Piedmont

Piedmont, along with Tuscany is Italy's most important wine region. Its name, derived from the Latin "pedem montis" (foot of the mountain), perfectly captures its geography, with the majestic Alps to the north and west and the fertile plains of the Po Valley to the south and east. The quality of local wines is the best in all of Italy. The vineyards have the lowest yields, there are the most DOCG wines, and even the two oldest DOCG appellations come from Piedmont. Winemaking is concentrated in the southern part of the region, especially in the areas of Cuneo, Asti, and Alessandria. The climate is moderated by the large number of rivers, winters are cold and long, and summers are dry and hot. Although Piedmont is a northern region, mainly red varieties (70%) such as Barbera, Nebbiolo, or Dolcetto are grown here. Among the whites, the most widespread are Cortese, Moscato bianco, and Arneis.

The highest quality Piedmont variety is undoubtedly Nebbiolo, with high tannins and acidity, from which the "king of Italian wines", Barolo DOCG, is made in eleven areas. Around the villages of La Morra and Barolo, there are more limestone and richer soils, which provide rounder, fruitier wines that are drinkable earlier. The area around Serralunga d'Alba, Castiglione Falletto, and Monforte d'Alba, on the other hand, has poorer limestone-sandstone soils, and wines from these areas have high tannins and great aging potential. Another iconic Piedmont wine, based on Nebbiolo, is the lighter and more elegant Barbaresco from the vicinity of the village of the same name.

The most cultivated variety, however, is Barbera, with a very intense fruity character and fresh acidity. The most famous Barberas come from the areas around Asti and Alba.

The most famous Piedmont white wine is Gavi from the Cortese variety. Most of the production is concentrated around Gavi, but very interesting wines with this appellation are also produced around the village of Tessarolo. Due to the higher altitude of around 300 m above sea level, Gavi from this area is less fruity, more mineral, structured, and fresh than classic Gavi wines. This is also contributed to by the specific composition of the clayey soil, which is unusually distinctly red here and very rich in minerals.

Another very old local variety, although not as widespread, is Arneis. This variety, which is very demanding to grow, almost disappeared in the past, but thanks to the efforts of several winemakers, it was saved and replanted mainly in the Roero area, where it produces very fruity wine with high acidity and great potential.