In the northwest of Italy there is a section called the Piemonte, which is Italian for “foothills”, in this case the foothills of the Alps. As is true almost everywhere in Italy, they make wine there. But the wines from this region are particularly well known, starting with Barolo, considered among the best the nation has to offer. There are other wines as well. Barolo and its close cousin Barbaresco are made from Nebbiolo grapes, as is Langhe Rosso, a perfectly fine wine that doesn’t meet the requirements for the Big Two. (Langhe is a local word for the Piemonte region.)
But as they say in the late-night commercials, that’s not all. In the reds, there’s wine made from Barbera grapes, centered in both the towns of Alba and Asti. There’s also wine from the Dolcetto grape, which is dry despite its name; the best comes from Dogliani to the south. There are some unique whites as well, including Arneis from the Roero subregion north of Barbaresco and Cortese that’s used in Gavi wines, made in the southern reaches of the Piemonte. You can also find Vermentino and the omnipresent Chardonnay.
Those of us who enjoy tasting wines in the places where they are made have so much to choose from in the Piemonte. We focused on visits to red wine producers, drinking whites with meals in the oppressive heat that is haunting Western Europe this year. Winery reviews will be in this and successive issues of Power Tasting.
The winemaking areas of the Piemonte are famed for their beauty. No matter how often you may have seen pictures of the region, including the one included in this article, nothing prepares you for the reality. It is stunning and there is a new vista to take your breath away around every bend in the road. (This is European Wine Country so there are many bends in the roads.) There are many villages on hilltops, built there in medieval times for security reasons. Seeing them across endless vines is rather special.
When not visiting wineries, you can sample local wines at the many wine bars that you find both in the towns, Asti and Alba, and seemingly every little village as well. The wine bars are especially popular in the early evening, aperitivo time. You can spend anything from a few euros for a simple Arneis to thirty or more for a grand Barolo. Better yet, every bar, no matter how humble, provides a spread of olives, cheese, salami and maybe a bit of pizza – to go with your drink. We found that having had a full lunch in a village after visiting a winery, the aperitivo offering was enough for dinner.
The winemaking area of the Piemonte is rather concentrated. Alba is in the center, and most of the wineries are only about 15 minutes’ drive from the town. Even the time to go from village to village takes no more than 20 minutes between them. It makes it easy to see, and taste, a lot in a short time.