Piedmont is a hilly area with gusts of fog, forests where truffles are found and interspersed with rustic villages. Just like a good Barolo. Some of the best wines from Italy are made here.
Piedmont 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.
The best wines from the Piedmont 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 a sparkling wine is made, the Asti Spumante, from the Muscat grape.
Nebbiolo is one of the oldest grape varieties in Italy. It derives its name from the Italian word Nebbia, which means fog and is a typical phenomenon in Piemonte. The grape loves heat and needs it. The color is lighter, more towards Pinot Noir and the tannins and alcohol percentage can be high. The acidity is also higher than average.
Taste
Nebbiolo is especially notable for its bouquet. It is complex, strongly aromatic with besides beautiful red and black fruit also many floral elements (rose, violet). Also typical are the non-fruit and flower-related elements such as pencil, tar, smoke, earth.
Famous wine estates in the Piedmont include: Aldo Conterno, Gaja, Paolo Scavino, Giacomo Conterno, Domenico Clerico, Roberto Voerzio.