Word on the Vine - Nebbiolo

Italy’s answer to pinot noir is happiest in the soils of Piedmont, where it can mature fully to create fruity, fragrant reds

THE GRAPE
The Italian equivalent of pinot noir and native to Italy, nebbiolo is very fussy about where it grows. When the grape is planted in the right soil, however, it expresses its terroir as eloquently as the finest reds from Burgundy and for a less ruinous price-point (though it’s still not cheap). The most prestigious bottles come from the DOCG villages of Barolo and Barbaresco in the Langhe hills of Piedmont, between Turin and Genoa, where the autumn mist – nebbia – gives the grape its name. But look out too for better-value wines labelled as Langhe Nebbiolo.

THE TASTE
Nebbiolo wines are high in both acidity and tannin, which means the grapes must ripen fully in order to have enough fruit to balance the astringency, with alcohol levels of around 14 per cent. But they’re famed as much for their fragrance as their flavour: expect violet, dark roses, mint and sometimes tar, qualities that only become more concentrated with time. These are wines that can typically age for between five and 20 years, traditionally in old casks of Slovenian oak.

THE PAIRINGS
When the nebbiolo grape is harvested from the vine in October, the white truffles for which Piedmont is equally famous are being sold at the market of Alba. Should your budget allow, try a glass of nebbiolo with a bowl of buttery pasta or risotto under a snowdrift of freshly shaved white truffle. Alternatively, anything cheesy, creamy and autumnal is a more affordable match – cheese fondue, grouse or guinea fowl – or veal chop adorned with crisply fried sage leaves.

THE VINES
The precise plot of land in the Langhe hills on which a vine is planted will make a big difference to the wine produced – a lot depends on altitude and aspect. Global warming has even been beneficial for Piedmontese nebbiolo, allowing the grape to reach its full maturity more frequently in recent years.

Words by Ben MaCormack

This Article was taken from the October 2024 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe today, click here.