Antica Distilleria Sibona Barolo Chinato

BAROLO WINE, CINCHONA BARK AND AN ANCIENT PIEDMONTESE RECIPE. ONE OF ITALY'S GREAT DIGESTIVOS — AND ONE OF THE MOST COMPELLING BOTTLES IN THE PORTFOLIO.

Barolo Chinato is one of Piedmont's most singular creations — an aromatised wine with a history stretching back to 19th-century apothecaries, where cinchona bark was prized as much for its medicinal properties as its extraordinary bitter complexity. The base is Barolo — one of Italy's most revered red wines — infused with a secret selection of herbs and spices in which cinchona, or China Calissaya, takes clear precedence.

Sibona's version is made to an ancient, closely guarded recipe, aged in stainless steel and bottled at 18% ABV. It is bittersweet, aromatic and deeply layered — the kind of digestivo that commands your full attention from the first sip. Rich fruit from the Barolo base, the resinous depth of cinchona, and a long herbal finish that earns every second of it.

This is Piedmontese tradition at its most refined. The perfect end to a serious meal — or, as the Piedmontese have long known, the ideal companion to a piece of very good dark chocolate.

Tasting notes

Deep garnet in the glass with reddish-brown highlights. The nose is complex and inviting — dried fruit, bitter orange peel, cinchona bark and warm spice, the Barolo base lending structure and depth beneath the herbal layer.

On the palate, bittersweet and richly aromatic. Dark fruit, dried cherry, and rhubarb are threaded through with cinchona bitterness and a warming backbone of mixed spice. The complexity unfolds gradually and with considerable confidence.

The finish is long, gently bitter and elegantly dry — herbs and dark fruit holding the line with the quiet authority of something made exactly the way it should be.

Producer: Antica Distilleria Sibona
Country: Italy
Region: Piedmont — Piobesi d'Alba, province of Cuneo
Distillery established: 1900 — holder of Italy's oldest distillation licence, number one
Product style: Aromatised wine / digestivo
Base: Barolo DOCG wine
Recipe: Ancient Piedmontese — Barolo wine infused with cinchona bark and a secret selection of herbs and spices
Key botanicals: Cinchona (China Calissaya) bark, aromatic herbs and spices
Colour: Deep garnet with reddish-brown highlights
Ageing: Extended period in stainless steel
Alcohol: 18% ABV
Serving temperature: Slightly chilled or at room temperature as a digestivo
Bottle: Sibona's distinctive graduated glass with side-notch fill indicators and integrated pouring spout
Bottle size: 50cl
Case size: To be confirmed

Perfect serve

Serve slightly chilled in a small wine glass or tulip-shaped digestivo glass at the end of a meal. The classic Piedmontese pairing — a small pour alongside a square of quality dark chocolate — is one of the great simple pleasures of Italian food culture and needs no improvement. For a longer serve, over ice with a strip of orange peel.

Food pairing

The Piedmontese tradition is clear on this one — dark chocolate first, everything else second. But Barolo Chinato's depth and complexity carry it further.

Dark chocolate — the definitive pairing

Bitter chocolate tart or fondant

Panna cotta with dark caramel

Aged hard cheeses — Parmigiano Reggiano, aged Pecorino

Strong blue cheese

Cantucci and almond biscuits

Dried fruit and nut plates

Rich red meat dishes as an aperitivo

Dietary and allergen information

Suitable for vegans: Not specifically confirmed by the producer
Suitable for vegetarians: Not specifically confirmed by the producer
Suitable for coeliacs: Not specifically confirmed by the producer
Gluten-free: Not specifically confirmed by the producer
Certified organic: No organic certification stated

Allergen information has not been specifically supplied by the producer. Contains sulphites.

Always check the bottle before consumption, as ingredients and allergen information may change.

https://www.distilleriasibona.it/en/