The topwines of Alto Piemonte versus the barolo and barbaresco from Langhe

Too often the Nebbiolos from Alto Piemonte are seen as cheaper alternatives to Barolo and Barbaresco. Producers in the north want to put an end to this. They stay cheaper, but the image has to change because the wines from Alto Piemonte have their own unique style. In the best cases they are elegant, refined and downright delightful.

The DOCs of Alto Piemonte are very much like splinters: ieniemienie and idiosyncratic. In order to guarantee their authenticity, rules have been laid down in the distant past that are reminiscent of the strictest party programmes. Obsolete and suffocating,' today's winemakers call the wine laws of the past. There is certainly a will to change, but there is often disagreement within the DOCs about the changes themselves. Moreover, the DOCs of Alto Piemonte are spread over three provinces (Biella, Verbania, Vercelli), each with its own government, all of which of course have their own say. The Kafkaesque discussion about the inimitable rules that arose during a press lunch quickly bored the young winemakers. They were eager to go into the vineyards.

The vineyards of Alto Piemonte are located on the foothills of the Alps, north of Turin and west of Milan. From the vineyards you have a view of the white mountain peaks, with a little imagination on the slopes of the ski resorts. Due to its northern location and the influence of the mountains, the climate in Alto Piemonte is different from that in the southern Langhe. In Alto Piemonte the winters are milder, but the summers cooler. Nebbiolo, the most important grape, is usually harvested in October. Its even, long ripening results in grapes with refined acids and delicate aromas, provided they do not rain or hail. This is a regular occurrence.

Although nebbiolo is the most important grape variety in Alto Piemonte, with a few exceptions it is obligatory here to blend with vespolina, uva rara (= bonarda) and croatina, among others. The exact assembly differs per DOC. Vespolina ripens faster and reaches a higher sugar content, which allows it to slightly increase its relatively low alcohol content. Uva rara provides softer tannin and croatina provides extra colour. Erbaluce is the local grape variety for the white wines of the region.

In addition to the climate, the soil of Alto Piemonte is also different from that of Langhe. Here you will hardly find calcareous soils, but you will find volcanic and sandy soils with a subsoil of different types of porphyry, rich in minerals and with a high acid content. That sounds like a promise for special wines with their own signature. Possibly not friends of everyone, but wines with character. And so it is. You obviously taste Piedmont and nebbiolo, but the wines are more fragile, fresher and more transparent than the more powerful Nebbiolo's from the south.

The question arises as to why the wines from Alto Piemonte are not as well known as those from Barolo, for example. The region more or less owes this to itself. In the past, they have not opted for wine-growing. At the beginning of the last century, industry flourished in the Po Valley. There was little to be earned from grapes and the workers moved to the city to build a different future. The vineyards were neglected and forgotten.

In the period when Barolo became famous in the world, only a handful of producers in the Alto Piemonte region were busy keeping up the name of the region. Fortunately, these people passed on their faith, knowledge, love and passion for Alto Piemonte wines to the next generation.

The energy and sense of renewal, improvement and expansion sparkle from them, but in all the stories the respect and love for the region and its traditions is clearly evident. Overgrown vineyards that lie almost unrecognizable among the trees are reclaimed. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the north of Piedmont had 45,000 hectares of vineyards, now only 700. The young wine-growers are making old vineyards suitable for planting again, and they are working very hard to make a small improvement every year. Step by step, because not everyone has a lot of money to invest.

Collaborate

Italian Enrico Crola, from the IT world, realised at a clear moment that as a child he preferred to be outdoors and decided to change his stressful inner life. In 2006 he planted his first sticks in Mezzomerico (Colline Novaresi). In the meantime his ultramodern winery is situated between the vineyards. Striking, equipped with the latest techniques and completely different from the other wineries in the region. Does that appeal to the original wine families? According to native Francesco Brigatti it is. Anyone who starts out here in wine-growing has something to do with our region. It's not just for commercial gain. That is impossible, the work here is too difficult.

Most people love Alto Piemonte as much as we do, perhaps even more consciously because it is not inborn. Most of the newcomers have more resources than we do, so they can modernise and/or expand more quickly, that may sting, but so far their arrival has only done Alto Piemonte good. Together we are developing initiatives in the field of sustainability, among other things, and the newcomers in particular are literally making it visible that a lot is happening here'. Francesco points to Enrico Crola's sleekly designed basement. We all benefit from that.

Declassification for more modern taste

Both the new generation of winemakers and the newcomers are concentrating on the work in the vineyard to increase the quality of the grapes. Planting densities have been increased, pruning techniques have been adapted and yields have been reduced. Due to improvements in the vineyard and, in part, global warming, according to some producers, blending is not always necessary anymore. The wines made exclusively from nebbiolo or 100% vespolina also taste excellent and are interesting. Because some DOCs do not accept varietal wines, producers declassify their wines. The DOCs west of the river Sesia use the more general DOC Costa della Sesia and those east of the river DOC Colline Novaresi. For these 'lower' DOCs, not only are the rules for the grape varieties more flexible, but also those for the compulsory ageing period. This is extremely long for the higher DOCs, varying from 22 to 47 months. In the past, this long period was undoubtedly necessary to soften the acidity and structure, but nowadays this is no longer necessary and 'our' taste has changed. We prefer to taste fruit rather than pronounced aging tones in a wine. The new winemakers feel the same way, but the legislators are not ready yet. So let's declassify to introduce the world to the uplifting, modern wines from Alto Piemonte. We are taking advantage of that. They are well worth their price.

DOCs belonging to Consorzio Alto Piemonte

hectare

Colline Novaresi 120

Boca 9

Ghemme 50

Sizzano 13

Fara 19

Valli Ossolane 14

Coste della Sesia 10

Gattinara 94

Lessona 6

Bramaterra29

Other DOCs in Alto Piemonte

hectare

Carema 16

Caluso/Erbaluce di Caluso 188

Canavese 117

Valsusa 7

Total: 692

This article was written by Magda van der Rijst, Perswijn, publication of 2018 during the Press Trip in which Karina Imschoot, the inspirer of Made In Piedmont Wines was also present.  Unfortunately, I was not able to experience all parts of the trip due to an accident onsite with a less pleasant meeting at the emergency department in Novara. As Alto Piedmont is becoming more and more popular, it seemed a good idea to browse through this press article and share it with wine lovers.

Interested in getting to know Alto Piemonte with a sublime theme package Alto Piemonte? This is the link:  Vip Wine package Alto Piemonte

You can also watch brand new videos by Centovigne, Francesco Brigatti, Cantina del Signore, Podere ai Valloni; Paride Chiovini on our You Tube channel Made in PIedmont Wines.