The name
Piedmont means “at the foot of the mountains”. This is the largest wine region in Italy and covers around 40 different denominations. The region is in the northwest of the country, bordering the Alps and the Apennines, with Turin as its capital. In this region, they make unique, world-renowned wines using native varieties. Four of them have DOCG status, the most notable being Barolo and Barbaresco.
In Piedmont, the Nebbiolo variety is the queen of the red grapes, but the princess has to be the Barbera that is used to make great wines under the names Barbera d'Asti and Barbera d'Alba. These are juicy wines, with hints of sour cherry and liquorice, with subtle herbal notes, light tannins and generous acidity.
Although
Piedmont wines earned its international reputation through its red wines, it also makes some excellent sparkling wines, mainly with the Moscato variety like the semi-sparkling wines from the DOCG Moscato d'Asti and the sparkling wines made in the DOCG Asti, which are sweet and slightly floral wines.
The still white that predominate in
Piedmont wines are made with the Cortese grape, in the DOCG Gavi. These wines have a marked minerality and they are fresh with citrus and herbal notes.