Piedmont Fine wine

Piedmont, in northwestern Italy, sits proudly as not just one of the country’s, but the world’s most revered wine regions. Its focus on terroir expression via single-varietal wines sees it cast as the Burgundy of Italy, a moniker that is equally apt given the nuanced, elegant and ageworthy profile of many of these wines. Set just south of the Alps, this is a relatively cool continental climate, where rolling hills only add to the benevolent conditions for making fine wines.

Piedmont’s flagship appellations are Barolo and Barbaresco, both of which are made exclusively from Nebbiolo, a late-ripening grape prized for its high acidity, firm tannins and aromatic complexity. Barolo is the more powerful and structured, leading many to mistakenly pigeon-hole it as an ultra-tannic wine that needs extended cellar time to become broachable; a reputation only heightened by the modern interpretations made via shorter fermentations and aged in small oak barrels that were popular (particularly with the US market) at the turn of the century. In reality, most of today’s finest Barolos are supremely balanced, silky wines that look to express their provenance in the same way as Burgundy, Bordeaux and all the world’s top wines. Such qualities are shared by its sister wine, Barbaresco, whose cooler climate, earlier ripening and less-extended ageing mean it generally shows softer tannins and a less structured profile on release.