Nebbiolo - WikiHQ

Nebbiolo (, ; ) is an Italian red wine grape variety predominantly associated with its native Piedmont region, where it makes the Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) wines of Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara, Ghemme, and Roero, together with numerous DOC wines. Nebbiolo is thought to derive its name from the Italian or Piedmontese , meaning 'fog'. During harvest, which generally takes place late in October, a deep, intense fog sets into the Langhe region where many Nebbiolo vineyards are located. Alternative explanations refer to the fog-like glaucous veil that forms over the berries as they reach maturity, or that perhaps the name is derived instead from the Italian word , meaning 'noble'. Nebbiolo produces lightly-colored red wines which can be highly tannic in youth with scents of tar and roses. As they age, the wines take on a characteristic brick-orange hue at the rim of the glass and mature to reveal other aromas and flavours such as violets, tar, wild herbs, cherries, raspberries, truffles, tobacco, and prunes. Nebbiolo wines can require years of ageing to balance the tannins with other characteristics.

History

left|thumb|Early morning fog in a Nebbiolo vineyard in the Langhe. The Italian word for 'fog', , is one possible origin for the name Nebbiolo.

Ampelographers believe that Nebbiolo is indigenous to the Piedmont region, though there is some DNA evidence to suggest that it could have originated in the Valtellina area of northern Lombardy, just to the east. In the 1st century AD, Pliny the Elder noted the exceptional quality of the wine produced in the Pollentia region located northwest of what is now the Barolo DOCG zone. While Pliny does not explicitly name the grape responsible for these Pollenzo wines, his description of the wine bears similarities to later descriptions of Nebbiolo-based wines, making this potentially the first notation of wine made from Nebbiolo in the Piedmont region. The first explicit mention of Nebbiolo dates to 1268, in which a wine known as "nibiol" was described as growing in Rivoli near Turin. This was followed by a 1303 account of a producer in the Roero district described as having a barrel of "nebiolo" (sic). In the 1304 treatise Liber Ruralium Commodorum, the Italian jurist Pietro Crescenzi described wine made from "nubiola" as being of excellent quality. In the 15th century, statutes in the region of La Morra (in what is now the Barolo zone) demonstrated the high esteem that the Nebbiolo vine had in the area. According to these laws, the penalties for cutting down a Nebbiolo vine ranged from a heavy fine to having the right hand cut off or hanging for repeat offenders. This research further suggests a parent-offspring relationship between Nebbiolo and several Italian grapes including Freisa, Bubbierasco, Nebbiolo Rosé, and Vespolina of the Piedmont region, and the Lombardy grapes Negrara and Rossola nera.

Viticulture

right|thumb|Nebbiolo has a long history in the Alba region of Piedmont.

Compared to the annual growth cycle of other Piedmontese grape varieties, Nebbiolo is one of the first varieties to bud and the last variety to ripen with harvest taking place in mid to late October. In some vintages, producers are able to pick and complete fermentation of their Barbera and Dolcetto plantings before Nebbiolo is even harvested.

The Lampia strain adapts best to different soil types. Perhaps due to inbreeding in Nebbiolo's lineage, the vine is very prone to grape diseases caused by viruses. Viral infection of the Lampia genotype originally gave rise to the Michet phenotype (though the Michet clones now cultivated are free from the virus). While Michet adapts less readily to different soil types, its smaller bunches and lower yields makes for highly concentrated wines. Today, the DOCG regulations for Barolo and Barbaresco call for the wine to be a 100% varietal of Nebbiolo. In 1998, producers of the Barbaresco region drafted a proposal to allow 10-15% of other grape varieties into the wine, but bad press by Italian wine critics led to the rejection of that plan. While there is some speculation, from critics such as Oz Clarke, that Barbera or even Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon may be used to augment the colour and flavours of Barolos by some producers, there is no explicit proof that this is occurring. Despite the prestige and acclaim of Nebbiolo-based wine, it is far from being the most widely grown grape in Piedmont. In 2010, there were of Nebbiolo producing of wine which accounted for a little over 3% of Piedmont's entire production. In contrast, there is nearly 15 times as much Barbera planted in the region. Outside Piedmont, it is found in the neighbouring regions of the Val d'Aosta region of Donnaz and Valtellina and Franciacorta in Lombardy. In the Veneto, there is a small amount which some producers use to make a Nebbiolo recioto wine.

Outside Italy, producers in the United States are experimenting with plantings totalling in California, Washington, Oregon and even Virginia. In the Northern Region of Baja California, Mexico, support the production of the Nebbiolo varietal. In Argentina there are planted in the San Juan province and Australian producers in the King Valley region of Victoria have found some success with of Nebbiolo plantings. in oak and 3 years total ageing for normale bottlings and 62 months total ageing for riserva. The minimum alcohol levels for the two regions vary slightly with Barbaresco requiring a minimum of 12.5% and Barolo 13%.

Australia

In Australia, winemakers found little early success with Nebbiolo as many of the earliest plantings were inland sites that turned out to be too warm and dry for the grape. Research into cooler-climate sites leads to more favourable examples coming from the marginal climate of Victoria's King Valley, and the cooler Adelaide Hills. Further studies have indicated that the Mornington Peninsula and the Margaret River areas have similar amounts of rainfall, relative humidity and sunshine hours to the Langhe region of Piedmont. Bendigo, the Clare Valley and Mudgee, are also currently being explored for their Nebbiolo potential. Australian styles produced can be from very light, almost clear, to dark, rich wines.

Nebbiolo has attracted some seriously obsessive Australian growers and makers over the years, and they have produced some very good examples of the grape. In most cases, the Australian regions where the variety does best tend to be ones where clouds of fog are not an uncommon sight in autumn and winter – inland and up high.

Other regions

In Ensenada, Mexico, producers (L.A. Cetto) have been experimenting with plantings of Nebbiolo in Baja California near the US border with promising results. There are 100% Nebbiolo wines produced from low-yielding plants with very good colour and fine qualities, like the wine produced at Arcilla.

In South America, early results in Chile have so far produced wines with high acidity and poor colour as winemakers work to find which clones are best suited for their climate. The development of Argentine Nebbiolo has been held back by excessively high yields. In Europe, there are some plantings in the Austrian region of Mittelburgenland.

Wines

right|250px|thumb|Barbaresco, like Barolo, has the potential for longevity. This wine is from the 1976 vintage and has taken on the characteristic orange hues of an aged Nebbiolo.

Wines made from Nebbiolo are characterized by their ample amounts of acidity and tannin. Most examples are wines built for ageing and some of the highest quality vintages need significant age (at least a decade or more) before they are palatable to many wine drinkers and can continue to improve in the bottle for upward of 30 years. As Nebbiolo ages, the bouquet becomes more complex and appealing with aromas of tar and roses being the two most common notes. Other aromas associated with Nebbiolo include dried fruit, damsons, leather, licorice, mulberries, spice as well dried and fresh herbs. While Barolo & Barbaresco tend to be the heaviest and most in need of ageing, wines made in the modernist style are becoming more approachable at a young age. Lighter styles from Carema, Langhe and Gattinara tend to be ready to drink within a few years of vintage. Nebbiolo from California and Australia will vary from producer and quality of vineyard. In the Val d'Aosta region and around Carema it is known as Picutener. In Valtellina it is known as Chiavennasca.

References

External links

Wines and Vines – Characteristics of Nebbiolo Wine including aging.