Nebbiolo is arguably Italy’s greatest red grape variety, responsible for the great reds of Barolo and Barbaresco.
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.
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.
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
Michael Garner finds out what’s behind an unprecedented string of strong vintages...
Barolo producer Giacomo Conterno has purchased the prized nine-hectare Arione vineyard to the south of Serralunga d’Alba from Cantina Gigi Rosso.
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
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
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...
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
Italian wine producers are claiming victory after a tribunal ruled to return the Cannubi vineyard area in Barolo to its previous size.
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.
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.
Two violent hailstorms have hit parts of the Barolo zone, causing serious damage.
One Langhe legend has slated the vintage, refusing to bottle, yet his fellow producers are full of praise. Who’s right, asks Franco Ziliani
Teobaldo Cappellano, the respected and controversial Barolo producer, has died at 65.
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
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
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
Italy's Bartolo Mascarello – the patriarch of Barolo – died at his home in Barolo on Saturday at the age of 78.
Nebbiolo, one of Italy’s most famous black grape varieties, is related to the aromatic viognier, DNA boffins have found.
STEPHEN BROOK visits the Barbaresco producers who are busy rewriting the rule book
Producers of Italy's premium red wine Barolo are facing a ruined harvest this year, while in Chianti the winemakers are crossing their fingers and hoping for the best.
