Legend has it that in the vineyards of Piedmont lived a monk who often neglected his daily prayers to devote himself to cultivating vines. One day, on waking up, he found the vineyard completely shrouded in fog: so, interpreting this as a warning from the Lord, he immediately stopped cultivating the land and devoted himself to prayer. Once harvest time arrives, the fog clears, revealing the beautiful bunches of grapes glistening with dew in the sun. This is why we call it Nebbiolo: because of the first fog that heralds the harvest period.
Nebbiolo is one of the oldest and noblest vines in the rich Italian ampelographic heritage. It is an indigenous red grape native to Piedmont and in particular to the Langhe region, where it expresses itself at the highest level in the appellations of Barbaresco and Barolo, but also Nebbiolo d'Alba and Langhe Nebbiolo. Moving northwards, Nebbiolo is also cultivated with excellent results between Novara and Vercelli: here Gattinara and Ghemme wines are born, where Nebbiolo is usually used for niche productions in blends with Vespolina grapes.
Another prominent region for Nebbiolo wine production is Lombardy, in the province of Sondrio. Here, Nebbiolo is called Chiavennasca and is especially used for the production of Rosso di Valtellina wine, Valtellina Superiore and Sforzato di Valtellina (called Sfursat). Nebbiolo is also produced in small quantities in the lower Valle d'Aosta (between Donnas and Montjovet), in Umbria (in the province of Perugia, especially in Marsciano and Gubbio) and in the northern part of Sardinia, in Gallura (Nebbiolo di Luras).
As far as production in the world is concerned, the appeal of Nebbiolo has also allowed people to plant vines in the United States (California and Washington). And today it is also cultivated in small quantities in Australia, Mexico and Austria.
Giving life to structured and daring wines, it is the epitome of organoleptic complexity and evolutionary capacity that can be found in a wine: from red fruits to hints of moss and undergrowth, from mushrooms to balsamic following notes of smoke and spices, Nebbiolo layers aromas and flavours in a lasting and persistent experience for a complete sensory experience. Full and buoyant, it is therefore one of the few vines capable of combining power and expressive finesse, able to provoke with surprising balance and grant happy and unexpected insights to accompany dishes to remember. A wine that conquers by giving great emotions in sips.