North-West Italy - Piemonte Flashcards
Where is Pimonte
North-West corner of italy
What is the weather?
Mountains in north = rain shadow, protects region from winds and precipitation
What is the climate in Piemonte
What is the climate in Piemonte? Threats? Rainfall?
Moderate and continental with long, cold winters and summers,
thunderstorms, hail and fog and frost
low rain in June-Sept = good ripening
higher rain in autumn, threat to Nebbiolo
What are the moderating influences in Piemonte?
Po River in southern part of region
Lake Maggiore in the North
Describe the terrain in Piemonte
Area noted for foothills
100-600m
Different aspects and altitudes for viticulture
Describe the Nebbiolo grape/ vineyard
Until recently only grown in Piemonte
Early budding (frost)
Vigorous = canopy management - to avoid unripe fruit due to leaf shading
Single guyot
High Trained/Pruning due to first few buds infertile, pruned with more buds
Best quality require time-consuming cluster thinning
Late ripening
South/southwest facing sites
Describe a wine made from Nebbiolo
Typically pale, ruby to pale garnet (3-5 yrs) pronounced intensity aromas and flavours: violet, rose, red cherry, red plum, herbs, dried flowers
Full Bodied, hi tannins, hi acidity, hi alcohol
What soil does the finest, most perfumed wines grow on?
Calcareous Marls
What is the disadvantage of new clones?
producing a deeper colour, but have lost some aromatics
Which producer prefer mass selection to propagate new vines?
Gaja (seeking vines with low vigour = higher concentration, open bunches (less fungal disease) and small berries (good depth of colour)
Where is Barolo DOCG?
Named after village Barolo, incorporates a number of villages south west of the city of Alba.
Describe Barolo?
Dry, tannic wine made from 100% Nebbiolo
What is it also known as?
The King of Wines, the Wine of Kings (House of Savoy)
Where are the vineyards planted for Barolo? height? result? effect on grapes? effect on wines?
South and South-West facing slopes, 200-400m high = good sunlight interception with cooling influences = slow ripening, long growing season, produces wines of pronounced aromatic intensity and hi acidity
What are the max yields for Barolo DOCG?
56 hL/ha
How much have plantings increased in the last 30 years?
doubled to 2,000 ha
What are the ageing requirements for Barolo DOCG?
Aged for 3 years and 2 months from 1 November of the year of harvest, incl 18m in oak
What is the effect of the ageing requirements?
Add to costs of production
resulting in v good-premium wines, outstanding quality and premium and super-premium priced
Describe the 2 different types of soil in Barolo DOCG
Villages with blue-grey marl in north and west = La more = wines lighter and more aromatic
Villages in South and east = Serralunga d’Alba = closed wines, tannic and require cellaring for 10-15 years
Why might producers blend their wines
for complexity
Bartolo Mascarello
why might producers use single vineyards?
high reputation for quality
Gaja and Bruno Giacosa
What are the sub-zones of Barolo DOCG? (2010)
Entire village (ie, La Morra)
Specified Single Vineyard
Number of specified vineyards
Describe Barolo Chinato
a Barolo wine, sweetened and infused with herbs and spices
How was Barolo made traditionally?
Very long maceration on the skins (3-4 months) followed by 5-8 yrs ageing in old wooden vessels to soften tannins
What is the more modern way to make Barolo? Why some agree less oak
Pick only grapes with ripe skins and seeds (to eliminate aggressive tannins), maceration 3-4 weeks
Gentler extraction, shorter maturation times, some new oak (Fr or Slav) and bottle ageing = still continues to soften tannins and adds complexity = truffles, tar and leather
Overt vanilla and sweet spice from Fr Oak masks delicate aromas of Nebbiolo
Where is Barbaresco DOCG? size vs Barolo?
village called Barbaresco, incorporates a number of villages to the east of the city of Alba
1/3 size of Barolo
Why is Barbaresco different to Barolo?
slight warmer, lower altitude = harvest 1 week earlier
What are the ageing requirements for Barbaresco?
2 years and 2 months from 1 November after harvest for Barbaresco DOCG
4 years and 2 months for Riserva
Both require min 9 months in wood
What do these maturations times mean?
added cost of production
What is the quality of Barbaresco DOCG wines?
