7 things you (maybe) don't know about Nebbiolo

1. Nebbiolo is one of the noblest and oldest vines of our ampelographic heritage. It is an autochthonous grape from Piedmont, which has the characteristic of being inextricably linked to its homeland. It is grown mainly in the Langhe area to produce the famous Barolo and Barbaresco wines. However, it also expresses itself very well in the Roero , on the other bank of the Tanaro, with more delicate and less structured wines .

2. Always in Piedmont it is grown with excellent results in the denominations of the north: Lessona, Boca, Bramaterra, Fara, Sizzano, Ghemme, Gattinara and Carema , where it offers wines of great finesse and elegance

3. Outside Piedmont it is grown in a few other Italian regions. In Valle d'Aosta , especially in the Donnas and Arnad Montjovet area , where it is called picoutener; in Valtellina with the name of chiavennasca and in Sardinia , in the area of Luras in Gallura , where it was brought in the 19th century during the period of Piedmontese domination of the island.

4. Attempts to cultivate it in other regions of the world, in particular in South America and California , have given rather modest results and not comparable to Piedmontese excellence In an increasingly globalized world of wine, dominated by international vines that have adapted well both in Europe and in the wine regions of the New World, nebbiolo represents an exception.

5. It is a very demanding grape from a pedoclimatic point of view. It has a long vegetative cycle, sprouts early, in the middle of April and matures in the second half of October. It prefers hilly exposures between 200 and 450 meters above sea level, preferably facing south and south-west, well sheltered from cold winds. The fresh and continental climatic conditions, with good ventilation and temperature variations both seasonal and between day and night, are fundamental to ensure a qualitative maturation of the Nebbiolo grape. It expresses well above all on soils consisting of clay-limestone marl with sandstone presence, but it has also adapted well to the lighter and more sandy Roero soils and to the richer skeleton and rock soils of upper Piedmont and Valtellina.

6. His name may also be related to the terroir . According to some it derives from the mists , which often envelop the Langhe hills , according to others, however, from the presence of abundant white bloom on the berries .

7. Traditionally, three different clones of Nebbiolo are identified : lampia, michet and rosé . In fact, michet is the result of a lampia virus, which generates plants with low yields and grapes which are particularly rich from an aromatic point of view. The rosé, on the other hand, tends to produce grapes with a light color and has been gradually abandoned. In the different areas, nebbiolo expresses itself with various nuances that highlight the characteristics of each individual terroir. An expressive richness that is nice to discover, tasting the labels of the different denominations.

Valtellina Superiore Sassella DOCG Le Tense 2021 Nino Negri

Valtellina Superiore DOCG Sassella Il Glicine 2022 Sandro Fay

Barbaresco DOCG Gaiun Martinenga 2020 Marchesi di Gresy

Barolo DOCG Brunate 2016 Beni di Batasiolo

Barolo DOCG 2020 Lo Zoccolaio

Barbaresco DOCG Boschi dei Signori 2022 Bosio Family Estate

Barolo DOCG Ginestra Riserva 2018 Cascina Chicco

Barolo DOCG Comune di Serralunga d'Alba 2022 Palladino

Ghemme DOCG Collis Breclemae 2017 Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo

Barolo DOCG 2022 Prunotto

Barbaresco DOCG Matthias 2022 Ca' Viola

Nebbiolo d'Alba DOC Ruj 2024 San Silvestro

Barolo DOCG 2020 Porta Rossa

Barolo DOCG 2022 Alberto Ballarin

Barbaresco DOCG Martinenga 2021 Marchesi di Gresy

Sforzato di Valtellina DOCG 2022 Rainoldi

Langhe DOC Sito Moresco 2023 Gaja

Barbaresco DOCG Palàs 2021 Michele Chiarlo

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