Piedmont

Tar, rose petals, dried cherries and truffles…these notes form the intoxicating perfume that envelopes you while drinking in Italy’s Piedmont. The wines of Piedmont are some of the most historically significant and important wines in all of Italy and the world.  Located in close proximity to historical seats of political and economic power (think Austro-Hungarian Empire, Napoleonic Era, etc), these wines have graced the tables of the region’s power players for centuries. While small amounts of white wine are produced here (Cortese, Arneis, etc), it is the noble red grape Nebbiolo that is Piedmont’s prized possession.  The most significant of Piedmont’s regions are the communes of Barolo and Barbaresco. Known as the King and Queen (respectively) of the region, these are wines of haunting aromatic complexity and sturdy tannin. From traditional style producers like Borgogno and Rinaldi; full of austerity and tannin, to modernists with a softer, rounder approach like Elio Altare and Angelo Gaja, there are no wines with more distinction, history, and sheer class than those of Italy’s Piedmont.