Ahhhh, Nebbiolo.. That fickle grape, so packed with flavour, intensity, tannin and acid that only skilled craftsmanship and time can truly harness this wild varietal. Nebbiolo is the beating heart of two of Italy’s most celebrated regions, the neighbouring Barolo and Barbaresco in Piedmont. Whilst only a stone’s throw from each other and split by the Tanaro river, these regions make strikingly different versions of the grape. Barbaresco is awash with white soils that are rich in chalk and sandstone, whereas Barolo has pockets of deep clay. As a result, the wines of Barbaresco are often described as more ethereal and feminine, in comparison to Barolo’s trademark density and power. Producers such as Gaja, G.D. Vajra, Roagna and Rinaldi have shone the light on this province of rolling hills and trademark fog. And whilst this has done wonders for the international celebration and availability of wines from the region, it's hard to get hold of the best producers without remortgaging your house. Fear not however, as Nebbiolo is not betrothed to these two famous villages..
Nestled at the base of the Italian Alps, just 90 miles north of Alba lies Alto Piedmont, named (not surprisingly) for its high peaks. As was the case for much of Europe, this pocket of Piedmont was also ravaged by the phylloxera disease, which was compounded by two world wars and mass migration from the country to the city as the industrial boom took hold. What was left was swathes of towering, terraced vineyards that were costly - both in time and money - to maintain and thus, almost overnight, were abandoned.
However, the current day shift towards provenance and terroir-driven wines has taken hold and this Alpine paradise is fast reclaiming its former glory. What is even better is that these wines are a wine-lovers’ dream, where lip-smackingly delicious booze is still available at seriously good value. In Alto Piedmont, Nebbiolo is called Spanna and is often blended with local varieties such as Uva Rara, Vespolina and Croatina. Look out for labels brandishing the sub-appellations of Gattarina, Ghemme or Boca (the highest planting in Piedmont) for a taste of one of the coolest regions of the moment.
Alto Piedmont Wines
Next, we head to the mountains. Directly above Piedmont, bordering Switzerland lies Valle d’Aosta. Whilst the region is miniscule and barely known, its wines are still top-quality and celebrated by those in the know. If wine wasn’t complicated enough, Nebbiolo is called something different here again - Picotendro. The soaring slopes of the valley mean that not only is this tiny pocket limited in how much it can grow but it also has some of the highest vineyards in Italy - up to 1300 metres above sea level.
Bear with us - we have one more region and one more name for Nebbiolo. We’d like to introduce Chiavennasca from Valtellina. Another stretch of Alpine land, this time in Lombardy and creating the border between Switzerland and Italy. Often compared to the dramatic vineyards of the Mosel or the Douro, Valtellina is also home to a patchwork of tiny terraced vineyards at sweat-inducing heights. The slopes are so steep in fact, that to make wine here is often described as ‘heroic viticulture’.
Needless to say, there are many faces to Nebbiolo and for fans of the highly celebrated Piedmont-classics, there is a plethora of stellar regions to uncover.