Nebbiolo the grape variety that emerges from the fog

The nobility of being called NEBBIOLO

Il nebbiolo è un vitigno tanto prezioso nei vini che produce quanto esigente nelle condizioni che richiede per dare i suoi migliori frutti.
In the Italian wine landscape, Nebbiolo is certainly one of the most prized grape varieties; it is in fact the base of some of the most well-known and appreciated Italian wines in the world.
Among these, Barolo and Barbaresco certainly deserve mention, both produced with nebbiolo in purezza.

It can be considered a decidedly "difficult" and "selective" grape variety, as it requires specific environmental conditions in which to grow, targeted care in the vineyard, and careful aging in the cellar; only by respecting, and in a certain sense, accommodating these three elements can wines of the highest level and great palatability be obtained.

Even today its name has not entirely certain origins.
Some attribute it to the abundant bloom that covers its berries and that during ripening forms a film reminiscent of the opalescent color of fog; others link it to the fact that being a "late" grape variety, its harvest period very often occurs in the heart of autumn on days when fog wraps around the gentle hills where it is cultivated.

Nebbiolo is characterized by a very vigorous vine that gives rise to a decidedly exuberant vegetative phase that must always be kept under control with green pruning.

The cluster has a semi-pyramidal, almost cylindrical shape of medium size with tendentially spherical berries and skins decidedly rich in tannin, which is then mitigated during the aging phase, thus losing its initial harshness to become, in the best wines, almost silky.

The main geographical area where this grape variety has found the ideal terroir to produce the best results is that of the Langhe, a hilly area dotted with history-laden villages and medieval castles stretching from the lower Cuneo area to the Asti area, and the Roero, also in the province of Cuneo; but Nebbiolo is also cultivated throughout the entire hilly strip at the foot of the Alps stretching from the province of Turin to the Novara area.

Crossing the Piedmontese borders, the most significant areas where Nebbiolo-based wines are produced are the lower Valle d'Aosta and, in Lombardy, the Valtellina.

Depending on the area of origin, the characteristics and names of the grape variety naturally vary: Spanna in the Vercelli and Novara areas, Chiavennasca in Valtellina, Picoultener in the Canavese area and Valle d'Aosta; the common denominator lies in the decisive and straightforward character of Nebbiolo.