Piemonte
Piemonte is a hilly area with gusts of fog, forests where truffles are found and interspersed with rustic villages. It borders Switzerland to the north and France to the west. As the name says, it lies at the foot of the mountains in the Alps. It has a continental winter climate, so it is colder than, for example, Bordeaux, while it is at the same geographical height.
The best wines from Piemonte
Piemonte is a hilly area with gusts of fog, forests where truffles are found and interspersed with rustic villages. It borders Switzerland to the north and France to the west. As the name says, it lies at the foot of the mountains in the Alps. It has a continental winter climate, so it is colder than, for example, Bordeaux, while it is at the same geographical height. It also rains less.
Piemonte is the only place where the nebbiolo grape really feels at home. Piemonte therefore tops the list when it comes to the total number of planted hectares in the world of this grape variety. Piemonte and nebbiolo are inextricably linked.
The best wines from Piemonte are made from the Nebbiolo grape, but the Barbera grape is the most planted. The Barbera grape also delivers surprisingly good wines. In addition, the Dolcetta is a widely used grape and also a sparkling wine is made, the Asti Spumante, from the Muscat grape. The best Italian wines are made in, amongst others, Piemonte.
Piedmont is synonymous with red wine for most people. However, one should not ignore the bubbly and a few delectable white wines. The Dolcetta is a widely used grape and a sparkling wine is made, the Asti Spumante, from the Muscat grape.
Other regions
Grapes in wines from Piemonte
Nebbiolo is the main grape for fine wines in Piemonte. But besides other popular grapes like the Barbera en Dolcetto, many other grapes are grown in Piemonte.
Barolo and Barbaresco
Piemonte has gained worldwide recognition for making some of the best wines. Almost without exception these wines are Barolo or Barbaresco wines.
For a wine to be called Barolo, it must meet a number of conditions. For instance, the wine must come from one of the 11 municipalities and the wine must mature for at least 38 months, of which at least 18 months in wood. For a Riserva, the minimum is even 62 months and also 18 months in wood. The well-known cru vineyards in this area are: Cannubi, Brunate, Vignarionda, Monprivato, Bricco Boschis, Bussia and Lazzarito.
Besides Barolo, Barbaresco also enjoys global fame. The Barbaresco area lies northeast of the city of Alba, where Barolo lies just southwest of it. In the Barbaresco region, the temperature is just a little higher, so ripening is faster and grapes are harvested earlier than in the southwest. Also, the soil in Barbaresco contains more sand, which makes the wines here just a little lighter in texture. Finally, the prescribed rules for vinification are also slightly different. A Barbaresco has a shorter minimum maturation, namely at least 26 months of which at least 9 months in wood. For a Riserva, this is a minimum of 50 months and 9 months on wood.
Barbaresco and Barolo represent distinct wines. Barbaresco tends to possess a lighter structure, aging faster than Barolo. Its gentler tannins and softer mouthfeel distinguish it, often earning the title "queen," while Barolo, known for its robustness, is hailed as the "king."
Classifications of wines from Piemonte
Piedmonte is known for quality and produces more wines than any other region classified as DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita), Italy's highest wine certification. Piedmonte has more than 50 different wine regions.
Piedmont's diverse wines offer a rich palette of flavors and invite wine lovers to taste the essence of this remarkable Italian region. There are only about a dozen grape varieties that highlight the region's most important wines, despite the many and complex regional names.
Wine producers
What are the best vintages for Piemonte wines?
Barolo and Barbarsco can mature for a long period of time. The higher quality wines are in their best drinking window, at least 10 years after harvest. These wines can therefore easily be kept for around 30+ years: Barolo and Barbaresco are powerful wines with lots of tannins and a high acidity. Years of bottle aging allow the wine to develop further and the tannins become more pleasant.
The best vintages of the last 40 years are: 1982, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2019.
At Best of Wines, there is always stock of old to very old Barolo and Barbaresco, such as wines from the 50s, 60s and 70s. These wines are often still very nice to drink.
What are the most expensive wines from Piemonte?
That has everything to do with the quality, popularity and availability of the wines. Old riserva wines in particular can represent a high value.
Some of the most expensive Barolo and Barberesco wines are:
- Giacomo Conterno Monfortino
- Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Collina Rionda
- Ceretto Barolo Cannubi San Lorenzo
- Bartolo Mascarello Barolo Cannubi
- Aldo Conterno Barolo Granbussia
- Cappelano Otin Fiorin Pie Franco
What are the best wineries of Piemonte?
That is always a matter of taste and sometimes changes with time.And the answer to this is often subjective, but the following producers are definitely among the best in Piemonte:
