Piedmont
Piedmont is considered the best wine region in Italy.
Tradition and quality
Viticulture has remained relatively small in Piedmont, partly as a result of the varied landscape with hills and valleys: large wineries of hundreds of hectares in size have hardly been created here. As a result, there are still many small family businesses, where quality is more important than quantity. For example, these companies usually still harvest by hand, and a strikingly large percentage of winegrowers have already switched to a form of sustainable agriculture in recent years (whether or not biologically certified or biodynamic). Traditionally, the wines are also bottled in their own cellar, so that the wine does not have to be transported in tankers. It will be clear, however, that this working method increases costs, and the (good) wines from Piedmont are therefore slightly more expensive on average.
The quality wines from Piedmont are often fairly traditionally vinified and fairly classic in style, with fresh acids, beautiful fruitiness, sometimes with tannins and often a slight bitterness. This is in contrast to the heavy, lumpy, sweet and artificially acidified wines with a lot of over-ripe fruit, as they often come from the New World. Fortunately, more and more consumers recognize and appreciate that elegant and complex Piedmontese wines can often be discovered and enjoyed after the first impression.
Terroir and viticulture
The fact that Piedmont produces such good wines is due to a combination of location / climate and substrate. The best wines in the world come from the colder climates (“cold climats”), and thanks to the tempering influence of the sea and the Alps, there is a moderately warm climate that is not too dry. Thanks to the altitude of the hills, it also cools well during the summer at night, which is important for the ripening and flavor development of the grapes. Due to its southern location, it is always warm enough in Piedmont to get the grapes to ripen properly, a problem that plays a role in more northern wine regions of Europe such as the Netherlands, northern Germany and northern France in cold years.
Thanks to the favorable climate, the rolling hills and the often mineral-rich, lime-rich soil, the conditions in Piedmont are optimal for viticulture.
Wine regions within Piedmont
The Alps lie in the northern and western parts, and no wine is grown there. The wine regions of Piedmont lie mainly in the foothills of the Apennines, the mountains that run from north to south in Italy. The most important wine regions, the Langhe, the Roero and the Monferrato, can be found there. Some smaller wine regions can be found northwest of Turin and north of Piedmont, southwest of the large lakes.
Within Piedmont the most important wine regions for red wine are the Barolo, the Barbaresco and the Roero for wine from the Nebbiolo grape, and to a lesser extent Gattinara and Ghemme. For wine the Barbera grape these are the Roero, the Langhe (the Barbera d’Alba), the Monferrato (with the Barbera d’Asti and the Monferrato). The third important grape for red wine is the Dolcetto, which is important in the area of Ovada and Acqui Terme and is also planted a lot in the Barolo and Barbaresco, but even more important is the Dolcetto from the Dogliani.
For white wines, these are Roero for wines from the Arneis and Favorita, the Monferrato for spumante (sparkling) and sweet wines from the Moscato, and Gavi for wines from the Cortese.