Wine region
Piedmont
Piedmont is home to Barolo and Barbaresco: Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, Moscato and Gavi on about 44,000 hectares of hills.
- Vineyard area
- about 44,000 hectares, mostly hills
- Main grapes
- red: Barbera, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto; white: Moscato, Cortese, Arneis
- Appellations
- about 60 DOC and DOCG wines, more than any other Italian region
- Climate
- continental: Alpine arc to the west and north, Apennines to the south, autumn fog, vines mostly at 150 to 500 metres
- Signature wines
- Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera d’Asti, Gavi, Moscato d’Asti
- Landmark
- UNESCO World Heritage since 2014: the vineyard landscape of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato
Piedmont, Piemonte in Italian, literally means “at the foot of the mountains”, and that is exactly where it lies: in the north-west of Italy, enclosed by the Alpine arc to the west and north and by the Apennines to the south. To the north it borders Valais and Ticino, and the Simplon road leads from Brig straight to Domodossola. The climate is continental, with cold winters, warm summers and thick autumn fog. About 44,000 hectares of vines grow mostly on hills between 150 and 500 metres. With about 60 DOC and DOCG wines, no other Italian region has more protected appellations. Since 2014 the vineyard landscape of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato has been a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Piedmont is famous for Nebbiolo, a late-ripening grape whose name is usually traced to nebbia, fog. It gives Barolo and Barbaresco, both DOCG, pale in colour but rich in tannin and acidity, with aromas of roses, cherries, tar and truffle. Barolo comes from eleven communes south of Alba and must age for at least 38 months, 18 of them in wood; the Riserva needs 62 months. In the west, around La Morra and Barolo, on younger marls, the wines are softer and more perfumed; in the east, around Serralunga and Monforte, on older, sandier soils, they are firmer and longer-lived. Barbaresco comes from the commune of Barbaresco, from Neive, Treiso and part of Alba; it must age for at least 26 months, nine of them in wood, the Riserva 50 months, and is often considered a little more approachable. In the north of Piedmont, Nebbiolo is called Spanna and stands behind Gattinara and Ghemme.
The most widely planted red grape, however, is Barbera: high in acidity, low in tannin, with cherry fruit, an everyday wine that also reaches great quality as Barbera d’Asti, Barbera d’Alba or Nizza. Dolcetto, whose name means “the little sweet one”, nevertheless gives a dry, soft, fruity wine with a slightly bitter almond note.
Among the whites, Moscato Bianco leads: it gives Asti, a sweet sparkling wine, and Moscato d’Asti, lightly sparkling and with only about 5 per cent alcohol. Cortese makes the fresh, dry Gavi, Arneis the Roero Arneis, with notes of pear and almond.
At the table: Barolo with braised meat, mushrooms and old hard cheese, in autumn with the white truffle of Alba; Barbera with pasta, salumi and agnolotti; Dolcetto with antipasti; Gavi and Arneis with fish, vegetables and vitello tonnato; Moscato d’Asti with hazelnut cake or fruit.