Grape Varieties - Piemonte Flashcards
What are the three key black varieties of Piemonte and describe their respective tannin and acid levels?
Nebbiolo - High acid / high tannin
Barbera - High acid / low tannin
Dolcetto - Low to medium acidity / med + tannin
Describe the planting status of Nebbiolo in Italy.
Not very widely planted, confined to North West Italy, manly Piemonte, approximately 5500ha total. Barbara and Dolcetto much more widely planted.
There are 3 recognised sub-varieties of Nebbiolo, what are they and what are their chief characters?
Lampia - Good yields, good colour and perfume.
Michet - Low yielder, good structure, does not adapt to all soils. Consider best of the 3/
Rose - Low yielder, light colour, powerful perfume, declining due to low colour.
Describe the ripening behaviour of Nebbiolo.
- Late ripener, seldom harvested before the third week of October.
- Name derived from ‘Nebbia’ the word for fog, denoting Autumn fog can arrive before harvest.
- Ripens 2 weeks after Barbera and 4 weeks after Dolcetto.
Vilification and maturation of Nebbiolo has changed greatly in Piemonte over the past 30 years, what methods were introduced and what improvements in wines have been achieved?
- Temperature control
- Less maceration time (from up to 60 days, down to 5-30 days)
- Use of rotary fermenters
- Increased bottle age before release.
This has achieved sounder, cleaner wines of greater fruit and concentration.
Why have large oak casks (bottes) traditionally been used in the maturation of Nebbiolo wines?
Because of the high level of tannin in Nebbiolo, producers try to avoid adding any wood tannin that would result from the use of smaller format or new oak.
What are the 4 100% Nebbiolo appellations of Piemonte?
- Barolo DOCG
- Barbera DOCG
- Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC
- Langhe Nebbiolo DOC
What characterises wines made from Nebbiolo?
- High tannin
- High acid
- High alcohol
- Pale colour
- Complex aromas - tar & roses
In what appellations does Nebbiolo appear in blends?
- Roero DOCG
- Gattinara DOCG
- Langhe Rosso DOC
Where are Barbera’s chief areas of planting?
- Piemonte
- Oltrepo Pavese - Lombardia
What are the characteristics of the Barbera grape?
- Productive and versatile
- Ripens late, although generally 2 weeks before Nebbiolo
- Retains acidity, so good for hot areas
What are the generalised characteristics of wine produced from Barbera?
- Deep ruby coloured
- Full bodied
- Concentrated fruit
- Noticeably low tannin
- High acidity
- A bone dry finish
What regions are considered the most superior for Barbera?
Asti and Monferrato with their high clay soils.
What are the key appellations for Barbera in Piemonte? State whether 100% or blend.
- Nizza DOCG - 100%
- Babera d’Asti - 90%+
- Barbera del Monferrato Superiore DOCG - Blend
- Barbera del Monferrato DOC - Blend
- Barbera d’Alba - Blend
In the 1980’s some producers started to do what with there Barbera wines and what did this achieve?
They began maturing their wines in Barriques.
This achieved the addition of spiciness and structure but this had to be for wines from low yields with good flavour and body.
Wines became known as Super Piedmontese.
What is the viticultural behaviour of Dolcetto?
- Ripens early, early enough to put it in danger of September rains.
- Ripens around six weeks earlier than Nebbiolo meaning wineries get two uses from vilification equipment.
- Easier to ripen so can be grown in less favourable sites although the white marl soils of the right bank of the Tanaro River are said to be the best sites.
Dolcetto skins are rich in what? Meaning what?
Anthocyanin’s meaning only short macerations and fermentations are required to achieve a deep purple colour. In this way undesirable high levels of tannin are avoided too.
Describe the style of wine made from Dolcetto.
Frangrat, fruity, easy drinking with medium acidity, medium plus tannin and high alcohol. The everyday drinking wine of the Piemontese drunk with 1-2 years of vintage.
What are the major appellations for Dolcetto? (All 100%).
- Dogliani DOCG
- Dolcetto di Diano d’Alba DOCG
- Dolcetto di Olvada (& Superiore) DOCG
- Dolcetto d’Alba DOC
Name two historic Dolcetto DOC’s
- Langhe Dolcetto DOC
- Monferrato Dolcetto DOC
What are the three minor black varieties of Piemonte?
- Brachetto
- Grigniolino
- Freisa
What two international varieties can be found in Piemonte?
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
What are the four main white varieties and one international of Piemonte?
- Cortese
- Arneis
- Moscato
- Favorita
- Chardonnay
Give a description of the wine style Cortese makes.
High in acid (when it does not ripen fully it can be aggressively high), fruity and aromatic, occasionally with mineral notes and a citrus tang.
