Piedmont

Italian Geography

4 Major Regions

1. Northwest

2. Northeast

3. Central

4. Southern

Northwest Italy

1. Includes the great Piedmont region.

2. Also, Liguria, Lombardy and Valle d’Aosta

Piedmont (Piemonte)

What makes Piedmont unique?

• Climate

• Geography

• Culture

Touted alongside Tuscany as on of Italy’s top two wine regions.

GeographyPiemonte means “the foot of the mountain.”

You can see why.

Surrounded by the Alps and the Appenines.

Po River cuts through it, creating a fertile plain, too rich for grape growing.

Most grape growing happens in the area south of the Po Valley.

Some in the foothills of the Alps.

Langhe Hills – Appenines.

Monferrato Hills – Appenines.

terms

• Bricco, Sori

Weather

• Continental Climate (cold snowy winters, hot dry summers, cool with fog spring and fall).

• Receives a rain shadow from the Alps.

Culture

• Fine dining.

• “Burgundy of Italy”

• One of the gastronaut capitals of the world.

• And of course, the wine.

Many great and differing styles of wine.

• Big bad reds

• Softer reds.

• Delicious, fresh whites.

• Highly perfumed and delicate whites.

• Sparkling whites.

Italian Label Help• Look for DOCG labels.

• di – preposition which means of

• d’ – di can become d’ when used before a vowel

• del – preposition with a definite article di il, meaning of the

Often times, you will have DOC(G)s like this

varietal di region

Sometimes they stand alone, like Barolo, Barbaresco

DOCGs of Piemonte• Barollo• Barbaresco• Ghemme• Gattinara• Roero• Barbera del

Monferrato Superiore

• Barbera d’Asti

• Dolcetto di Dogliani Superiore• Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore• Dolcetto di Diano d’Alba• Brachetto d’Acqui• Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato• Cortese di Gavi (Gavi)• Erbaluce di Caluso• Moscato d’Asti (Asti)

And some 40 DOCs!

How to organize

Sparkling (18%)

White (17%)

Red (65%)

Sparkling

• Asti/Moscato d’Asti

• Brachetto d’Aqui

Varietal

• White – Arneis, Cortese, Erbaluce (ACE)

• Red – Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, Ruche

• Or if you want to mix up the colors:

ABC NERD

White (only, still) DOCGs

• Cortese di Gavi

• Erbaluce di Caluso (very close to

Valle d’Aosta)

Nebbiolo

• Barolo• Barbaresco• Roero• Ghemme• Gattinara

Roero Tanaro River

Barolo and Barbaresco come from Really Good Grapes.

Nebbiolo• Thin skinned• Named for the morning fog of the region (la Nebbia) that

prolongs the grapes ripening process in the fall (and also seems to cover the skin of the grape).

• High alcohol, acid and extreme tannin. • Best examples offer extreme aromatic complexity and

longevity.• Aromas of tar, truffles, rose petals, dried fruits.• Moderate in concentration and orange tinged even in

youth.• Also known as Chiavennasca in Valtellina and

Picotendro in Valle d’Aosta.

Nebbiolo - What’s the difference?

• Barolo “the king of wines, the wine of kings”• Barbaresco• Roero – Across the Tanaro river from B&B.• Gattinara and Ghemme – Foothills of the Alps.

Barolo/ Barbaresco• Big, bad manly (especially Barolo) wine. • High in alcohol and tannin.• Use care when pairing this with food.• Needs to age!

• Excellent Vintages: 1990, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

For reference.

Cannubi on Barolo and Rabaja in Barbaresco..

Monferrato Hills

• Barbera d’Asti• Barbera del Monferrato Superiore • Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato

Dolcetto

• Dolcetto di Dogliani Superiore• Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore• Dolcetto di Diano d’Alba

Sweet black fruit in a typically rustic frame.