Roero, Monferrato, Langhe

In Piedmont, enclosed between the provinces of Alessandria, Asti and Cuneo (Alba), there are these three territories which in 2014 became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Spectacular landscapes, which hide many other surprises, such as wine, white truffles and hazelnuts.

If you are thinking of visiting these places, you can choose between different times, depending on your area of interest.

If you are into food and wine, the best time is certainly between mid-September and the end of October. Period of harvest and village festivals where you can taste the specialties that this land can offer.

But let’s focus on the wines, whose names have certainly been heard before: Barolo, Barbaresco, Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, Grignolino, Ruchè, just to name a few.

Reds with character, robust, suitable for meats and the intense flavors of the recipes born here and now available in many parts of the world.

In this region, even among the whites there are excellent wines: Roero-Arneis, Gavi, Cortese and, to accompany desserts Moscato, or Asti Spumante as an aperitif.

If, on the other hand, you like landscapes and walks, from May to September, the Piedmontese summer will welcome you with cycle paths that connect the different villages and castles that dominate them.

For more information on the area and on the tourist routes, you can visit the website https://www.visitlmr.it/en

Nebbiolo

This grape is grown in Piedmont, mainly in the Langhe and the Roero area.

Outside of Piedmont it is widespread in the Lower Valle d’Aosta and even more in Valtellina where it forms the basis for the production of the DOCG Valtellina Superiore and the Sforzato. It is also present in Franciacorta and in Luras (Northern Sardinia), where it is called « Nebiolo ». In the last few years it has also been grown in the Province of Varese.

It is a vine producing grapes of the highest quality for the completeness of all the characteristics: a good balance between color, body, acidity, persistent and volatile aromas, alcoholic strength. It is a grape suitable for being vinified in purity or with minimal contributions, to produce wines that can be defined as « noble » with great body and duration, after adequate maturation (refinement).

By definition it is a vine suitable for aging, it is in fact very stable in its aromas, which with tertiarization become more and more complex and interesting, while the color, due to the characteristic profile of anthocyanins, tends to evolve rapidly towards garnet.

When the maturation is over, Nebbiolo wines have a perfume with fruity notes and dried flowers and spices. On the palate, the tannin is intense although compensated by the high acidity, typical of the variety. It is normally vinified in purity to bring out all its characteristics.

The following wines are obtained only in purity (100% Nebbiolo grapes): Barbaresco, Barolo, Nebbiolo d’Alba. [cit. Wikipedia]