Alto Piemonte: Where Nebbiolo is called Spanna

Nebbiolo is arguably Italy's noblest grape, renowned for its iconic manifestations in Barolo and Barbaresco, two of the world's best known and most beloved wines.But southern Piemonte, while the home of the best Nebbiolo wines, is not the only Piemonte growing region that has experience with the variety. In the Vercelli-Novara region of Alto Piemonte (shown in the red circle in the map below)  the Nebbiolo grape-- called Spanna therein -- is also viewed fondly by "native" winemakers, notwithstanding the fact that its wines differ markedly from that of its better-known brethren to the south. I cover the region and its wines in this post.

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.

Table 1. Selected characteristics of the Vercelli-Navara wine zones.

Wine Zone	Province	Coverage	Status Year	Size (ha)
Boca DOC	Novara	Boca plus parts of communes: -          Maggiora -          Cavallirio -          Prato -          Sesio -          Grignasco	1969	N/A
Gattinara DOCG	Vercelli		1990	100
Ghemme DOCG	Novara		1997	65
Sizzano DOC	Vercelli	Sizzano	1969	40
Bramaterra DOC	Vercelli	Communes of: -          Masserano -          Brusnengo -          Curino -          Roasio -          Villa del Bosco -          Sostegno -          Lozalo	1979	28
Fara DOC	Novara	Fara	1969	N/A
Lessona DOC	Biella	Commune of Lissano	1976	N/A
Colline Novaresi DOC	Novara	Ghemme DOCG; Fara and Boca DOCs	1994	N/A
Costa della Sesia DOC	Biella-Vercelli	Gattinara, Lessona, and Bramaterra DOCs	1996	N/A

In general, the zones experience cold, dry winters; mild, rainy springs; and hot summers. Their locations in the foothills of the Alps places them at the intersection of the temperate climate of continental Europe and the Mediterranean climate to the south while also providing protection from the cold north winds. The presence of neighboring Lakes Maggiore and Orta also provides a moderating influence on climate. High diurnal temperature variation between mid-August and mid-October is a key contributor to the acid retention that is a hallmark of the wines of the region.

The vineyards are situated on Ice-Age-origin morainic hills that stretch from the Alps almost to the Po Valley along the courses of the Ticino and Sesio rivers. These soils are rich in iron and other elements important for vine growth. Most of the greater Piemontese soils are alkaline but not so the soils of this region, thanks to the presence of porphyritic rock within the moraine. In general, the soils of Gattinara, Boca, and Bramaterra -- located, as they are, on the west side of the river -- are a mix of mostly acidic, porphyritic rock along with sand, clay, and iron deposits. East of the river, the soils of Ghemme, Boca, Sizzano, and Fara are primarily glacial moraines.

The Spanna-based wines produced in the region are detailed in Table 2 below. The DOC Costa della Sesia is a fallback appellation for the zones west of the Sesia River while Colline Novaresi is the fallback appellation for the zones to the east of the river.

Table 2. Spanna-based wines of the Vercelli-Novara region.

Wine	Style	Varieties	Minimum Alcohol (%)	Minimum Total Aging (Mths)	Min. Barrel Aging (Mths)	Min. Bottle Aging (Mths)
Boca DOC	Rosso Riserva Single-vyd	Sp (50-80%), UR and/or V (max 20%), C (max 30%) do. do.	12 12.5 12.6	34 46	18 24	NS NS
Gattinara DOCG	Rosso Riserva	Sp (min 90%), UR (max 10%), V (max 4%) do.	12.5 13	35 47	24 36	NS NS
Ghemme DOCG	Rosso Riserva	Sp (min 85%), UR and/or V(max 15%) do.	12 12.5	34 46	18 24	6 6
Sizzano DOC	Rosso Riserva	Sp (50-70%), UR and/or (30-50%), OA (max 10%) do.	12 12	22 34	16 24	NS NS
Bramaterra DOC	Rosso Riserva	Sp (50-70%), UR and/or V (max 20%), C (max 30%) do.	12 12	24 36	18 24	NS NS
Fara DOC	Rosso Riserva	Sp (50-70%), UR and/or (30-50%), OA (max 10%) do.	12 12.5	22 34	16 24	NS NS
Lessona DOC	Rosso Riserva	Sp (min 85%), UR and/or V(max 15%) do.	12 12	22 46	12 30	NS NS
Colline Novaresi DOC	Rosso Rosato Nebbiolo Single-vyd	Sp (min 30%), UR (min 40%), V and/or C (30%) Sp (min 50%) plus OA Sp (min 85%) plus OA do.	11 11 11 11.5	NS NS NS NS	NS NS NS NS	NS NS NS NS
Costa della Sesia DOC	Rosso Rosato Spanna Single-vyd	Sp (min 50%) plus OA do. Sp (min 85%) plus OA do.	11 11 11 12	NS NS NS NS	NS NS NS NS	NS NS NS NS

Legend: Sp = Spanna; UR = Uva Rara; V = Vespolina; C = Croatina; OA = other authorized; NS = none specified

The most well-regarded of the wines listed above 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.

In addition to the wines listed above, the two region-wide appellations -- Colline Novaresi and Costa della Sesia -- allow Biancos that are 100% Erbaluce plus Croatina and Vespolina varietals which, by law, must contain a minimum of 85% of the named grape. Further, Colline Novaresi also allows varietal wines labeled Barbera and Uva Rara and Rosso and Rosato Novellos which adhere to the varietal mix in place for the DOC Rosso and Rosato wines.

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