Sean Walklin Wine Paper

Sean Walklin
Wine Appreciation2

Piedmonte Region

Everything seems to come together to make Piedmonte one of the most important wine producing regions in the world. Great terrain,with plenty on hill sides are a great places to grow wines. Then there is the close proximity to France so the winemakers can mix the best Italian and French techniques to come out with a finer product. Like Tuscany, Piedmonte has its signature grape that is known far and wide. Having a wine called “King of Wines” is usually a sign that production is going well and that your system works, but there is more to Piedmonte than Barolo. Piedmonte has the highest percentage of classified wines in Italy. Piedmonte should definitely be in every wine loves vocabulary.

Piedmonte is located at the top of Italy, sharing a northern border with France. Piedmont is surrounded on three sides by the Alps, including the MonViso(Mont Vis), where the Po rises, and the Monte Rosa. It also borders with France, Switzerland and the Italian regions of Lombardy, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna and Aosta Valley.Although most of Italys land is suitable for growing wine Piedmonte has some special characteristics. The Northern mountains shield the region from cold northern weather and The Appenines in the middle temper the medditerranean climates. All these mountains create hill sides that are perfect for growing the grapes needed for great wine. The soil in much of the region is especially fertile and full of the nutrients needed to produce the wines that are at such high standards.

Being so close to France means more than having baguette and croissants it means having a French influence on many aspects of live, not excluding wine. The French Barrique, a small wooden barrel that wine can be aged in and adds much flavor is one example of French influence on Piedmonte. Although some traditionalists do not use the barriques, most vineyards make use of the barrels. The traditional large containers do not add any flavor and only produce a wine that has its own flavors. French influence is not limited to barriques but also includes the visuals of the vineyard. Like in France you will see meticulously manicured vineyards. Another French influence is the single plot vineyard, where a person will have there own little vineyard on their property. Tradition to native vines, trend to monovarietal wines, many classified zones no bigger than a single vineyard and vineyard on every south facing slope are all French influences. Although maybe the most important: like in France in Piedmonte wine is a way of life.


Tuscany has Sangiovese, Piedmonte has Nebbiolo. The name nebbiolo is from the Italian word “Nebia” which means “fog” probably because of the fog in the area. 100 percent nebbiolo produces both Barolo and Barbaresco, two very important wines. To produce nebbiolo all factors, such as soil, climate and elevation, must be perfect. The main growing region for nebbiolo is in south eastern Pidmonte.

Piedmonte has the most DOC-DOCG zones and has the largest percentage of its wines classified. More than half of its 700 km² of vineyards are registered with DOC designations. The region is without and IGT zones, for reasons I am not sure of. Main production area is in a town called Alba, near where Barolo and Barbaresco are produced. Due to modern production techniques Barolo and Barbaresco are now easier to drink and more ready and approachable. Also from the Alba area are a Dolcetto and a white Arnies from Roero hills as well as the important Barbera. Some DOCG of piedmonte are: Brachetto d’aqui, Asti, Barbaresco, Barolo, Gattiniara, Gavi or Cortese di Cavi and Ghemme. Barolo is made from 100% Nebbiolo and is aged for 4 years before being released. In 1980, the wines of the Barolo region became one of the first Italian wines to received DOCG status. Some characteristics of Barolo include: Color: not very intense, relatively thin skins. Lighter color in large barrels, darker when aged in barriques. Olfactory: aromas of cherry, plums dark fruits. When aged the aromas of leather, mushroom and smoke appear. Taste: Strong, bold wines. rich, harsh tannins. A very tannic, alshoholic wine. The grapes ripen in October and must be planted on south facing hills. Very hard to grow and have consistency in production. Some say that current global warming has been benificial to the production of the grapes. The wine making industry of the Piedmont played a significant role in the early stages of the Risorgimento with some of the era's most prominent figures-like Camillo Benso, Conte di Cavour and Garibaldi owning vineyards in Piedmont region and making significant contributions to the development of Piedmontese wines. The excessively high tariffs imposed by the Austrian Empire on the export of Piedmontese wines to Austrian controlled areas of northern Italy was one of the underlying sparks to the revolutions of 1848–1849. Piedmonte also is a leading produces of sparkling wine and has the distinction of producing the worlds most popular sparkling wine, Asti. Barbaresco is also an important wine. Being produced from the same grape as Barolo and less then 10 miles apart, there are a lot of similarities that Barbaresco has with it neighboring wines but the slight maritime influence of the Tanaro river helps fashion distinctly different wines. Generally less tannic, Barbaresco tend to be more elegant and approachable in their youth. The Barbaresco DOCG regulation stipulates wines with minimum alchohol content of 12.5% and 2 years minimum aging in the winery for standard labels and 4 years minimum for riservas wines. Being an even smaller zone then Barolo, producers in the region produce a little more than 200,000 cases annually. The majority of Barbaresco production takes place in 3 communities: Barbaresco, Treiso, Neive.The soils in the Barbaresco zone are more uniform across the region which tends to produce a more consistent profile with the wines then what could be achieved across the widely different areas of Barolo.[7]

All in all Piedmonte is a region with diverse history, cultural fusion and a habit of producing some of the worlds best wines. Not only do they produce great wine but they have a great variety. From strong full bodied wines to complex lighter ones to sweet sparkling wines the region has something to go with every meal and every occasion. Even with all the hype the first barolo i tried was impressive.