Nebbiolo: A grape by many other names

Nebbiolo, the variety undergirding the Langhe's famed Barolo and Barbaresco wines, is considered Italy's most noble grape, primarily based on its performance in that region. The cultivar is, however, grown -- and referred to by other names -- in areas beyond the home of the "King of Wines." The table below shows the names by which the variety is known outside the Langhe-Roero regions and the associated planting sizes.

Region	Sub-Region	Variety Nomenclature	Planting Size (ha)
Langhe	Barolo	Nebbiolo	2098
	Barbaresco	Nebbiolo	716
Alba		Nebbiolo	1262.5*
Roero		Nebbiolo	139.5**
Alta Piemonte	Gattinara, Ghemme +	Spanna	884
	Val d’Ossola	Prunent	N/A
Lombardy	Valtellina	Chiavennasca	900
Valle d’Aosta	Donnaz, Arnand-Montjovet	Picotendro	25***
Sardinia	Gallura	Nebbiolo	52***

Compiled from Tong #16. *Author's estimate; ** author's estimate based on relative production; ***2004 data.

The Nebbiolo experience in these regions are summarized in the sections and are covered in greater details in the indicated links.

Valtellina and Chiavennasca
Nebbiolo shines elsewhere in the Italian north, in an area where it is called Chiavennasca. In a vertigo-inducing wine region called Valtellina, a 25-mile-long, east-west valley in the Rhaetian Alps hard by the border with Switzerland. Fernando Batata MS (fernandobatata.com) indicates that written records of the word nebiol can be traced back to articles in Torino in 1268 while the word Chiavennasca is not encountered in Valtellina until 1595. DNA results indicate that the variety could have either originated in Valtellina or Piemonte but that the variety is so old that its parents are probably extinct.

Source:thevinofiles.typepad.com

Valtellina (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

For more information on Valtellina and Chiavennesca, please click here.

Valle d'Aosta and Picotendro
In Valle d'Aosta, Nebbiolo is called Picotendro.

Valle d'Aosta (Vallée d"Aoste in French), is a semi-autonomous region in northwest Italy which is bounded to the north, west, and south by the Alps and shares borders with both France and Switzerland. Reflecting its location, and its cultural history and linkages, it is officially bi-lingual. It was inhabited by an ancient people called the Salassi before it was annexed by the Romans in 25 BC. In more recent times, it was helmed  by the French House of Savoy before joining the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

Valle d'Aosta (Source: travelling italy.info)

Picotendro is produced in the Donnaz and Arnand-Montjovet sub-zones. The Donnaz Picotendro has a higher percentage of the core varietal, and fewer potential blending partners, than does the other. Picotendro is grown close to the border with Piemonte and is not dissimilar to Chiavennasca (Valtellina) in that it is light, delicate, and aromatic with minimal structure and tannin.

For more information on Valle d'Aosta and Picotendro, please click here.

Alto Piemonte and Spanna
In the Vercelli-Novara region of Alto Piemonte (shown in the red circle in the map below)  the Nebbiolo grape-- called Spanna therein -- is viewed fondly by "native" winemakers, notwithstanding the fact that its wines differ markedly from that of its better-known brethren to the south.

Figure1. Selected Alto Piemonte provinces
(Source:fassinomobilaire.com map; author modification)

The Vercelli-Novara region is home to nine wine zones, seven of which are exclusively red. These zones are illustrated graphically in the upper portion of Figure 2 and are fleshed out with selected facts in Table 1.

Figure 2. Piemonte wine regions with Vercelli-Novara red-wine
regions at the top.

The most well-regarded of the wines are from Gattinara, Ghemme, and Boca. The wines from Gattinara are lighter than Barolos and Barbarescos but with pronounced tannins and acidity. Ghemme wines have similar characteristics to Gattinara wines but with higher tannin levels. The wines of Boca are "firm-bodied and structured with violets, sweet spices and notes of pomegranates on the finish." Similar to the other wines of the region, it displays high levels of acidity.

To learn more of the Alto Piemonte and Spanna, please click here.

