In the northwest part of Italy lies the Piemonte region, which literally means ‘at the foot of the mountains’. The Alps play an important part in the climate of this region. Piemonte is known for its high number of high-quality wines, with over 50% of all the wines being made are of a very good to outstanding quality. The star grape of this region is the Nebbiolo, however it is not the most planted variety!
The Piemonte region enjoys a moderate continental climate with shorter hot summers and cold winters, although the region is protected from cold northern winds and rainstorms by the Alps. The soil varies from place to place, with limestone being the recurring factor.
Because of the high percentage of quality wines, there is a high number of DOC’s and DOCG’s, which can make understanding this region quite challenging. In order to navigate these appellations, we divide the larger Piemonte region into 4 subregions:
- Piemonte Astigiano
- Piemonte Langhe
- Piemonte Monferrato
- Piemonte Nord
Piemonte Astigiano is centred around the city of Asti and features a wide range of grape varieties but is mostly know for the production of Moscato and Barbera wines.
- DOCG Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti
- DOCG Barbera d’ Asti and DOCG Nizza
- DOCG Brachetto d’ Acqui
- DOCG Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato
- DOC Albugnano
- DOC Calosso
- DOC Cisterna d’Asti
- DOC Dolcetto d’Asti
- DOC Freisa d’Asti
- DOC Grignolino d’Asti
- DOC Loazzolo
- DOC Malvasia di Carsorzo d’Asti
- DOC Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco
- DOC Terre Alfieri
Wines made from the Moscato grape are most famous in the DOCG’s of Moscato d’Asti and Asti Spumante. Both styles are semi-sweet and lightly sparkling, with the Asti Spumante having more mousse than the Moscato and the bottle is sealed with a cork and muselet. The sweetness in these wines is the result of unfermented sugar and is therefore all natural. The wines are very easy drinking and can be paired with light desserts, as aperitif or with red fruits such as strawberries. This style of wine is very similar to the wine made in the DOCG Brachetto d’Acqui, made of the black variety of Brachetto.
Barbera d’Asti is made of 100% Barbera grapes. This variety is the most planted variety in all of Piemonte. It produces wines that are very fruit-driven and low in tannin. The best ones tend to be a bit more concentrated, like found in Barbera d’Asti. The best wines come from the Superiore category, which has led to a new DOCG on its own, the DOCG Nizza, featuring even more concentration and longer aging on oak.
Special attention here to the local variety of Grignolino, a black variety that produces a lighter, fruitier style with a high level of acidity.
Piemonte Langhe is one of the subregions that has made the whole region of Piemonte very famous and this of course thanks to the Nebbiolo grape. Needless to say, that this subregion contains a high number of quality appellations:
- DOCG Alta Langhe
- DOCG Barbaresco
- DOCG Barolo
- DOCG Dolcetto di Diano d’Alba
- DOCG Dolcetto Dogliani Superiore
- DOCG Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore
- DOCG Roero
- DOC Alba
- DOC Barbera d’Alba
- DOC Dolcetto d’Alba
- DOC Dolcetto di Ovada
- DOC Langhe (with mentioning the grape variety)
- DOC Nebbiolo d’Alba
- DOC Verduno Pelaverga
The subregion of the Langhe concentrates around the city of Alba, which can be found as mentioning on various labels. The most important wines come from the towns of Barolo and Barbaresco, both famous for its high tannic, bold red wines from Nebbiolo grapes. Barolo is the most intense of the two, and these wines need to be aged longer before they can be enjoyed to the fullest. The grapes are best grown on south facing slopes, because this late ripening variety sometimes has trouble reaching full ripeness in the Langhe region. The normal Barolo DOCG has to be aged for a minimum of 3 years and 2 months before it can be sold, while the Riserva has to age for 5 years and 2 months. Both appellations require a minimum of 18 months in oak barrels of the total aging period. The recommendation is for Barolo to age further in the bottle, before it is drunken. Sometimes a 5-year-old Barolo is still considered to be too young. The temperatures in Barbaresco are slightly warmer, leading the ripening period to be 1 year shorter for both the regular as well as the riserva.
DOCG Roero is an important appellation for the white Arneis grape. The wines tend to have a medium level of acidity, but crisp lemonlike aromas with touches of pear and green apple, on the nose flowery aromas can be perceived as well. There is also a red DOCG Roero made with Nebbiolo grapes, but not reaching the same intensity as in Barolo or Barbaresco.
The black variety of Dolcetto ripens earlier than Nebbiolo or Barbera and can therefore be planted on cooler sites. Wines from this variety will mostly be fermented and aged on stainless steel tanks or concrete vats to preserve the fruit aromas such as blackcurrant, red plums and violets.
The subregion of Piemonte Monferrato is located more to the south, just above Liguria and the gulf of Genova.
- DOCG Barbera del Monferrato Superiore
- DOCG Gavi
- DOC Barbera del Monferrato
- DOC Colli Tortonesi (with mentioning of grape variety)
- DOC Cortese dell’ Alto Monferrato
- DOC Dolcetto d’Acqui
- DOC Gabiano
- DOC Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese
- DOC Monferrato (with mentioning of grape variety)
- DOC Piemonte (with mentioning of grape variety)
- DOC Rubino di Cantavenna
- DOC Strevi
One of the most well-known is the DOCG Gavi, made of the white variety Cortese. Producing very crisp wines with a lively acidity, but some exotic fruit characters as well. A touch of sea salt in the aromas begs for it to be served with a pasta and shellfish!
The last subregion is the most northern one and therefore naturally called Piemonte Nord. It is one of the lesser-known subregions from Piemonte, but does produce a high number of appellations:
- DOCG Erbaluce di Caluso
- DOCG Gattinara
- DOCG Ghemme
- DOC Boca
- DOC Bramaterra
- DOC Canavese (with mentioning of grape variety)
- DOC Carema
- DOC Colline Novaresi (with mentioning of grape variety)
- DOC Colline Saluzzesi
- DOC Collina Torinese (with mentioning of grape variety)
- DOC Coste della Sesia (with mentioning of grape variety)
- DOC Fara
- DOC Freisa di Chieri
- DOC Lessona
- DOC Pinerolese (with mentioning of grape variety)
- DOC Sizzano
- DOC Valsusa
- DOC Valli Ossolane
Most well-known appellations are the DOCG’s of Gattinara and Ghemme, both made with the Nebbiolo variety. The continental climate is much higher in these appellations, resulting in a higher acidity due to the greater difference between night and day temperatures and between winter and summer. Often for these appellations the Nebbiolo will be blended with other local varieties.
Worth mentioning is the appellation of Freisa di Chieri, featuring the Freisa grape. This is a typical Piemontese variety with a high aromatic profile. It has a family tie with the French white variety of Viognier and is a direct parent of Nebbiolo!
Another appellation to consider is the DOC Valli Ossolane, producing crisp Chardonnay wines,
Off course Piemonte is also a rich culinary region, think of the white truffles from Alba, the Fontina cheeses or the Vitello Tonnato. Pair a Barbera with vegetable dominated dishes like Cardo Coddo, closely related to artichokes and pair all sorts of Nebbiolo, but especially Barolo with a truffle risotto!
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