Northern Italy - Piedmont Flashcards
Which region alongside tuscany is known as one of the two most famous wine regions in Italy?
Piedmont
What are the main red grape varieties in Piedmont?
- Nebbiolo
- Barbera
- Dolcetto ‘little sweet one”
What are the main white grape varieties in piedmont?
Muscat a Petits Grains
(Moscato Bianco)
What are the less important red grape varieties in Piedmont?
- Brachetto
- Grignolino
- Ruche
- Croatina
- Vespolina
- Freisa
What are the less important white grape varieties in Piedmont?
- Cortese
- Arneis
- Erbaluce
- Vermentino (favorita)
Which grape is piedmont’s most noble and ageworthy red grape?
Nebbiolo
What are the characteristics of the nebbiolo grape?
- named after the morning fog (la nebbia)
- thin skinned
- high acid, high alcohol, extreme tannins
The best examples of Nebbiolo offer haunting aromatic complexity and great longevity.
What does Piedmont’s morning fog “la nebbia” do for nebbiolo?
It prolongs the ripening process
What does Piedmont translate to?
The foot of the mountain
What mountains are the piedmont region cradled by on three sides?
The Alps and Apennines
Which river cuts through the heart of the piedmont region?
The Po River
Where does most of Piedmont’s grape growing occur?
In the foothills, south of the Po River Valley.
What is the soil like in the vineyards of Piedmont?
thinner, calcareous marl and sandstone soils with varying percentages of clay and sand
What is the climate like in the piedmont region?
cold continental climate with a rain shadow effect from the alps
autumn hail is a worry in the Langhe hills
Where are most high quality vineyards located in Piedmont?
At the foothills of mountains, usually facing south
Which grape is Piedmont’s most planted red grape?
Barbera
Which is Piedmont’s most famous grape?
Nebbiolo
Which region in Italy is home to more DOC zones than any other region in Italy?
Piedmont
19 DOCGs
41 DOCs
What are the most prestigious DOCGs in Italy?
Barolo and Barbaresco
What are the styles of wine like in Barolo and Barbaresco?
Barolo - more powerful and long lived wines
Barbaresco - slightly softer and more feminine counterpart
What grape is Barolo and Barbaresco made from?
100% Nebbiolo
What are some typical aromas/colors that Barolo and Barbaresco have?
- tar
- truffle
- rose
- dried fruits
- moderate concentration & orange tinted
How many communes may Barolo be produced out of?
11
What are two major soil types in the Barolo DOCG?
- Tortonian (calcareous marl)
- Helvetian (sandstone)
What 5 communes produce over 90% of the total Barolo wines?
- La Morra
- Barolo
Tortonian soils, softer wine - Monforte d’ Alba
- Serralunga d’Alba
- Castiglione Falletto
Helvetian soils, more structured wine
T/F:
Barolo has extremely soft tannins
FALSE
Barolo is extremely tannic by nature
What are the aging requirements for Barolo?
- at least 38 months from November 1st of the harvest year
- only 18 of those months have to be in wood
How long must Barolo Riserva be aged?
- a total of 62 months prior to release
- 18 months must be in wood
What are the uses of wood like for red wines in Piedmont?
They are usually aged in some form of oak, either in
- large oak foudre
- new french barriques
What are the stylistic differences between the traditionalist and modernist winemakers for Barolo and Barbaresco?
traditionalists
- favor longer maceration
- use larger old oak barrels
modernists
- shorter macerations
- new oak aging
- rounder style of wine
What are some examples of traditional and modern winemakers of Barolo and Barbaresco?
traditionalists
- Giacomo Conterno
- Bartolo Mascarello
- Giuseppe Rinaldi
modernists
- Paolo Scavino
- Luciano Sandrone
- Elio Altare
Which is the earliest red grape to ripen in Piedmont?
Dolcetto
What is Dolcetto wine like?
- tannic
- lower acid
- fruity
- youthful
- best enjoyed young
What grape is barbaresco made from?