Val d'Ossola and Prunent
The Nebbiolo plantings in Valle d'Aosta and Valtellina are grown under challenging conditions but these pale in comparison to the conditions experienced by the hardy growers who ply that trade in the Val d'Ossola.

Val d'Ossola is the mid to upper portion of the northernmost Piemonte province, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, and consists of a main valley and a number of tributaries branching from its 83-km length. Verbano lies along the left bank of Lake Maggiore while Cusio is to its west and south. The 33 municipalities that comprise Val d'Ossola sit at average elevations of 1290 m (3870 ft).

Map of Piemonte with Verbano-Cusio-Ossola province
circled in red (Base map from wineandvinesearch.com)

Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in more detail

The climate of Val d'Ossola is Alpine but is mitigated somewhat by Lake Maggiore to its southeast.

A total of 45 ha in the region is dedicated to grapegrowing. The vineyards (map of the Val d'Ossola vineyards) are small terraced plots clinging to the steep southern slopes of the valley walls at elevations ranging between 300 and 500 m. The vineyards are located on the slopes of the valleys associated with the River Toce and its tributaries Anza, Ovesca, Metizzo, Isorno, and Diveria.

A total of 60 hardy growers farm the land with an average plot being 0.75 ha in size. Vines are trained on pergolas supported by old stone columns hacked out of local granite quarries. This training system is called "toppia" locally. All work in the vineyards is done manually and this heroic viticulture rarely yields in excess of 60 quintals/ha, half of which is consumed locally.

Nebbiolo is the most widely planted grape in the region. One the more interesting plantings in the region is Prünent, an ancient Nebbiolo biotype that is planted on 5 ha distributed between the River Toca (1 plot) and the tributaries Metizzo (4 plots) and Isorno (1 plot). These Prünent vines are very old (in excess of 100 years) and have only recently been revitalized having suffered the double whammy of phylloxera and industrialization. The wines are 100% Prünent fermented on skins for 7 days, aged in barrel for 12 to 13 months, and then for another 12 months in bottle.

Langhe, Roero, and Caremma: Nebbiolo
The Langhe region may not have been the origin point of the Nebbiolo grape but it has become its spiritual, emotional, and financial home and Barolo DOCG and Barbaresco DOCG provide the reference points against which all Nebbiolo wines are measured. A detailed discussion of these regions is presented here.

Roero DOCG
Roero is a small DOCG (DOC 1985, DOCG 2004) located on the north bank of the Tanaro River and running along said bank for approximately 24.1 km (15 miles) between Bra and Govone. The zone is approximately 878 ha (2169 acres) in size with 2014 production of approximately 436,000 cases. The relative positioning of Roero DOCG is illustrated in the map below.

Source: vinotravelsitaly.com

Nebbiolo d'Alba DOC and Alba DOC
Nebbiolo DOC was founded in 1970 and covers production in 25 communes on both sides of the Tanaro River. The production zone extends over 536 ha (1370 acres) and is used as a fallback appellation by producers whose wines do not meet the stringent standards of the Roero, Barolo, and Barbaresco DOCGs. Nebbiolo d'Alba DOC wines are 100% Nebbiolo and are aged for 1 year prior to market. Alcohol level has to be 12% at a minimum. The wine can be made as dolce and spumante.

Alba DOC was established in 2010. It has a vineyard area of 2 ha (5 acres) and produces 630 cases annually. The red wine is 70 - 85% Nebbiolo, 15 - 30% Barbera, and 5% max other authorized varieties and is aged for 17 months, nine of which are in barrel. The Riserva has a similar varietal requirement but is aged for 23 months, 12 of which are in barrel. The minimum alcohol level is 12%.

Carema DOC
Carema is the last Piemontese village before you cross over into Valle d'Aosta. The vine-growing region is 12 ha (32 acres) in size and elevation can range as high as 762 m (2500 feet). Annual production is fewer than 10,000 cases. The DOC was established in 1967 and requires a minimum of 85% Nebbiolo plus other authorized grapes. The resulting wine is light-to-medium body; exudes aromas of tar, licorice, camphor, and strawberry; and is both tannic and more acidic than the reference Nebbiolos.