Good to Outstanding Quality
Premium - Super Premium in price
Where else is Nebbiolo grown?
Roero DOCG, north of Tanaro River, close to Milan
What other DOCGs near Roero?
Gattinara DOCG and Gemme DOCG
What is the different in these climates/wines?
continental climate, higher diurnal variation = higher acidity
South facing 300m = ripe fruit, light bodied but intensely perfumed
often blended with small proportion other local varieties
A similar wine is made in Lombardy - where?
Valtellina
What are the DOCs producing early drinking Nebbiolo wines?
Langhe Nebbiolo DOC
Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC
made from young vines, less favoured sites
Describe the Barbera grape?
Most widely planted black variety in Piemonte (x 3 of Nebbiolo)
early budding (frost)
Vigorous and disease resistant
can grow on range of sites/aspects
High yields
Describe the Barbera wines
high acidity, low in tannin,
range of styles incl lightly sparkling
What is the style of most Barbera wines
still wine
easy drinking
med to deep ruby colour
med int of red plum, red cherry, some black pepper aromas
high acidity
med tannin, med alcohol
What is the quality level of Barbera wines?
good to v good, inexpensive to mid-priced, some outstanding wines command premium prices
Highly concentrated wines also made - how?
lower yields, old vines, aged in Fr Oak barriques
Oak tannins add body, capacity to age = add to cost
DOCG requirements for Barbera d’Asti? Superiore
Max yield 63 hL/ha, aged for min 4 months
Superiore = aged min 14m, 6 in oak
DOCG requirements for Nizza?
49 hL/ha, aged 18m, 6 in oak
Piemonte DOC?
made using Barbera, 84 hL/ha = low concentation
Describe the Dolcetto grape
Black grape
ripens early
grows on cooler sites
low vigour and ripening blocked by cold weather
Reduced vineyards due to popularity of Nebbiolo
What does Dolcetto require in winery
frequent pumpover to introduce oxygen and avoid off-flavours, needs mid-range fermentation temp (17-25℃), short time on skin, soft extraction. Aged in S/S to preserve primary fruit
What are the DOC/Gs for Dolcetto?
Dolcetto d’Alba DOC (64 hL/ha)
Dogliani DOCG
Dolcetto di Ovada DOC
Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore DOCG
Style of these Dolcetto wines?
Deep ruby
med+ intensity red cherry fruit with floral notes
med- acidity, med + tannins
What are the 2 white grapes grown in Piemonte?
Cortese
Arneis
Describe the Cortese grape
high yielding
light intensity aromas has lemon apple pear white flowers
hi acidity, med body
Cortese in the winery?
pressed, must fermented at mid range (17-25℃)
aged in S/S - preserve fruit
Some top wines undergo pre-fermentation maceration = increased aromatic intensity and these can be bottled aged for tertiary notes
Describe Gavi DOCG
must be made entirely from Cortese grapes with max yield of 67 hL/ha
Describe Gavi location/wine/vineyard planting where?
Located south-eastern Piemonte, White Wine region
grown in hills, altitude and sea breezes result in slow ripening of Cortese grape
Describe the style of wine Gavi ? use of oak
pale, light-bodied, high acidity and aromas/flavours of citrus, green apples and pears
some producers use old oak to add complexity, can age in bottle
Describe the Arneis grape/wines
grown in Roero, light intensity, complex aromas of white flowers, camomile, white peach and melon
med- acidity
good quality, some v good examples
What special requirements made from Arneis
Picked at desired ripeness as acidity drops rapidly
in winery, oxidises easily
Describe Roero Arneis DOCG
Made from min 95% arneis
up to 70 hL/ha
Popular in 1908s onwards.
What is unique about Piemonte wines?
No PGI/IGT wines
Wine Biz in Piemonte?
remained as mostly small family farms
Hi proportion of Barolo and Barbareso exported (85/75%)
USA, Germany, UK and Scandinavia
Why are Barolo/Barbaresco wines popular with investors?
Bordeaux/Burgundy wines now v expensive, buyers looks for alt investment wines. Popular to due ability to age in bottle and develop tertiary flavours.
Now Barolo prices are rising, less expensive DOCGs have more attention.
