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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

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.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

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