Piedmont (Piemonte)

The land

The grapes

Which grape leads which appellation

Nebbiolo 11

Barbaresco, Barolo, Gattinara, Ghemme, Roero, Terre Alfieri, Alba, Albugnano, Boca, Bramaterra, Carema

Barbera 6

Barbera d'Asti, Barbera del Monferrato Superiore, Nizza, Barbera d'Alba, Barbera del Monferrato, Rubino di Cantavenna

Moscato Bianco 4

Asti, Canelli, Loazzolo, Strevi

Dolcetto 3

Dogliani, Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba (Diano d'Alba), Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore (Ovada)

Brachetto 1

Brachetto d'Acqui (Acqui)

Cortese 1

Gavi (Cortese di Gavi)

Croatina 1

Cisterna d'Asti

Erbaluce 1

Erbaluce di Caluso (Caluso)

Local names

Cari

Pelaverga, in Collina Torinese

Picotendro

Nebbiolo, in Carema

Prünent

Nebbiolo, in Valli Ossolane

Spanna

Nebbiolo, in Gattinara, Ghemme, Boca, Bramaterra, Colline Novaresi, Coste della Sesia, Fara, Lessona, Sizzano

In the vineyard and cellar

History and trade

The DOCGs

Oldest first. The year is when each one became a DOCG.

The DOCs

Facts that get tested

The kind of thing an exam asks about Piedmont. Cover the answers and try them.

1. What is the minimum ageing for Barolo?

   38 months, 18 of them in wood. Barolo needs 38 months from 1 November of the harvest year, with 18 in wood. The Riserva needs 62.

2. How long must Barolo Riserva age?

   62 months. 62 months, a little over five years, against 38 for the standard wine.

3. What is the minimum ageing for Barbaresco?

   26 months, 9 of them in wood. Barbaresco needs a year less than Barolo: 26 months with 9 in wood, and 50 months for the Riserva.

4. How long must Barbaresco Riserva age?

   50 months. 50 months. Barolo Riserva needs 62.

5. Which of these is not a Barolo commune?

   Neive. Neive is in Barbaresco. Barolo covers 11 communes, with La Morra, Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d'Alba and Monforte d'Alba making most of the wine.

6. Which three communes make nearly all Barbaresco?

   Barbaresco, Neive and Treiso. Barbaresco, Neive and Treiso, plus a small part of Alba at San Rocco Seno d'Elvio.

7. Which Barolo communes sit mostly on older Serravallian soils and tend to give the most structured wines?

   Serralunga d'Alba and Monforte d'Alba. The eastern side has compact, sandstone-rich Serravallian (once called Helvetian) soils. La Morra and Barolo, on younger Tortonian marls, give more perfumed wines that open sooner.

8. Which river separates the Langhe from Roero?

   Tanaro. Roero sits on the left bank of the Tanaro, the Langhe on the right.

9. How do Roero's soils differ from those of the Langhe?

   They are sandier. Roero's sandy soils give lighter, earlier drinking Nebbiolo and suit the white Arneis.

10. Roero DOCG covers which wines?

    Red from Nebbiolo and white from Arneis. Roero is a red from at least 95% Nebbiolo. Roero Arneis is the white.

11. Which white grape was once nicknamed Nebbiolo Bianco?

    Arneis. Arneis was planted among Nebbiolo vines in Roero, partly to soften the red and partly to draw birds away from it.

12. Nebbiolo most likely takes its name from

    Nebbia, the fog of harvest time. It ripens late, into the foggy weeks of October. Some also point to the thick bloom on the grapes.

13. Which best describes Barbera?

    High acidity and low tannin. Deep colour, bright acidity and very little tannin. Dolcetto is closer to the reverse.

14. What must Nizza DOCG be made from?

    100% Barbera. Nizza was a subzone of Barbera d'Asti until it became its own DOCG in 2014. It allows nothing but Barbera.

15. Which of these Dolcetto wines is a DOC, not a DOCG?

    Dolcetto d'Alba. Piedmont has three Dolcetto DOCGs: Dogliani, Diano d'Alba and Ovada Superiore. Dolcetto d'Alba is a DOC.

16. Gattinara and Ghemme face each other across which river?

    Sesia. Gattinara is on the Vercelli side of the Sesia and Ghemme on the Novara side. Both are Nebbiolo, known locally as Spanna.

17. How does Asti Spumante get its bubbles?

    One tank fermentation, stopped while sugar remains. The Asti method ferments the must once in a pressure tank and chills it to stop while the wine is still sweet and low in alcohol.

18. How does Moscato d'Asti compare with Asti Spumante?

    Lower in alcohol and only lightly fizzy. Moscato d'Asti is frizzante at around 5% alcohol. Both are Moscato Bianco.

19. Brachetto d'Acqui is best known as

    A sweet, aromatic red, usually sparkling. Low in alcohol and scented with rose and strawberry. Think of it as the red counterpart to Asti.

20. Alta Langa DOCG is

    Vintage metodo classico from Pinot Nero and Chardonnay. Always vintage dated, with at least 30 months on the lees.

21. Timorasso is the white grape behind the revival of which zone?

    Colli Tortonesi. Walter Massa rescued it in the hills around Tortona. The wines are often labelled Derthona.

22. Which Barolo commune also has its own DOC for the pale, peppery red Pelaverga?

    Verduno. Verduno Pelaverga comes from Pelaverga Piccolo, grown almost nowhere else.

23. In Barolo and Barbaresco, what is an MGA?

    An officially delimited, named vineyard area. Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive are the mapped crus that can appear on the label, such as Cannubi or Rabajà.

24. Which of these is true of Piedmont?

    It has no IGT. Piedmont never created an IGT, so everything is DOC, DOCG or plain vino. It has more DOCGs than any other region.