Nebbiolo
Nebbiolo is arguably Italy’s greatest red grape variety, responsible for the great reds of Barolo and Barbaresco.
What does Nebbiolo taste like?
The thick-skinned grape produces a range of fabulous violet and rose-like perfumes and flavours of truffle, fennel, liquorice and tar. It’s a tricky grape variety to grow but rewards growers with good acidity and plenty of tannins. Its elegance and ability to translate terroir has been likened to that of Pinot Noir in Burgundy.
Nebbiolo is named after the ‘nebbia’, or fog, which enshrouds the limestone hills of Monforte around Alba.
Small quantities are grown in California and Australia, although it has yet to show the pedigree of its Italian counterpart.
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Anson on Thursday: The hills of northern Piedmont
Wine lovers would probably choose to visit Piedmont in October, when the late-ripening Nebbiolo grapes are luscious on the vines, while truffle hunters might plump for the frosty November fogs, when the delicate white truffles of Alba are advertised on chalk boards outside local trattorias in every village, and haggled over in open air markets.
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Barbaresco wine: first among equals
It’s time for Piedmont’s ‘other’ great Nebbiolo wine to stop being seen as the perennial bridesmaid to Barolo, says Ian D’Agata. Barbaresco is just as good and (whisper it) in some cases better, especially when it comes to price
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Barolo’s golden age
Michael Garner finds out what’s behind an unprecedented string of strong vintages...
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Barolo producer Giacomo Conterno buys Arione vineyard
Barolo producer Giacomo Conterno has purchased the prized nine-hectare Arione vineyard to the south of Serralunga d’Alba from Cantina Gigi Rosso.
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Investment analysis: SuperTuscans and Barolos
As Bordeaux’s pricing woes continue, interest in Italy as a fine wine investment vehicle grows, with SuperTuscans and Barolos leading the way. Ella Lister analyses the hot prospects
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Serralunga Barolos: Mellowing with age
Held in high esteem, Serralunga Barolos have at the same time earned a reputation as fierce and tannic beasts. Yet today's wines are more approachable than ever, finds Stephen Brook
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Barolo: The glory days
1978 was the one vintage that really put Barolo on the map. Since then there have been enormous changes in both vineyard and cellar, as well as global warming. So has this changed the intrinsic character of the wines? Tom Maresca reports...
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Vintage Report: Barolo 2009
Tom Maresca was roundly disappointed by this 2009 tasting, citing the winemakers' failure to address how difficult the vintage was as one reason for this 'dismal' showing
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Barolo producers celebrate Cannubi victory
Italian wine producers are claiming victory after a tribunal ruled to return the Cannubi vineyard area in Barolo to its previous size.
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Report: Gaja Barbaresco tasting
Roberson wine merchant's vertical tasting of 10 Gaja Barbarescos was, as expected, a sell out; the wines ranging in age from 2006 back to a rare 1958 made by Angelo Gaja's father Giovanni.
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Nebbiolo (red)
Arguably Italy's greatest red grape variety, responsible in north-west Italy for the great reds of barolo and barbaresco, whose range of fabulous violet and rose-like perfumes and flavours of truffle, fennel, liquorice and tar, make it one of the world's most distinctive grape varieties.
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Hailstorms hit Barolo zone
Two violent hailstorms have hit parts of the Barolo zone, causing serious damage.
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Barbaresco and Barolo 2006
One Langhe legend has slated the vintage, refusing to bottle, yet his fellow producers are full of praise. Who’s right, asks Franco Ziliani
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Cult Barolo producer Teobaldo Cappellano dies
Teobaldo Cappellano, the respected and controversial Barolo producer, has died at 65.
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Barolo and Barbaresco: Is oak ok now?
In the late 1990s, Alba was infatuated with new French barriques. A decade on, TOM MARESCA looks at whether time has changed not only these Barolos and Barbarescos, but also the mindset of producers
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Barolo Wines and Beyond
Italy’s northwestern zone of Alba is so intrinsically linked with Barolo that its winemakers often become transfixed. Now they’re starting to realise there’s more to life than Nebbiolo – Barbera and Dolcetto for a start. RICHARD BAUDAINS takes up the story
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Barolo, ancient and modern
Barolo may be known for its great wine, but the line between traditional and the contemporary methods of producing it is anything but fine, writes STEPHEN BROOK
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Barolo patriarch Mascarello dies
Italy's Bartolo Mascarello – the patriarch of Barolo – died at his home in Barolo on Saturday at the age of 78.
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Nebbiolo is viognier cousin, conference hears
Nebbiolo, one of Italy’s most famous black grape varieties, is related to the aromatic viognier, DNA boffins have found.
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Brilliance in Barbaresco
STEPHEN BROOK visits the Barbaresco producers who are busy rewriting the rule book
