Grape variety · Red
Nebbiolo
Pale in colour but fierce in tannin and acid: the noble grape of Barolo and Barbaresco.
- Red
- Home: Piedmont, north-west Italy
- Italy, USA, Australia, Mexico
At a glance
- Also known as
- Spanna
- Chiavennasca
- Picotendro
- Colour
- Red
- Origin
- Piedmont, north-west Italy
- Main regions
- Barolo and Barbaresco (Langhe), Roero, Gattinara and Ghemme, Valtellina (Lombardy), Valle d'Aosta
- Varietal or blend
- Nearly always single variety in its classic wines.
- Body & sweetness
- Medium to full-bodied, dry, and firmly structured.
Taste & style
- Flavour
- Rose, tar, sour cherry and dried herbs, with liquorice, truffle and leather as it matures.
- Style
- Light garnet colour fades to orange-brick early. Needs years in bottle to soften; great Barolo can last decades.
In the vineyard & winery
- Growing
- Buds early and ripens very late, often harvested in October fog — "nebbia" in Italian. Very fussy about site; best on south-facing Langhe slopes.
- Winemaking
- Traditionally long skin contact and ageing in large old oak casks; some modern producers use small new barrels.
Food matches
- Truffle pasta (tajarin)
- Braised beef in Barolo
- Game and mushrooms
- Aged Parmigiano
Notes
- Barolo needs at least 38 months ageing before release (62 for Riserva).