Budget Barolo Doesn’t Exist
The wine of kings and the king among wines. That’s what Barolo is. A magnificent wine, but just as with champagne, the name Barolo is often enough found on a bottle with a somewhat less regal character. Bitter, harsh and drying examples. They trade on the status of the great name and sometimes even command an astonishingly high price. Time for some alternatives.
Barolo is an Italian red wine from the area around the Piedmontese village of the same name, made from the Nebbiolo grape. This unique grape produces rich and complex wines, with beautiful acidity and tannins. A good Barolo is an ecstatic delight. But not every winemaker gets the best out of this complicated grape. That’s why even a decent bottle costs a lot. And we haven’t even mentioned the effect of extreme popularity on the price. Still want something beautiful, but with a more pleasant price tag? Then choose a Nebbiolo wine in a different guise.
Alto Piemonte is mountain Barolo
Right at the top of the same region—directly bordering France, on the foothills of the Alps—you’ll find Alto Piemonte. Nebbiolo wines also come from here. Very beautiful ones, too. Because the soil and climate are completely different from those in the more southerly areas, this wine is also rich and complex, but above all surprisingly fresh. A kind of mountain Barolo, really.
This area—where the grape is often called Spanna, by the way—has been overshadowed in recent decades by its glamorous southern neighbors Barolo and Barbaresco. And then it was essentially forgotten. Even though this is precisely where that beautiful grape originated. A shame. If only because of the current generation of enthusiastic winemakers and the friendlier prices, but above all because the wines produced here are surprisingly good and diverse. And, like their neighbors, they can age fantastically.
Northern Nebbiolo here we come
So it’s time for a new Piedmontese rinascimento (the Italian wine renaissance). Because Nebbiolo is so much more than just those big names. The northern Nebbiolo wines—sometimes as a blend and sometimes 100 percent Nebbiolo—are wonderful companions to beautiful (Italian) dishes. And if you love risotto, truffles and wine, the hilly area around the city of Biella—the Vigliano Biellese—is also a top destination for when you can finally take a trip again!
