Piedmont

The Piedmont region (Italian: Piemonte) with its capital Turin is located in the far north-west of Italy. With a land area of over 25,000 square kilometres, it is the second largest after Sicily. The beginnings of viticulture go back to the Celtic people of the Taurines (who gave the capital its name) and the Ligurians. The Romans were already familiar with Piedmontese wines (including those from Gattinara), but the polymath and wine writer Pliny the Elder (23-79) did not mention a single one in his list of the best ancient wines.

It was not until the Middle Ages that the wines produced here, primarily by the monasteries, became known, when minstrels praised their excellent quality. The western part became the Margraviate of Turin in the 11th century and this came under the rule of Savoy through marriage. Piedmont, and with it the winegrowing industry, was under French influence for many centuries. In the mid-13th century, the name "Piedmont" was used for the first time, which is derived from the French pié de monte (at the foot of the mountains). Piedmont's vineyards are largely located at the foot of the Alps and Apennines on both sides of the broad upper Po Valley. It was not until 1815 that Piedmont was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia and finally became part of the United Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

Vineyards

The vineyards cover 44,000 hectares of vines. A large part is located in hilly areas on sunny slopes. The most important wine-growing areas or communal areas are Asti, Carema, Canavese, Caluso, the Vercelli and Novara mountains and the hills of Monferrato and Langhe near Alba, which are considered to be the best sites in terms of quality. There are well over a hundred authorised grape varieties (in the 19th century there were almost 400), many of which are indigenous. The most important white wine varieties are Arneis, Chardonnay, Erbaluce, Cortese, Favorita (Vermentino), Moscato or Moscato Bianco (Muscat Blanc), Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blanc), Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris) and Sauvignon (Sauvignon Blanc).

The most important red wine varieties are Albarossa, Avanà, Avarengo, Barbera with around half of the total area, Bécuet (Persan), Bonarda Piemontese, Brachetto (Brachetto del Piemonte), Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chatus (Neret Pinerolese), Croatina, Doux d'Henry, Erbaluce, Freisa, Grignolino, Grisa Nera, Malvasia di Casorzo, Malvasia di Schierano, Merlot, Nebbiolo (Chiavennasca, Spanna), Neretta Cuneese, Neretto (Neretto di Bairo), Pelaverga (Cari), Pelaverga Piccolo, Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir), Ruchè, Syrah, Quagliano, Uva Rara (Bonarda Novarese) and Vespolina.

Wines

Alongside Tuscany, Piedmont produces the most top wines in Italy. Red wines account for over three quarters of production. The DOCG red wines Barbaresco and Barolo, made from the Nebbiolo grape and produced by certain producers, are the main reasons for this fame. These wines were also influenced by France, as the "birth father" of these two wines was the French oenologist Louis Oudart. In modern times, the three famous winemakers Angelo Gaja, Bruno Giacosa and Giacomo Bologna carried out significant development work at his Braida winery. Piedmont plays a leading role in several respects. This is where the largest volume of sparkling wine is produced. The region is also the land of vermouth in Italy and the world; this wine was "invented" here.

DOC and DOCG areas

There is no IGT area (regional wines); the DOC and DOCG areas (quality wines) are:

• Alba (DOC)
• Albugnano (DOC)
• Alta Langa (DOCG)
• Asti - Asti Spumante, Moscato d'Asti, Asti Spumante Metodo Classico, Vendemmia Tardiva (DOCG)
• Barbaresco (DOCG)
• Barbera d'Alba (DOC)
• Barbera d'Asti (DOCG)
• Barbera del Monferrato (DOCG)
• Barbera del Monferrato Superiore (DOCG)
• Barolo (DOCG)
• Boca (DOC)
• Brachetto d'Acqui (DOCG)
• Bramaterra (DOC)
• Calosso (DOC)
• Canavese (DOC)
• Canelli (DOCG)
• Carema (DOC)
• Cisterna d'Asti (DOC)
• Collina Torinese (DOC)
• Colline Novaresi (DOC)
• Colline Saluzzesi (DOC)
• Colli Tortonesi (DOC)
• Cortese dell'Alto Monferrato (DOC)
• Coste della Sesia (DOC)
• Dogliani (DOCG)
• Dolcetto d'Acqui (DOC)
• Dolcetto d'Alba (DOC)
• Dolcetto d'Asti (DOC)
• Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba or Diano d'Alba (DOCG)
• Dolcetto di Ovada (DOC)
• Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore or Ovada (DOCG)
• Erbaluce di Caluso or Caluso (DOCG)
• Fara (DOC)
• Freisa d'Asti (DOC)
• Freisa di Chieri (DOC)
• Gabiano (DOC)
• Gattinara (DOCG)
• Gavi or Cortese di Gavi or Gavi di Gavi (DOCG)
• Ghemme (DOCG)
• Grignolino d'Asti (DOC)
• Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese (DOC)
• Langhe (DOC)
• Loazzolo (DOC)
• Lessona (DOC)
• Malvasia di Casorzo d'Asti or Malvasia di Casorzo or Casorzo (DOC)
• Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco (DOC)
• Monferrato (DOC)
• Moscato d'Asti (DOCG)
• Nebbiolo d'Alba (DOC)
• Nizza (DOCG)
• Piemonte (DOC)
• Pinerolese (DOC)
• Roero (DOCG)
• Rubino di Cantavenna (DOC)
• Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato (DOCG)
• Sizzano (DOC)
• Strevi (DOC)
• Terre Alfieri (DOCG)
• Valli Ossolane (DOC)
• Valsusa (DOC)
• Verduno Pelaverga (DOC)