Piemonte & Barbaresco
The name in Italian, spelt as Piemonte, means at the foot of the mountain. The Piedmont region in NW Italy is most famous for its superb Barolo and Barbaresco red wines made from the Nebbiolo grape. Both Barolo and Barbaresco are big, bold red wines with definitive full-bodied appeal, high acidity levels, with firm well-structured tannins that are categorized as dry wines. Compared to the 2002 vintage, the 2000 and 2001 vintages from the Piedmont region are worth pursuing. A third red variety, Dolcetto is used in blends and in its own DOCs of Dolcetto d'Alba, Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba, Dolcetto di Dogliani and Dolcetto della Langhe Monregalesi. Other grape varieties include: Barbera, Bonardo, Freisa, Arneis, Cortese and Moscato.