non solo Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo may be the most important grape in Piemonte, but there are plenty of others grown in the area, producing many different styles of wine. Here are some of those grapes, and some of the wines I tasted on my recent trip.

not only Nebbiolo: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Dolcetto, Merlot, and Moscato at Marchesi di Grésy

Arneis

Piemonte isn't particularly known for its white grapes, but there are plenty of them. Arneis is perhaps the most interesting. In the local dialect, "arneis" means "little rascal," which may explain its name as the grape is hard to grow and vinify. It used to be planted with Nebbiolo, as its strong flavours attracted birds away from the more expensive black grape, and it was also blended with Nebbiolo to soften it. After nearly disappearing in the 1970s, it's made a welcome comeback, though wines from the grape still aren't seen that often outside Piemonte. The wines are full-bodied but not aged in oak, with perfume and pear aromas.

Favorita

This is actually the same grape as Vermentino, a white grape grown elsewhere in coastal north-west Italy and the south of France, as well as Sardinia and Corsica (it's arguably at its best by the sea, where it takes on fresh, saline qualities). In Piemonte as Favorita, the wines are fragrant and mineral, fresh but quite full bodied. I had a glass with some gnocchi, and it had the acidity and full flavours to stand up to the tomato sauce. 

Moscato

In French, this grape is called Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, and is one of the oldest and most important grapes in the world. It's one of the few grapes that actually smells of grapes, making its aroma extremely distinctive. In Piemonte, it's grown to produce two sweet sparkling wines, Asti and Moscato d'Asti. The reputation of Asti isn't particularly great, mainly because its heyday was the 1970s and 80s, but 80m bottles a year are produced of this sweet, low alcohol, fully sparkling wine. Moscato d'Asti is a superior wine with a lower level of alcohol (5-5.5%), slightly sweeter, and only lightly sparkling. Perfumed, floral, and fragrant, Moscato d'Asti is a beautiful wine for a summer's day and a bowl of strawberries. Even better, because of its low alcohol, it's always cheap.

We also tasted a late harvest Moscato from Marchesi di Grésy, L'altro Moscato 2007, a wine made only in dry conditions to avoid rot. A complex sweet wine that had spent three years in barriques, it had inviting aromas of orange peel, marmalade, and dried apricots, as well as honey and chestnuts.

International Varieties

A Nebbiolo-Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend from renowned Barbaresco producer, Gaja.

There are quite a few varieties not indigeneous to Piemonte also grown in the area. G. D. Vajra produce a delicious Riesling from vines planted in 1986. We tasted a very balanced Sauvignon Blanc from Marchesi di Grésy, who also make a very oaky Chardonnay. In the Monferrato DOC, Grésy make a mature, developed, and sophisticated Merlot - the 2007 is to be released in the coming months, and we were fortunate to taste it before it's been bottled. Piemonte winemakers are protective of the local grapes, but at the same time willing to experiment in small quantities with other grapes.

Dolcetto

Misleadingly meaning "the little sweet one," Dolcetto is mainly found under the Dolcetto d'Alba DOC. It's usually a straightforward, fruity wine, deep in colour with quite high tannins and low acidity - a combination which provides a challenge to the winemaker. It's normally designed to be drunk young, though some examples can age for around five years. Vajra's Dolcetto d'Alba 2012 was a good example of the grape - red fruits, floral, light, and ideal for a spring day. Their Dolcetto Coste & Fassati 2011 is more serious, from forty-year-old vines on two Barolo vineyards, with more tannins and spicy flavours, and more ageing potential.

Barbera

There are two appellations for the Barbera grape, Barbera d'Alba and Barbera d'Asti DOCs. The wines from Alba are darker and more powerful than the brighter, more elegant wines of Asti. Quality varies, but if the wine is aged in new barriques (which is more common than with Nebbiolo), it can produce wines with complex, oaky, spicy depth. Again, G. D. Vajra produce two good examples. The Barbera d'Alba 2011 had toast, smoke, and barbeque flavours, with spices and red fruits. The Barbera d'Alba Superiore 2010 was complex, from west- and east-facing vineyards, contributing finesse and power respectively. This had real structure and depth, with pepper and tobacco, dark fruits and smoke, but with a bright acidity. Another exceptional wine is the powerful, rich, oaky Barbera d'Alba Conte Tre Pile from Aldo Conterno, a renowned Barolo producer I wasn't fortunate enough to visit. The 2009 is as good a Barbera as I've tasted.

Brachetto

Brachetto d'Acqui is the red equivalent of Moscato d'Asti - low alcohol, very lightly sparkling, and sweet. As with the wine I tried in the photo below, it can also be made in the passito style - where the grapes are allowed to dry, which creates sweetness in the wine. Either way, Brachetto d'Acqui is a beautiful, vibrant red colour with aromas of roses and wild strawberries. It goes especially well with chocolate - how any meal should finish.

Barolo Chinato

An increasingly popular drink invented in the early twentieth century, this amaro is made from old Barolo wine. The name comes from the cinchona bark that's steeped in the wine, which is then infused with herbs, roots, and spices - each producer has their own recipe. When we were in Barolo, we visited the odd, but fun, wine museum; at the end of it, there was a Chinato and chocolate tasting. We only had time to taste one from Barolo producer Borgogno - herbal and bitter, it went well with dark chocolate.

In a region dominated by Nebbiolo, all these different grapes can get overlooked. However, because Nebbiolo is taken so seriously, it means that there are lots of winemakers with the know-how, experience, and enthusiasm to make very good wine from other grapes at more affordable prices. The severity and power of Barolo and Barbaresco are not for everyday drinking, but Piemonte has plenty of alternatives to offer.