Northern italy Flashcards by Andres Ramirez

Piedmont facts…

One of Italy’s two greatest wine regions
High number of DOCG wines
Barolo and Barbaresco from Nebbiolo are the most important wines
Barbera most widely planted grape
Region of small producers-has been compared to Burgundy in quantity of wine produced
Small vineyards (crus) important
“Piedmont” is Italian for “foot of the mountains”

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Facts…

Piedmont, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Trentino-Alto Adige represent an incredible array of grape varieties, wine styles and geography.

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Piedmont’s primary white grapes:

Cortese
Arneis
Chardonnay
Moscato

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Piedmont’s primary red grape varieties:

Nebbiolo
Barbera
Dolcetto
Brachetto

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What are the most important wines in Piedmont?

Barolo and Barbaresco

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What is the grape used for Barolo and Barbaresco?

Nebbiolo

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Piedmont’s climate and soils…

Climate:
Continental with rain-shadow effect from Alps Mountains but fog at late harvest time

Soils:
Various, with outcroppings of calcareous marl and sandstone

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Important Piedmont’s DOCG:

Barbaresco 
Barolo
Gattinara
Brachetto d'Acqui
Asti
Moscato d'Asti
Dolcetto di Dogliani Superiore
Dolcetto Diano d'Alba
Barbera d'Asti
Barbera del Monferrato Superiore
Gavi
Roero (Arneis & Nebbiolo)

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Other important DOC wines…

Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC
Barbera d’Alba DOC
Dolcetto d’Alba DOC
Langhe Dolcetto DOC

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Barolo specifications…

100% Nebbiolo
Nebbiolo is a late-ripening grape requiring a long and precipitation-free season
Climate continental
Normale vs Riserva

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What percentage of Nebbiolo is used in Barolo?

100%

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Barbaresco DOCG:

100% Nebbiolo
35-40% annual production of Barolo
Single vineyards important
Lighter soils with generally more elegant wines and limited ageability
2001, 2004 considered excellent “classic” years

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Lombardy background…

One of the northern Italy’s most important regions
Milan is the Capital
Over 25 million cases produced annually
Over 20% is DOC quality

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Lombardy primary white grape varieties:

Chardonnay
Pinot Grigio
Pinot Bianco
Lugana (Trebbiano)

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Lombardy primary Red grape varieties:

Nebbiolo (Chiavennasca)

Pinot Nero

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Important Lombardy DOCG’s…

Valtelina Superiore DOCG (Nebbiolo based red wines)
Franciacorta DOCG (Quality Metodo Classico sparkling wines)
Sforzato di Valetellina
Oltrepo Pavese Classico

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What are the Northern Italy regions?

Piedmont
Lombardy
Trentino-Alto Adige
Veneto
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Emilia-Romagna
Liguria
Valle D'Aosta

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Trentino-Alto Adige facts…

Northern most region in Italy with steep alpine valleys
55% of all wine produced is DOC due to large geography covered by limited number of DOC
35% exported

Trentino-Alto Adige key regions:

Valle d’Isarco
Santa Maddalena
Trentino
Trento

Trentino-Alto Adige primary white grape varieties:

Pinot Grigio 
Chardonnay 
Pinot Bianco 
Sauvignon Blanc
Traminer
Tocai

Trentino-Alto Adige primary Red grape varieties:

Merlot 
Cabernet Franc
Pinot Nero
Teroldego
Lagrein
Schiava

Veneto facts…

4th largest production region
From Lake Garda in the west to the Adriatic
Principal cities are Venice and Verona
Diverse range of styles and grapes

What are the two most important cities of Veneto?

Venice and Verona

Veneto primary white grape varieties are…

Pinot Grigio
Glera (Prosecco)
Trebbiano
Garganega

What are Veneto's primary red grape varieties?

``` Corvina Corvinone Rondinella Molinara Cabernet Franc Merlot ```

Veneto's important DOCG's...

Amarone della Valpolicella/Recioto della Valpolicella Bardolino Superiore Recioto di Gambellara Prosecco di: Conegliano, Valdobbiadene, Colli Asolani Soave: Superiore, Superiore Classico, Recioto di Soave

Veneto's important DOC's

Prosecco (Sparkling) Bardolino Soave

Valpolicella's principal grape varieties:

Corvina Veronese with lesser amounts of Rondinella, Molinara and Negrara

Valpolicella's climate:

Range from continental in foothills to hot maritime toward coast

Valpolicella's soils:

Volcanic and Calcareus

Valpolicella's types:

Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG Valpolicella DOC Valpolicella Ripasso DOC

What Ripasso means?

Re-passed

Ripasso facts...

Traditional winemaking technique in the Veneto. Young Valpolicella put into tanks or barrels containing lees or dried fruit from previous Amarone fermentation. Causes secondary fermentation, increasing alcohol content an giving Amarone character to the wine.

Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG:

Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara Produced from ripe bunches of dehydrated grapes Fruit dries and develops unique flavor characteristics Wine fermented dry or off-dry Intensely flavored at 14-16% alcohol

How is the Appassimento process?

Grapes harvested and dried for several weeks in special rooms Used to produce passito, Recioto and Amarone wines Modern technology: use of ventilators and de-humidifiers makes process more reliable Recioto wines: sweet wines made from passito grapes in Veneto

Prosecco and Soave generalities...

Prosecco: Sparkling wine made from the Glera (Prosecco) grape Superiore DOCG: Conegliano, Valdobiaddene, Colli Asolani Soave: Dry white made from Garganega with some Trebbiano DOCG versions: Superiore, Superiore Classico, Recioto

Friuli-Venezia Giulia facts...

Northeast corner of Italy adjacent to Austria and Slovenia Over 30% of total production is DOC Known for high quality varietal wines Area known for whites but Merlot most widely plant variety

What is the most widely planted variety in Friuli-Venezia Giulia?

Merlot, despite that the area is known for white wines

Friuli-Venezia Giulia primary white grape varieties:

``` Pinot Grigio Pinot Bianco Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay Tocai Friulano ```

Friuli-Venezia Giulia primary red grape varieties:

Merlot Refosco (Mondeuse) Cabernet Sauvignon

Friuli-Venezia Giulia key regions:

Grave del Friuli Colli Orientali Collio Isonzo

Friuli-Venezia Giulia important DOCG's...

Ramandolo (Verduzzo) Picolit & Picolit-Gialla Rosazzo (new in 2011)

Emilia Romagna background:

The food center of Italy Divided by seven rivers Fertile Soils

Emilia Romagna wines:

Albana di Romagna DOCG Sangiovese di Romagna based reds Lambrusco: Sparkling, dry, amabile and sweet versions