barbera and Dolcetto for everyday drinking
What it tastes like
Roses, cherry and tar. Pale in colour, firm in the mouth.
The grapes grown here
Nebbiolo

Good to know

Barolo and Barbaresco are neighbouring areas that make Nebbiolo meant for ageing. Barbera is the juicy, easy-going local red for weeknights.

On the label

Barolo and Barbaresco are places. Barbera d'Alba means the Barbera grape from around the town of Alba.

What the land costs

The dearest vineyards here are in Barolo top crus: ≈$1,119,300–≈$2,798,250 a hectare (2024). Zone by zone

A glass of pale red wine and a white truffle on a window sill above foggy vineyard hills in autumn
Autumn fog over the hills. The local grape, Nebbiolo, is said to take its name from nebbia, the Italian word for fog.
The business side

Barolo (about 2,200 ha) and Barbaresco (about 750 ha) are the collectible core of Piedmont. Since the official delimitation of vineyard areas (menzioni geografiche aggiuntive) in 2010, the region has moved toward a Burgundy-style cru economy: single-vineyard bottlings, small production, and land prices for the famous crus reported at over a million euros a hectare.

How the economics work

Nebbiolo ripens late and the wines require years of aging before release (Barolo a minimum of 38 months, riserva 62), so working capital is high. The top producers — Giacomo Conterno, Gaja, Bruno Giacosa, Bartolo Mascarello, Roagna — make their flagship wines in a few thousand to a few tens of thousands of bottles. Land in Cannubi, Rocche dell'Annunziata or Gaja's Barbaresco crus has been reported to trade at prices approaching a Burgundy premier cru, having been ordinary farmland within living memory.

Facts and figures

Barolo DOCG area
≈ 2,200 haConsorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Dogliani
Barbaresco DOCG area
≈ 750 haConsorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco
Minimum aging
Barolo 38 months (riserva 62); Barbaresco 26 months (riserva 50)DOCG disciplinare
Vineyards of the Langhe
Village of Barolo in the Italian wine region of Piedmont with vineyards Megan Mallen · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Vineyards of the Langhe
In the Italian wine region of Piedmont Megan Mallen · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Vineyards of the Langhe
View of Barolo Christoph Strässler · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

Good years and bad

All regions →

The years to look for: 2016, 2010. The difficult ones: 2002.

YearHow the year was ratedThe growing season
2021Excellent
2020Very Good
2019Excellent
2018Good
2017Good
2016ExceptionalEven season; released to universal praise; prices for the top crus rose sharply.
2015Very Good
2014Mixed
2013Excellent
2012Good
2011Good
2010ExceptionalLong, cool growing season; a classic structured vintage widely rated the best of the decade.
2009Good
2008Very Good
2007Very Good
2006Very Good
2005Good
2004Excellent
2003Mixed
2002Difficult
2001Excellent
2000Very Good

Who makes the famous wines here

All producers →
Hills between Serralunga and Castiglione Falletto, Piedmont, ItalyProducerBruno GiacosaThe red-label riservas of Bruno Giacosa — Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto and Barbaresco Asili — made only in…Panorama of Piedmont vineyards and the town of BarbarescoProducerGajaThe house that put Barbaresco on the auction block: about 100 hectares in Piedmont, single-vineyard Sorì San…The village of Serralunga d'Alba and the Langhe, ItalyProducerGiacomo ConternoBarolo's most collectible traditionalist: Monfortino Riserva, made only in selected years and aged around…

Famous wines from here

All →
Bruno Giacosa, Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del FallettoGaja, Sorì San LorenzoGiacomo Conterno, Barolo Riserva Monfortino

Appellations

Barbaresco and its tower, LangheAppellationBarbarescoNebbiolo's second great appellation, made famous by Gaja and Bruno Giacosa.Barolo and its vineyards, LangheAppellationBaroloEleven communes, 2,200 hectares, 181 delimited vineyard areas — Italy's most developed cru economy.

What a bottle costs to make here

All models →
A glass of brick-red wine on an old cask in a brick cellar of very large oak casks

Barolo single-cru

$21–$82 to make one bottle

A top Barolo from one famous vineyard in north-west Italy. It is made from the Nebbiolo grape and rests for more than three years before it is sold.

The numbers behind the region: land, grapes, yields and costs

Compare regions

InputRangeUnitYearSource
Land — what a hectare of vineyard sells for
Vineyard land, Barolo DOCG average500,000–1,200,000EUR/ha2024Trade reporting on Langhe land prices
Vineyard land, Barolo top crus (Cannubi, Rocche dell'Annunziata…)1,000,000–2,500,000EUR/ha2024Trade reporting on Langhe land prices
Grapes — what growers are paid
Nebbiolo da Barolo grapes4–6EUR/kg2024Camera di Commercio di Cuneo
Yield — how much a hectare produces
Yield, Barolo DOCG40–56hl/ha2024Disciplinare: max 8 t/ha ≈ 56 hl/ha
Aging — time in barrel or on lees
Minimum aging, Barolo / riserva38–62months2024DOCG disciplinare

Where the inputs come from

  1. Trade reporting on Langhe land prices
  2. Trade reporting on Langhe land prices (Gambero Rosso, Vitisphere)
  3. Camera di Commercio di Cuneo, listino uve
  4. Disciplinare: max 8 t/ha ≈ 56 hl/ha
  5. DOCG disciplinare

Sources

  1. Numeri e territorio, Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Dogliani, 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2026.
Last reviewed: September 2026Report an error on this page

Related

CountryItalyRegionTuscanyRegionBurgundyAppellationBarbarescoAppellationBaroloGrapeNebbioloProducerBruno GiacosaProducerGajaProducerGiacomo Conterno