Barolo started its 2026 Nebbiolo harvest early in Cannubi

The 2026 grape harvest in Barolo has started earlier than usual, with harvest operations opening on Sept. 10 in the Langhe in a ceremony that also became a political and institutional event for one of Italy’s most important wine regions.

Italy’s agriculture minister, Francesco Lollobrigida, marked the symbolic start of the harvest by cutting a cluster of Nebbiolo grapes in the Cannubi vineyard of producer Barbara Sandrone. Cannubi is one of the best-known cru sites in the Barolo denomination, in the hills around the town of Barolo in the Piedmont region.

The event was organized with the Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Dogliani Consortium and the Langhe Monferrato Roero tourism body. It took place during a visit to Deditus, an association created 15 years ago that groups several long-established Barolo producers around a shared focus on family ownership, estate vineyards and traditional farming and business models. The wineries named by the organizers were Azelia, Cordero di Montezemolo, Sandrone, Michele Chiarlo, Pio Cesare, Poderi Luigi Einaudi, Prunotto and Vietti.

The harvest opening came at a time when Italian wine producers are dealing with a changing market environment. In remarks released by the organizers, Lollobrigida said Italian wine remains one of the leading products of the country’s food and agriculture economy and continues to hold strong value and recognition abroad. He said the sector is now going through what he described as a phase of adjustment and warned against using the same solutions for every producer and every territory.

“The focus must remain on businesses and on the work of winegrowers, who also safeguard the land,” Lollobrigida said. He added that the government’s task is to support producers, promote Italian wine and expand opportunities in foreign markets, starting with Asia.

After the vineyard ceremony, the minister took part in an institutional meeting at the Enoteca Regionale del Barolo inside Falletti Castle, the historic building in Barolo that also houses the WiMu wine museum. The meeting was held with support from the town of Barolo and the Barolo & Castles Foundation.

According to the organizers, the minister met mayors from the area and senior regional officials, including Piedmont President Alberto Cirio and regional official Paolo Bongioanni, whose portfolio includes agriculture, food, trade, tourism and sports. The visit gave local institutions and wine representatives a chance to present their concerns and priorities directly to the national government at the start of the harvest.

Lollobrigida said the link between growers and the land is especially visible in Piedmont. He said he came to the area to meet a high-quality production sector and to work with it on new opportunities that may come from international markets. He repeated that the main strategy should be to back producers, strengthen the position of Italian wine and continue opening new export markets.

Sergio Germano, president of the Barolo and Barbaresco Consortium, said the visit created an opportunity to discuss both the problems facing the sector and future plans to develop and relaunch the wine and food economy of the area. In comments released after the event, Germano said the minister showed both sensitivity and preparation in what he called a constructive exchange.

Gianni Gagliardo, president of Deditus, said the association invited Lollobrigida to open the 2026 Barolo harvest because the industry now needs closer contact with public institutions. He said the wine world has changed and that producers need a new relationship between the public and private sectors, similar to the cooperation that helped the region begin its push into international markets about 40 years ago.

The ceremony in Barolo was largely symbolic, but it also highlighted the broader importance of the harvest for the region. Barolo is produced from Nebbiolo grapes and is one of Italy’s most recognized wine denominations. In the Langhe, the annual start of harvesting carries economic and political weight as well as agricultural importance, because it brings together growers, consortia, tourism bodies and public officials around a sector that is central to local jobs, exports and the identity of the area.

This year, that message was underscored by the early start of the harvest and by the attention given to market access and institutional support. The presence of the agriculture minister in Cannubi and later in Barolo’s regional wine shop signaled the effort by producers to place the needs of the wine sector high on the government agenda as the 2026 vintage gets underway.