Piemonte Wine
The cool, extreme north-west corner of Italy that is Piemonte produces some of the world's finest, most ethereal, age-worthy red wines. Particularly in the famous communes of Barolo and Barbaresco where the piemonte red wine, especially the nebbiolo varietal, enjoys its most glorious expression. Nebbiolo is usually tannic, generously acidic, and savoured for typical aromas of rose petal, liquorice, black cherry, tar, and truffle, reflected as similar flavours on the palate, along with violet, leather, prune, and tobacco. When left to a decent age, nebbiolo develops an exciting range of further complexities that make it pair supremely with food. Alongside these, piedmont red wine offerings also boast the vibrant, brisk acidity of barbera, delivering darker, richer fruit notes of blueberry, black cherry, dried fruit, and hints of mocha. And for early-drinking pleasure, Piemonte's ubiquitous dolcetto, or 'little sweet one', although typically vinified dry, offers comparatively good tannins, a fresh, dark fruit profile, and less acidity, rendering it extremely quaffable.