Great Reds: Protagonists of the Territory

Piedmont is known throughout the world for its great expressions of red grape varieties such as Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto. However, there are also lesser known but equally typical and important grapes, such as Freisa, Grignolino, Vespolina, Pelaverga Piccolo, Brachetto, Ruché and others. It's worth noting that each area of the region can boast its own peculiarities and the presence of typical grapes. Piedmont's most famous red wines are produced in the Langhe, a hilly area on the orographic right of the Tanaro river, in the province of Cuneo, whose economic, historical and cultural centre is the city of Alba. The great expressions of Barolo and Barbaresco are produced from Nebbiolo grapes in limited and very prestigious areas, while the Langhe DOC Nebbiolo is produced throughout the area. Barbera d'Alba, Dolcetto d'Alba and, in a small commune, the spicy and easy to drink Pelaverga di Verduno are also produced. The greatest expressions of Dolcetto are those of Diano d'Alba and Dogliani DOCG. To the left of the Tanaro river we find the Roero, a territory that shares with the Langhe a high vocation for Nebbiolo. Monferrato Astigiano, on the other hand, is the kingdom of Barbera, which is expressed in an exceptional way in the Barbera d'Asti and Nizza DOCG wines, but also in DOC versions such as Barbera Piemonte, a product that is particularly sought after for its rich aromatic nuances. Further south, in the province of Alessandria, in the area called Alto Monferrato, we find Dolcetto Ovada DOCG, Grignolino, Freisa, Barbera and the aromatic Brachetto d'Acqui. In the Canavese, an area of high hills, Nebbiolo expresses itself magnificently on the terraces of Carema, while on the hills of Vercelli, Biella and Novara, it is called Spanna and reaches qualitative peaks in robust territorial expressions such as Bramaterra, Lessona, Gattinara, Ghemme and Boca.

The White Expression of Piedmont Wines

The white wines of the region do not reach the international fame of the reds, but in recent decades they have undergone an important qualitative change that aims to enhance them. Throughout the territory we find a large number of native white grape varieties. Arneis is perhaps the best known white grape, an ancient and characteristic grape brought to the fore by historic producers such as Ceretto and Giacosa from the 1980s onwards. Today it is the pride of the Roero region, whose rolling hills are home to the famous Roero Arneis DOCG. In the Asti area and on the border between the Langhe and Monferrato, Moscato Bianco di Canelli is widespread, made into sparkling or semi-sparkling wine in the Asti DOCG, a denomination known throughout the world and which has become synonymous with celebration and conviviality. It is one of the most famous and best-selling Italian wines in the world. Another white protagonist on the Piedmont wine scene is Timorasso, which, in the Colli Tortonesi, produces a complex and distinctive white wine with extraordinary longevity. Not very far away, again in the province of Alessandria, the cortese grape gives life to Gavi DOCG, a fresh and expressive white wine, very suitable for aperitifs and for pairing with delicate fish dishes. The Erbaluce dominates in Canavese and Alto Piemonte, both in dry and sweet versions, enhanced by the prestigious Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG denomination.

Historical Producers in the Region

The history of Piedmontese wine goes back a long way, at least to when the Greeks, in ancient times, brought vine shoots and full amphorae to Ligurian ports. It is certain that already in Roman times the whole region had demonstrated a great vocation for quality production, praised even by Pliny the Elder in his 'Naturalis Historia', in particular for the use of wooden barrels for storage. Sources from the Middle Ages cite the city of Asti and the Monferrato area as flourishing production centres while, in the 16th century, Voghera, Tortona and Alessandria became reference points for the bottler of Pope Paul III. It seems that already at that time Nebbiolo had spread with great success in the hills that had the most exposition. The process of wine renewal in the whole territory dates back to the 18th century, which ended with the definition of what would become the great Piedmont wines known throughout the world. Thanks to the passion of Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour, owner of an estate in Grinzane, and Giulia Colbert Falletti, the last Marquise of Barolo, with the help of General Paolo Francesco Staglieno and the French Count Odart, the first bottles of Nebbiolo da Barolo were produced in the 1830s. In the meantime, the collaboration between the Modenese agronomist Domizio Cavazza and the Cantina Sociale del Barbaresco, today known as Produttori del Barbaresco, gave birth to another great star of the Langhe.

At the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries we find the first generation of great, pioneering barolisti such as Borgogno, Barale, Rinaldi and Cappellano. During the 20th century, especially after the war, legendary producers such as Bartolo Mascarello and Giacomo Conterno distinguished themselves, while from the 1970s onwards, young winemakers such as Elio Altare and Roberto Voerzio revolutionised the way of working in the Langhe, earning themselves the nickname of the Barolo Boys. In the meantime, in the Barbaresco area, the producers Angelo Gaja and Bruno Giacosa gained great fame and prestige, true masters destined to remain an unrivalled model. The work of these historic producers has marked out the path for other winemakers in the area and today there are many wineries capable of reaching the highest levels of quality. The enhancement and study of the territory has led to the definition of the most suitable areas, i.e. the so-called Additional Geographical Mentions: 66 for Barbaresco, confirmed by a ministerial decree in 2007, and 181 for Barolo, definitively established in 2009.

Other historic Piedmontese producers also deserve a mention, such as Coppo and Braida in Monferrato, founders of a new and more modern way of conceiving and drinking Barbera, the Carema Producers in Canavese, whose hands produce an excellent mountain Nebbiolo, Tenute Sella and finally, in the southernmost part of the region, Walter Massa, the creator of the rediscovery of Timorasso dei Colli Tortonesi.

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