The region of Piedmont, literally translated at the foot of the mountain, with its capital Turin, is located in the extreme northwest of Italy. The 55,000 hectares of vineyards are largely spread over the hilly parts with the best slopes being called "Sori" (vineyards with lots of sun at noon) in the local dialect. Important sub-areas are Asti, Carema, Canavese, Caluso and the Vercelli and Novara Mountains. The best quality hills are located in Monferrato and Langhe near Alba.
More than 100 grape varieties are grown there and most of them are autochthonous. The popular Barbera grape represents 50% of the plantings, followed by Bonarda, Brachetto, Dolcetto, Freisa, Grignolino, Nebbiolo and Malvasia. Among the white grapes, Arneis, Cortese, Erbaluce and Moscato bianco are the most represented.
International varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Riesling and Pinot Noir are also grown here. Three quarters of the production are red wines, mainly the DOCG wines - the official designation of origin in Italy - from Barbaresco and Barolo have contributed to the positive image of this beautiful region, recently classified as World Heritage by Unesco.
And so it is not surprising that this area competes with the more southerly Tuscany for the 1st place as the best wine region in Italy.
The famous Barolo, called by the Italians king of wines and wine of kings, is made from the blue Nebbiolo grape and is a stubborn but refined red wine with a very long aging potential. The Nebbiolo grape, which is very similar to Pinot Noir, has fueled my love for these wines and this area.