Northern Italy Flashcards
Where is the red grape Oseleta grown?
In the Valpolicella area
Where is the green grape Pignoletto grown? And what style of wine is it used for?
In Emilia Romagna. It is used both for sparkling and still wine
Where is the green grape Timorasso grown? What styles of wine is it used for?
In Piedmont. It is used for aromatic white and also pomace brandy, and Grappa
Which were the two first DOCGs in Northern Italy?
Barolo and Barbaresco in 1980
What did the colonizing Greeks call Italy?
Oenotria - “the land of wine”
What is the answer to the French AOP/AOC law in Italy?
DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) or the more prestigious DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita)
What is the answer to the PGI (Protected Geographical Indication)?
What type of wines can that be?
IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica)
It may be variety labeled, and can be everything from very basic wine to the most sought-after Super-Tuscans
What is the simplest type of table wine called in Italy?
Vino (formerly Vino da Tavola)
What is the mountain range called to the north of Northern Italy?
The Alps
What mountain range is considered the spine of Italy?
The Apennine Mountains
When was modern-day Italy unified?
1861
When was the region Trentino-Alto Adige added to Italy?
After the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed after World War 1
What does the name of the region Piedmont mean?
“The Foot of the Mountain”
What river cuts through the Piedmont region?
The Po river
What typical soil types can one find in Piedmont?
Thinner, calcareous marl and sandstone soils with varying percentages of clay and sand, coupled with the sub-mountainous landscape
What type of climate has Piedmont?
Continental climate with rain shadowing effect from The Alps
What weather-related issues may occur in Piedmont in autumn?
Autumn hail may occur in the Lange Hills
What does the name Nebbiolo mean?
It comes from the Italian word nebbia, which means “Morning Fog.”
What is the typical trio of red grapes commonly grown in Piedmont?
Can you give some info about each variety?
Dolcetto, the little fruity one, is the earliest one to ripen. Designated to early consumption.
Barbera is the most planted grape in Piedmont. A food-friendly, elegant wine with good acidity
Nebbiolo, tannic, high acid, highly regarded as a wine that can age very well
What is the most planted white grape in Piedmont?
What type of wine does it usually produce?
Moscato Bianco. Generally used for sparkling Asti wines.
Can you name a few lesser indigenous-grown red grapes in Piedmont?
Brachetto, Grignolino, Ruchè, Croatina, Vespolina, and Freisa.
Can you name a few white grapes grown in Piedmont? (Without mentioning Moscato Bianco)
Cortese, Arneis, Erbaluce and Favorita (Vermentino)
What is the generalization of the difference between Barolo and Barbaresco?
Barolo is the more masculine, typically more robust and long-lived, while Barbaresco is the feminine counterpart, which is softer.
Although this is a generalization
What are the typical aromas of a Barolo/Barbaresco? And what color/hue do they usually have?
The aromas of tar, truffle, rose petals, and dried fruits are classically attributed to both wines. Both wines usually have an orange-tinged hue even in youth and go towards brick-color
In how many communes may Barolo be produced in? But what are the six core communes that produce the most?
One can produce Barolo in 11 communes.
But La Morra, Barolo, Serralunga d’Alba, Monforte d’Alba, and Castiglione Falletto, and Novello
What type of soil characterizes the soils of La Morra and Barolo? (It provides a softer style of wine)
Tortonian soils, which contain a higher proportion of calcareous marl
What type of soil characterizes the soils of Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, and Castiglione Falletto? (It supplies more structure in the wine)
Serravallian (Helvetian) sandstone soils
What are the aging requirements for Barolo?
Minimum of 38 months, including a minimum of 18 months in wood
What are the aging requirements for Barolo Riserva?
Minimum of 62 months, including a minimum of 18 months in wood
Can you name three “traditionalist” winemakers in Barolo?
Giacomo Conterno, Bartolo Mascarello, and Giuseppe Rinaldi
Can you name three “modernist” winemakers in Barolo?
Paolo Scavino, Luciano Sandrone, and Elio Altare
What are the aging requirements for Barbaresco?
Minimum 26 months, including a minimum of 9 months in wood
What are the aging requirements for Barbaresco Riserva?
Minimum 50 months, including a minimum of 9 months in wood
What are the communes of production for Barbaresco DOCG?
Barbaresco, Neive, Treiso, and San Rocco Seno d’Elvio (part of Alba)
What is Barolo Chinato?
DOCG aromatized wine that is flavored with quinine
Roero DOCG
- Location
- Soil type
- Styles of wine and grapes allowed
- Climate compared to Barolo and Barbaresco
- Northwestern Bank of the Tanaro River
- Sandy soils
- Rosso wines from at least 95% Nebbiolo, usually a lighter style than Barolo and Barbaresco.
Aromatic and floral whites/spumante from the grape Arneis
- The climate is semiarid and slightly warmer
- What two DOCGs produce rosso wines from the grape Nebbiolo in the hills north of the Po River?
- Which river does they straddle?
- What is the local name of Nebbiolo here, and what other grapes is it commonly blended with?
- Ghemme DOCG and Gattinara DOCG
- Sesia River
- Spanna and they usually add Vespolina and Bonarda grapes
Uva Rara, or Bonarda, is used in Gattinara DOCG and Ghemme DOCG, but they use different grape clones. Which?
Is the Bonarda related to the ones used in Argentina?
Bonarda Novarese is used for blending in Ghemme, while Bonarda di Gattianara is used for blending in Gattianara.
No, they are not related.
What type of wine produces Lessona DOC and Sizzano DOC?
Similar types of rosso wines, like Ghemme DOCG. Based on Nebbiolo
What type of wine produces Carema DOC?
Nebbiolo-based blends, but more fragrant examples, especially during warm vintages
What two DOCGs produce Barbera wines?
Barbera d’Asti DOCG and Barbera del Monferrato Superiore DOCG
What is the aging requirement for Barbera d’Asti DOCG?
Superiore, Superiore Tinella, Superiore Colli Astiani
Normale: Minimum 4 months in oak after November 1 of the harvest year
Superiore: 14 months from November 1 of the harvest year, including at least 6 months in oak
Superiore Tinella, Superiore Colli Astiani: 24 months from October 1 of the harvest year, including at least 6 months in wood and 6 months in bottle
What is the aging requirement for Barbera del Monterrato Superiore DOCG?
Minimum 14 months from November 1 of the harvest year, including at least 6 months in oak