I welcomed the opportunity to review a new book by Kerin O’Keefe: Barolo and Barbaresco, The King and Queen of Italian Wine published by the University of California Press. It is one of the very few books written solely about Barolo and Barbaresco by an American wine writer.
I first met Kerin O’Keefe at a wine conference in Tuscany about eight years ago. At that time, I was totally impressed with her knowledge of and passion for Italian wines–and my first impression grew stronger as I got to know her better.
Kerin was born in Boston, but moved to Italy and married a Barolo-loving Italian. Thanks to her generous father-in-law’s wine cellar, Kerin and her husband had ample opportunities to drink great Barolos and Barbarescos from the late 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s. In the early 1990s, Kerin and her husband Paolo began spending many weekends in Barolo–a two-hour drive from their home in Switzerland–two miles over the Italian border.
O’Keefe began writing about Italian wine full-time in 2002, writing some excellent articles in Decanter, a British wine magazine; she continued writing for Decanter until 2013. She also has written for The World of Fine Wine–the Rolls-Royce of all wine magazines. In April, 2013, Kerin accepted a new position as Wine Enthusiast magazine’s Italian Wine Editor.

Barolo and Barbaresco is Kerin O’Keefe’s third wine book. Her first book, Franco Biondi Santi: The Gentleman of Brunello, was published in 2005. Kerin followed that with Brunello: Understanding and Appreciating One of Italy’s Greatest Wines, in 2012. Both books were critically acclaimed.
O’Keefe’s Barolo and Barbaresco is written in three parts: Part One covers the history of both wines, and the origin of Nebbiolo. Part Two, the longest section, profiles 43 Barolo producers. Part Three covers 29 Barbaresco producers. In these two parts, producers are listed by the village in which their wineries are located. The Appendix is highlighted by a Vintage Guide to Barolo and Barbaresco, starting with1945, and going up to 2010–the current vintage of Barolo available as of 2014. O’Keefe employs a “star” rating–one to five stars–to rank the vintages.
O’Keefe’s book is a tour de force, a magnificent, comprehensive tome that required loads of research. I am happy that she possessed the ability and passion to take on this herculean undertaking. I think that every Barolo and Barbaresco wine lover will benefit from reading her Barolo and Barbaresco.
The original review was published in Wine Review Online.