I organized a tasting event at my home in order to taste the wines from these regions at a single sitting. A listing of the wines and the tasting notes can be found here.

Used with permission

I was pleasantly surprised by a number of the wines. The Valtellina Superiore and Gattinara especially impressed me and are wines that I have added to my buying list.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Valtellina: Where the Nebbiolo grape is called Chiavennasca

Nebbiolo, the variety undergirding the Langhe's famed Barolo and Barbaresco wines, is considered Italy's most noble grape, primarily based on its performance in that region. But Nebbiolo shines elsewhere in the Italian north, in an area where it is called Chiavennasca. In a vertigo-inducing wine region called Valtellina, a 25-mile-long, east-west valley in the Rhaetian Alps hard by the border with Switzerland. Fernando Batata MS (fernandobatata.com) indicates that written records of the word nebiol can be traced back to articles in Torino in 1268 while the word Chiavennasca is not encountered in Valtellina until 1595. DNA results indicate that the variety could have either originated in Valtellina or Piemonte but that the variety is so old that its parents are probably extinct.

Source:thevinofiles.typepad.com

Valtellina (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The climate in the Valtellina region is cool but this is mitigated somewhat by an abundance of sunlight falling on the valley's south-facing slopes. Fungal influences are kept at bay by cool alpine breezes and warm air blowing in from Lake Como.

Soils are alluvial, gravelly, and rich in silica. The larger stones peppering the mix collect heat during the day and release it at night, mitigating the high diurnal temperature variation as well as helping to prevent frost in the spring.

Vineyards are planted on the sun-splashed south-facing slopes in order to promote ripening at elevations which range from 230 m (750 ft) to 765 m (2500 ft). The vineyards are planted on terraces which had been manually carved out of the mountainsides by inhabitants in the distant past. The vineyard locations are so steep that, in some cases, tracks have been laid to allow small devices to carry harvested grapes down to the bottom. In some cases helicopters are utilized to carry materiel down from these mountains.

In Valtellina the grape can struggle to ripen and does not produce the distinct tannin found in Piemonte. Batata sees the wines as lighter and more perfumed than its Langhe counterpart but still retentive of the mouthwatering acidity for which it is renowned.

The primary wine from the region is the Valtellina Superiore DOCG which is made from a minimum 90% of the native variety. A total of 282 ha (697 acres) are devoted to this wine with annual production at 13,325 hl (140,000 cases). This wine was initially awarded DOC status in 1968 and upgraded to DOCG in 1998. The Superiore is aged for a minimum of 24 months while an available Superiore Riserva has to be aged for a minimum of 36 months.

A second Valtellina DOCG wine -- Sforzato di Valtellina -- is also Chiavennasca-based but is made in the passito style where the grapes are dried out (to concentrate the sugars) prior to fermentation. The requirements for the Sforzato are: (i) the grapes be Chiavennasca, (ii) the style be passito, (iii) the wine be fermented dry, and (iv) the alcohol level be a minimum 14%.

Grapes that are not Superiore quality can be made as  a DOC wine called Valtellina Rosso or Rosso di Valtellina.

Both the DOC and DOCG wines can be labeled with one of five subzone names: Grumello, Inferno, Sassella, Valhalla, or Maroggio. To be so labeled, 100% of the grapes must be sourced from the subzone. According to Meraviglia and Bitturi (An Overview of Italian Wines), the characteristics of the subzones are as follows:

• Sassella -- the most elegant and complex wines due to the presence of iron in the soils
• Grumello -- smoothest and softest while retaining complexity
• Inferno -- robust and highest in alcohol. Warmest and most sun-drenched of the subzones
• Valgella -- simplest. Crisp and acidic. Coldest of the subzones
• Maroggia -- added in 2002. Still developing its character.

Some Valtellina wines may be labeled Stagafassli, signaling Valtellina grapes bottled and/or aged in neighboring Swiss towns by Swiss-based owners whose vineyards span the border.


©Wine -- Mise en abyme