Nebbiolo
What is Barbaresco wine like?
similar to Barolo, it is:
- perfumed
- tannic
- age worthy
this wine is slightly lighter bodied and more elegant than Barolo
Which 3 towns is Barbaresco primarily made in?
- Barbaresco
- Neive
- Treiso
How long must Barbaresco be aged?
- at least 26 months from November 1st of the harvest year
- at least 9 of those months must be in wood cask
How long must barbaresco riserva be aged?
- at least 50 months
- at least 9 months in wood cask
Between barolo and barbaresco, which has a longer history?
Barolo
Which modernist winemaker helped Barbaresco become famous in the 20th century?
Angelo Gaja
Which traditionalist winemaker is famous for Barbaresco?
Bruno Giacosa
Which local co-operative in Piedmont exemplifies the region’s terroir in their Barbaresco?
Produttori del Barbaresco
Which French wine is Barolo and Barbaresco frequently compared to?
Burgundy
How is Barolo/Barbaresco similar to Burgundy?
- similar aromatic richness
- similar climate
- similar emphasis on domaine bottling and single vineyards
What are single vineyards called in piedmont?
Crus
What are important crus of barolo and barbaresco?
Barolo
- Cannubi
Barbaresco
- Rabaja
these high quality wines fetch high prices
In what year were barbaresco crus voted to be legal geographic areas of the DOCG?
2007
In what year were barolo crus voted to be legal geographic areas of the DOCG?
2010
What is Barolo Chianto?
a DOCG wine that is aromatized and flavored with quinine
(this wine was once ridiculed)
What is the most famous producer of Barolo Chianto?
Cappellano
What kind of wine does the Roero DOCG produce?
- reds from a minimum of 95% barolo
- whites from Arneis
What is the white wine from Roero like?
fresh and floral
How does Roero’s nebbiolo compare to Barolo and Barbaresco?
the nebbiolo is planted in sandier soils and it makes for a lighter style
What are wines are made in Gattinara and Ghemme DOCGs?
exclusively nebbiolo based red blends
What are the nebbiolo based blends like from Gattinara and Ghemme?
lighter, more acidity focused reds
when did Barbara come into the DOCG fold?
2014
Describe the wines from the Barbera d’Asti DOCG
- red wines from Barbera
- may be released as a ‘normale’ after 4 months of aging
- may be released as a superior with indication of subzone
Describe the wines from the Barbera di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG
- must be released as a superiore
- 14 months aged
- at least 6 of the months must be in wood cask
- can be single vineyard (vigna)
What are wines from Ruche di Castagnole DOCG wines?
- aromatic red wines made from Ruche
- can be riserva
What are wines like from the Nizza DOCG?
- 100% Barbera varietal wines
What is the local name for Nebbiolo in Ghemma and Gattinara?
Spanna
What are some top Barolo vineyards?
- cannubi
- brunate
- monprivato
What are some top barbaresco vineyards?
- Ovello
- Montestefano
- Pora
- Asili
What are 3 DOCG wines produced from 100% dolcetto?
- Dogliani
- Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore (Ovada)
- Dolcetto di Diano d’Alba (Diano d’Alba)
What kind of wine is Gavi DOCG?
AKA cortese di Gavi
- dry white wine made from the cortese grape
- can be still, frizzante or spumante
What kind of wine is Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG?
- whites produced from the erbaluce grape
- can be still, spumante, or passito (sweet)
- passito versions take the highest praise
Define ‘spumante’
fully sparkling
Define ‘frizzante’
slightly sparkling
Define ‘passito’
sweet
What kind of wines are from the Asti DOCG?
- spumante wines made using the charmat method
- moscato bianco
What kind of wines are made in the Moscato d’Asti DOCG?
- frizzante wine made from moscato bianco
- more fragrant than Asti DOCG
What kind of wines are made in the Alta Langa DOCG
- fully sparkling white and rose wines
- pinot noir and chardonnay
- traditional method
What kind of wines are made in the Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG
- red sparkling wines
- frizzante
- brachetto grape
- usually sweet
What are the main communes of the Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG?
- Alba
- Asti
- Turin
Which is the largest DOCG producer in Italy?
Asti
