PANEL TASTING
Piedmont whites The region may be famed for its reds, but native white grapes are thriving alongside international varieties to produce diverse, often underrated wines, finds Ian D’Agata SWITZERLAND
Map: Maggie Nelson
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Asti Alessandria
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Cortese adds sparkle Cortese is the grape with which the world-famous Gavi wines are made. The best are from grapes grown around Rovereto (chalk-laced soils) and Tassarolo (soils richer in clay), but fine wines are also made elsewhere in Piedmont. Poor wines can be thin and tart. On the other hand, it’s the high acidity that explains why there are also some very fine sparkling wines made with Cortese. Erbaluce is a lovely grape, making some of Italy’s daintiest dry wines. High in acid, great sparkling wines and even better sweet wines of real complexity are possible. In fact, it is the only native Piedmontese white grape from which world-class sweet wines are produced. Timorasso differs from all of Piedmont’s other native white grapes in that it produces richer, fuller-bodied wines, at times similar to dry, Pfalz-style Rieslings in their diesel-fuel, mineral and tactile characteristics. Some wines are more about ripe orchard fruit than flinty minerals, so knowing the producer is key. Nascetta is an up-and-coming, semi-aromatic white grape originally grown only around the town of Novello (better known for Barolo production), where wines labelled Anas-Cëtta del Comune di Novello are produced. The grape’s intense herbal and citrus profile has rapidly gained in popularity, and the variety is being increasingly planted all over the region. Last but not least, Rossese Bianco is but one of three Rossese Bianco varieties grown in Italy. Piedmont’s version expresses delicate notes of lemon-lime and white flowers.
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Piedmont is viewed, rightly, as a haven of great red wine production, but it also makes a plethora of interesting whites. Not only native white grapes, but international varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and, believe it or not, Riesling, thrive in the region. You only need to think of Moscato d’Asti and Asti to realise the region’s white winemaking ability. The native white grapes of Piedmont include Arneis, Cortese, Erbaluce, Favorita and Timorasso, as well as the lesser-known Nascetta and Rossese Bianco, which give, for the most part, high-acid, food-friendly wines that won’t camouflage what you are eating. Those who favour wines made with the likes of Albariño and Verdejo will most likely appreciate these wines, too. Arneis is a great white grape, but often underrated because the wines can be a mixed bag. The best are made in the Roero area, where varied geology and microclimates lead to remarkably different wines, but you’ll also find outstanding Arneis wines made elsewhere in the region. Depending on where the grapes grow, they can be either floral and fruity or pungently minty and mineral. Not by chance, of all of Piedmont’s native white grapes, it is Arneis that is increasingly being planted in California, Oregon, Australia and New Zealand.
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Erbaluce di Caluso Roero Colli Tortonesi Gavi
Limit of Piedmont wine region
Piedmont whites: know your vintages
2014 One of the poorest in memory 2011 A year of low yields. The – almost non-stop rain at harvest. Happily, wines are low in alcohol.
extremely hot summer made for high alcohol. White wines more powerful than usual.
2013 A cool spring and a hot
2010 A cool and rainy
summer made for flavourful, deep white wines of real personality.
2012
Huge winter snowfall ensured plenty of water reserves during the torrid summer months. White wines of power, not unlike 2003 and 2007.
spring, with more rain in early August, threatened overall wine quality, but the rest of the season’s very fine weather ensured production of fruity, high-acid, deep white wines.
Piedmont whites: the facts Plantings in hectares; increasing/decreasing over last decade (2010 data)* Arneis 970ha, increasing; Cortese 2,800ha, slightly decreasing; Erbaluce 287ha, slightly decreasing; Nascetta 21ha, increasing; Rossese Bianco 7ha, increasing; Timorasso 68ha, greatly increasing
Ian D’Agata is a regular Decanter contributor who also writes on Italian wine, among others, for International Wine Cellar ➢
(*Ian D’Agata, Native Wine Grapes of Italy, 2014)
D E C A N T E R • A u g u s t 2015 | 63