A Barolo that makes giving its essence at Italy’s most generous wine auction. With over €1,108,300 raised and 5,525 liters of Barolo and Barbaresco auctioned, the fifth edition of Barolo en Primeur 2025 sets a new record for the charity event organized by Fondazione CRC, Fondazione CRC Donare ETS, and the Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Dogliani. Once again, the event confirms how the oenological excellence of the Langhe can become a driver of concrete solidarity, capable of uniting territories and people from all over the world.
Over €4.5 Million in Five Years for Italy’s Most Generous Wine Auction
After €666,000 raised in 2021, €834,000 in 2022, €877,000 in 2023, and over €1 million in 2024, the 2025 auction marks another leap forward, bringing the total to more than €4.5 million destined for social and cultural projects in Italy and abroad.
This result will be further increased by the proceeds from the 15th lot, which will be auctioned on November 9 during the World White Truffle Auction of Alba, in direct connection with Hong Kong.
Barolo: Champion of Solidarity
In the heart of the Grinzane Cavour Castle, under the gavel of Cristiano De Lorenzo, Managing Director of Christie’s Italy, 14 barriques of Barolo Gustava were auctioned, vinified separately by oenologist Donato Lanati based on vineyard parceling by exposure, altitude, and vine age.
Each barrique will yield 270 bottles after the minimum 38 months of aging required by the production regulations.
Alongside these, more than 80 wineries from the Consorzio donated their labels to create eight municipal lots, symbolizing the richness and diversity of the territories of 11 Langhe municipalities. In total, 914 bottles in standard, magnum, jeroboam, and rehoboam formats were auctioned, plus a special lot: the Tonneau of Vigna Gustava—400 liters of Barolo sold for the record sum of €360,000.
Bids came from Italy, the United States, and the United Kingdom, connected with Christie’s New York and the 67 Pall Mall club in London.
From Wine to Community: Projects Supported by Barolo en Primeur 2025
Each lot supports a social utility project, ranging from the restoration of historic assets to cultural promotion, medical research, assistance for people with disabilities, initiatives for youth education, and support for mothers in difficulty.
Part of the proceeds will go to the Alba Enology School and other local projects, while other lots allow buyers to choose directly which causes to support.
Art Meets Technology
The Barolo Gustava bottles will be sealed with an artist’s label by Giulia Cenci, titled “self-devouring figure”, a pencil self-portrait reflecting on the relationship between identity, nourishment, and transformation—values perfectly aligned with the spirit of the project.
For the first time, each bottle will feature an NFC digital certification tag, “Autentico NFC,” developed by Tesisquare in collaboration with Autentico Srl. Invisible and inimitable, the tag will guarantee origin, traceability, and authenticity, while also offering digital content such as Donato Lanati’s oenological notes, Antonio Galloni’s en primeur review, and even a live webcam on Vigna Gustava.
Thanks to the partnership with Fieramente Srl, bottles will be delivered free of charge to donors, with a dedicated logistics service for fine wines.
Voices of Barolo en Primeur 2025
“Exceeding one million euros by such a margin is an extraordinary result,” commented Mauro Gola, President of Fondazione CRC. “This fifth edition confirms the success of a path that combines oenological excellence and social responsibility. The idea of associating each donation with a single barrique has made solidarity a tangible and accessible gesture.”
“Barolo en Primeur is now a symbol of solidarity and collective participation,” added Giuliano Viglione, President of Fondazione Donare ETS. “It is a virtuous model of territorial philanthropy that starts from a great wine and generates human, social, and cultural value far beyond the borders of the Langhe.”
“The success of the 2025 edition is also due to the quality of our wines,” concluded Sergio Germano, President of the Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Dogliani. “The introduction of en primeur has opened new opportunities to promote Barolo and Barbaresco worldwide, strengthening the global reputation of our territory.”
Barolo en Primeur: The Future of Wine That Does Good
Five editions, over €4.5 million donated, a unique philanthropic model that transforms wine into an instrument of social change. Barolo en Primeur is not just a charity event: it is a new way of thinking about wine as cultural, human, and collective heritage. And from Grinzane Cavour, that toast of solidarity continues to resonate, vintage after vintage, across the world.
