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
16
Q
current wine-making in Piedmont with Nebbiolo
A
- pick only grapes with ripe skins/ seeds (to eliminate aggressive tannins)
- macerate top wines 3-4 weeks on skins
- age in large format French/Slovakian oak, or combination of large and small format oak (barriques and up to 500L), only a small proportion new
- Most (but not all) producers agree overt vanilla, spice from new French oak masks the delicate aromas of Nebbiolo
17
Q
differences between Barolo and Barbaresco
A
- Barolo s-w of city of Alba, Barbaresco + villages to east. Like Barolo takes name from village of same name.
- generally lower altitude, warmer, harvest 1 week earlier
- subtly riper, hence shorter ageing requirements (2 yrs DOCG, 4 yrs Riserva; add to cost, but less than Barolo)
- same max yield 56 hL/ha
- many vineyards are MGA (Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive)
- wines are v good to outstanding, (super) premium
18
Q
why is Barolo called “the wine of kings, the king of wines?”
A
- because it came to fame in the middle of 19thC through association with the local royal House of Savoy
19
Q
Yields in Barolo DOCG
A
56hL/ha for all types of Barolo
20
Q
when can “vigna” appear on the label of a Barolo or Barbaresco?
A
only when the vineyard is an MGA (Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive), as most of the single vineyards have been
eg Cannubi, Brunate, Cerequio, Rocche, Monprivato, Bussia, Ginestra
21
Q
apart from Barolo and Barbaresco DOCG, where else in Piemonte is Nebbiolo grown?
A
- Roero DOCG north of Tanaro River
- Gattinara DOCG, Ghemme DOCG north, near Milan, 300m s facing continental climate, higher diurnal, more acidity, light bodied, intensely perfumed
- also Valtellina 750m in neighbouring Lombardy (blends)
- early drinking, young vines from Nebbiolo Langhe DOC and Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC (7-10 days maceration, 1 yr neutral containers, less cost). Some top producers use Nebbiolo Langhe DOC to bottle grapes not quality of top wines and to offer mid priced (premium) wines
22
Q
why is Barbera the most grown variety in Piemonte (3 x as much as Nebbiolo)?
A
- it’s less site-sensitive than Nebbiolo
- early budding (spring frosts), but ripens before Nebbilo
- vigorous, disease-resistant (except for fan leaf virus)
- flexible: very high yields of acceptable to good, or prune hard for highly concentrated wines
- will grow on range of sites and aspects
- relatively high in acidity, but low in tannins, so can make early drinking wine inexpensive, but also new oak (the oak adding body and tannins), ageworthy outstanding and premium
23
Q
compare a Barbera from Barbera d’Asti DOCG with one from Nizza DOCG (sub-zone of Asti)
A
- Barbera d’Asti DOCG max yield 63 hL/ha, aged 4 mths
- Nizza DOCG max yield 49hL/ha, min 18mths, <6 in oak
- Barbera d’Asti early drinking, med to deep ruby, med intensity red cherry/plum fruit, hint black pepper, no new oak, high acid, med tannins, med alcohol, good to v good, inexpensive to mid priced.
- Nizza deep ruby, pronounced intensity fruit and higher tannins to balance the high acidity, sometimes spice from proportion new oak, long. Premium, v good to outstanding.
24
Q
viticulture and wine-making of Dolcetto
A
- early-ripening (relative to Nebbiolo & Barbera), so can grow on cooler sites, though has low vigour, so ripening can be blocked by prolonged cool weather
- also fragile (buds easily broken), prone to fungals, so reduced plantings (though also Nebbiolo prices inflated)
- reductive in winery (frequent pump-overs/ rack return to oxygenate/ reduce off flavours
- to retain fresh primary fruit mid-range ferment temp, short (7-15 days) on skins, soft extraction to avoid naturally high tannins. Aged in steel/ concrete to preserve primary fruit.
25
flavour profile of Dolcetto (in Alba)
* deep ruby,
* med (+) intensity red cherry fruit, floral notes
* med(-) acidity
* med(+) tannins
* most good to v good, inexpensive to mid-priced
* some v good to outstanding and premium priced
* best Dolcetto d'Alba DOC (max 63hL/ha) notably Macarini or Dogliani DOCG (max 56hL/ha) notably Marziono Abbona
* (nb can be made at 77hL/ha as Piemonte DOC)
26
one slide on Gavi (or Cortese di Gavi) DOCG
* 100% Cortese max 67hL/ha, thin skinned, grey rot in wet
* light intensity lemon, apple/pear/ white flowers, high acidity, med body, med alcohol
* after press, mid range ferment (top wines few hrs pre-ferment maceration to increase aromatics), aged in steel to preserve primary, early drink (top may be old oak ferment, lees stirred, will age in bottle)
* good to v good, inexp to mid, some premium ageable.
* Riservas 45hL/ha, aged 1 yr (any vessel). Top producers Castellari Bergaglio, La Scolca
27
what is Gavi di Gavi DOCG?
* 100% Cortese made from grapes grown within municipality of Gavi (about 100km east of Barolo)
28
one slide on Arneis
* tricky to grow white grape championed by greats Vietti and Bruno Giacosa
* mainly grown in Roero, north of Tanaro River
* pick as soon as ripe, as acidity drops rapidly; care in winery as oxidises easliy
* light intensity, white flowers, chamomile, white peach and lemon, med(-) acidity
* typically good/v good, inexpensive to mid (some prem)
* Roero Arneis DOCG min 95% Arneis max 70hL/ha
29
compare the flavour profiles of Gavi (Cortese grape) and Arneis
* Both **light intensity, lemon and white flowers, light to medium body**
* **Cortese****apple/pear**and white flowers with**high acidity**
* **Arneis** complex aromas of white flowers, **chamomile,** white peach and lemon. They have **medium (-) acidity.**
30
85% of Barolo and 75% of Barbaresco is exported.
Which are the top four export markets?
* UK
* USA
* Scandinavia
* Germany
