North-West Italy Flashcards
1
Q
Top six grapes in Piemonte by % of plantings
A
- Barbera
- Moscato Bianco (sparkling)
- Dolcetto
- Nebbiolo
- Cortese
- Brachetto (sparkling rosé)
2
Q
Climate in Piemonte
A
- moderate continental, cold winters, hot summers
- Alps protect from cold N winds and rain
- Apennines protect from Mediterranean weather
- some moderation from Lake Maggiore in north and Po River in south
- vineyards in foothills 150-600m, diff aspects/altitudes
- Threats are late frosts, thunderstorms, hail, fog
- Low rainfall Jun-Sept (grapes ripen, little fungus)
- October rain threat to late-ripen Nebbiolo
3
Q
What is the most common form of vine training for Nebbiolo in Piemonte?
A
Single Guyot
4
Q
Why is Single Guyot used to train Nebbiolo vines in Piemonte?
A
- Nebbiolo vines are particularly vigorous, so grow excess foliage, requiring significant canopy management to avoid shading
- Single Guyot training allows canopy trimming to be mechanised (saving time/ money)
- Canes are also vertically trained which allows better ventilation - important when vigorous
5
Q
Why is Nebbiolo (in Piemonte) a labour intensive vine?
A
- It buds early and ripens late - long season
- It’s vigorous - grows excess foliage/ risk of shade - requires canopy management
- It needs cluster thinning for best quality
- It needs training high as the first few buds are infertile, so buds further up must bear fruit.
- Single Guyot training allows canopy trimming to be mechanised (saving time/ money)
6
Q
Barolo DOCG and Barbaresco DOCG laws for maturation
A
- Barolo DOCG 3 years & 2mths after harvest, 18 months in oak
- Barolo Riserva DOCG 5 years & 2 mths after harvest, 18 mths in oak
- Barbaresco DOCG 2 years after harvest, 9 mths in oak
- Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 4 years after harvest
7
Q
Why do Barbaresco’s wine laws require less ageing than Barolo?
A
- Vneyards are lower in altitude, climate warmer, so subtly riper, softer style. (Harvest is 1 week earlier)
8
Q
What is the the official geographical indication within Barolo DOCG for single vineyard status?
A
Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive
9
Q
Where and what is Langhe?
A
- “Langhe” is the plural form of langa, a local word for a long, low-lying hill
- It’s the hilly subregion east of the Tanaro river and south of Alba, in the Cuneo province of Piemonte
10
Q
two main soil types of Barolo DOCG
A
- villages in north & west (eg La Morra) have blue-grey marl which produces lighter, more aromatic wines drinkable after few years in bottle (Nebbiolo said to produce finest, most perfumed on calcareous marls)
- villages in south & east (eg Serralunga d’Alba) have less fertile, yellow-grey compacted sand and clay, producing wines that are closed and tannic in youth, and need 10-15 years cellaring
11
Q
Flavour profile of Nebbiolo
A
- Pale ruby, turning to pale garnet within 3-5 years
- Pronounced intensity violet, rose, tar, sour red cherry, red plums, earth, truffles and dark chocolate with age
- Full body
- High tannins
- High acidity
- can be high alcohol
12
Q
Viniculture of Nebbiolo
A
- Early budding (spring frosts)
- Ripens very late (autumn rain)
- vigorous - need canopy management to avoid shading: Single Guyot allows mechanisation/ beware sunburn
- First few buds infertile, so trained high
- Cluster thinning for best quality
- valuable, so best south/s-w facing sites in Langhe in Cuneo but also in northern provinces of Piemonte
- clonal research for deeper colour, but loses aromatics
- Many growers (inc Gaja) use mass selection
13
Q
How are growers in Piemonte trying to improve the Nebbiolo clone
A
- Research aimed at deepening colour (to avoid orange tints even in young wines), but loses aromatics
- Many growers prefer mass selection to propogate new vines. Seek vines with
- low vigour (increased concentration)
- open bunches (reduce fungal disease)
- small berries ( good depth of colour - more skin v juice ratio)
14
Q
one slide overview of Barolo
A
- horseshoe-shaped valley spanning several villages each having 300-500m south facing slopes
- Barolo DOCG must be 100% Nebbiolo, high tannins, high acidity, little colour
- grapes ripen slowly at these altitudes, developing perfumed aromas of sour cherries, herbs, dried flowers, famously “tar and roses”
- wines often made from grapes from different villages
- 100% one village, label Barolo Serralunga d’Alba DOCG
- best from named vineyard eg Barolo Cannubi DOCG
- improved grape growing/ gentler extraction means wines not aged so long before drinking
15
Q
two extreme styles of Nebbiolo in the “Barolo Wars”
A
- traditional Nebbiolo winemaking - very long (3-4 mths) maceration, 5-8 years in large old wood soften tannins
- 70s-80s young producers (Elio Altare in Barolo, Angelo Gaje in Barbaresco) sought deeper colour, softer tannins, reducing maceration (less extraction), using small new oak barrique for more oxygen contact and oak flavours, approachable much younger.
Raised quality and prices, but generally (not all) agreed new oak masks delicate elements, so current practice is somewhere in between
