Northern Piedmont

The Nebbiolo grape makes some of the world’s finest red wines. The best-known growing area for these wines is the Langhe, in the region of Piedmont, around the little towns of Barolo and Barbaresco, but a century ago another area a few hours away was at least equally famous, a group of appellations collectively called Alto Piemonte. This under-appreciated jewel is an hour or so north-east of Turin, towards the alps that mark the border between Italy and Switzerland. The Nebbiolo wines grown here are distinctly different from Barolo and Barbaresco, giving us Nebbiolo addicts another whole source of pleasure.

The appellations that constitute Alto Piemonte, or northern Piedmont, are near the town of Biella (and not far from Milan’s main airport, making it an easy visit on your way to or from Italy). The soils vary widely among these appellations, even within them, but they are all different from the limestone-based clay soils in the Langhe. Most of the soils are acidic, which is important: acidic soils take up minerals differently from basic soils (the Langhe soils are all basic). This gives these Nebbiolo wines a savory character that is quite distinct from Barolo and Barbaresco.

The climate of Alto Piemonte is notably cooler than that of the Langhe; harvest is later, and alcohol levels in the finished wines are noticeably lower than in the Langhe. In these days of global warming this is a very good thing, with alcohol levels in Barolo now often reaching 15%. Nebbiolo from Piedmont is often compared with Pinot Noir from Burgundy, and the elegance and balance of these wines makes the comparison very apt. They age brilliantly, but often drink very well young too, which is not always the case with Barolo.

Nebbiolo is not the only grape grown here, and in fact the different appellations in Alto Piemonte permit or require other grapes to be blended with Nebbiolo. (The rules defining Barolo and Barbaresco strictly forbid blending.) Of the less well known varieties, my favorite is Vespolina; until recently this grape was only used for blending, but more recently its quality and distinctive character have begun to emerge unblended. Vespolina shows a fairly dark ruby color, aromas and flavors of raspberry, minerals and white pepper, not that different from cooler-climate Syrah. Another grape commonly blended with Nebbiolo is Croatina, which is very deep purple in color and shows a blocky structure and dark, meaty flavors, perhaps comparable with Mourvèdre.  The last red in this group is Uva Rara, which is a semi-aromatic variety that is sometimes blended and sometimes bottled by itself, showing a very distinct high-tones aroma of fruit and flowers. Although the fine white variety called Erbaluce is more commonly grown around Caluso, just west of Alto Piemonte towards Aosta, some of is also found here, bottled as a varietal.

Another wonderful surprise: Nebbiolo Rosé from from Alto Piemonte is one of the best rosés in Italy, distinctive and delicious and a very useful table wine. If you are used to pale Provençal rosé these wines will surprise you; they taste of watermelon, pomegranate and wild strawberry. I drink a lot of them, at different times of year, with all sorts of different foods (fish tacos, for example, but also salmon, roast chicken, all kinds of pasta dishes).