Piemonte, in the north-western corner of the Italian peninsula, sits at the foot of the Western Alps, which encircle the region to the north and west. Its seasons are very distinctive: hot, dry summers, cold winters, and temperate springs and autumns
Piemonte, in the north-western corner of the Italian peninsula, sits at the foot of the Western Alps, which encircle the region to the north and west. Its seasons are very distinctive: hot, dry summers, cold winters, and temperate springs and autumns are common with occasional fog during harvest time. Located in north-west Italy, surrounded by the Alps, Piedmont means literally “foot of the Mountain” in Italian. .
The richness and elegance of Piedmontese wines go perfectly with the rich and creamy cuisine typical of Piedmont, with meat and risotto at the heart of every menu, not to mention the most notable ingredient, the white truffle (tartufi bianchi). Piedmont has the highest percentage of quality wines in the whole of Italy. It is home to some of the most robust, long-lived wines of the world, many of which are specific to Piedmont and have not excelled anywhere else in the world. The wines of Barolo and Barbaresco are two of Italy’s best. Like fine Bordeaux and Burgundy, these Nebbiolo wines age very well.
DOCs and DOCGs
DOC: Barbera d’Alba; Colli Tortonesi; Dolcetto d’Alba; Grignolino del Monferrato; Langhe; Loazzolo; Monferrato; Nebbiolo d’Alba; Rubino di Cantavenna; Piemonte
The region’s pedigree is apparent in its 58 DOC and DOCG zones, and it has the highest percentage of classified wines in all of Italy.
Grape Varieties
Nebbiolo is the grape used in Piedmont's most important DOCGs: Barolo, Barbaresco and Gattinara. Barbera, a dark-skinned variety, is responsible for a growing number of superlative wines, labelled as Barbera del Monferrato, Barbera d’Asti or Barbera d'Alba.
Another important red grape is Dolcetto, with several DOCs to its name (d'Alba, d'Acqui and di Ovada are the top three). Although its name means 'little sweet one', Dolcetto gives red wines with an appetizing, gently bitter finish. Although Piedmont is known as a red-wine region, there are whites that have to be mentioned: Moscato d’Asti and sparkling Asti Spumante, both made from Moscato grapes; Gavi is the most renown still white, made from the Cortese grape, a local variety which gives a clean and citrussy white. Crisp, floral Arneis is the grape used for whites in Roero appellation..
