The Nebbiolo is a red wine produced in the Cuneo province in Piedmont. The typicality of this wine allowed it to receive in 1970 the honorable DOC certification (Denominazione di origine Controllata).
The Cuneo province, where this wine is produced, is located in the south-west of Piedmont, crossed by the Tanaro river, and it includes 25 towns. The Tanaro valley started in the Pre-Alpes near Liguria and the France to introduce itself, very slowly, in the Po Valley where the slow and curvy path, the accumulation of humidity and the protection of the mountains form the wind permits, especially in autumn, the formation of some fog that since always characterize this place.
Exactly in this place born a vine that since always is called Nebbiolo both for the thick bloomy peel which can change the color of the grape from a red, almost black color to a fume grey, that for the slow maturation that ends almost at the end of November and that makes the farmers to do the grape harvest in these autumnal fogs determined by the river.
In the specific the Nebbiolo vine is characterized by a medium large leaf with an intense green color and with three or five tips lightly curved through the ground; this last one is an indispensable characteristic that allows the leaf to remove the water caused by the fog.
The bunch completely ripe has a tubular shape, lightly winged in the upper extremities, it is very compact, rich and robust. The grape in itself is almost perfectly spherical composed by a red pulp very sweet and juicy and rich of sucrose. The peel is covered by a thick coat of bloom with a blue color almost violet, it is quite thin but resistant. The flowery of this vine is early in fact already in April is possible to detect the first buds whereas the maturation is later and it takes place in November between the first and the second week.
Especially this aspect makes this vine very delicate and exposed to the climatic changes and to the picking seasons.
Other wines can be produced with this vine in addition to the Nebbiolo DOC: the Barolo, the Barbaresco, the Carema all single variety 100% whereas with blended vines is possible to produce: the Gattinara, l’Albugnano, the Canavese Nebbiolo, the Sforzato di Valtellina, the Spanna and the Valtellina superiore. Finally to produce the following wines it has to be needed other grapes than the Nebbiolo ones: the Terre Alfieri, the Roero, the Fara, the Sizzano, the Boca, the Lessona, the Ghemme and the Bramaterra.
From the Nebbiolo vine , produced as single variety 100% is produced the pure Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC the “prince” of the Piedmont. This is a very rich wine, resistant in the years and capable to keep its properties during some years. The color of this exceptional wine is red almost garnet, it is elegant and fine too. The scent of the Nebbiolo d’Alba reminds directly to the raspberry flavor and to the cherry one and to the geranium and wild strawberry too. All mixed with spicy flavors. There are recognizable the vanilla and the cinnamon. The taste is dry, velvety and quite mellow.
The Nebbiolo has a clear and perfect balance between the alcoholic degree, the acidity and the winy that are all mixed together but also very distinguishable. The alcoholic degree of 12° is achieved after at least 12 months.
As the Nebbiolo DOC is a very rich and structured wine, the best food matches are with important dishes such as the tagliatelle or other egg noodles joined by truffle sauces or with game sauces. Also the risotto with fused or aged cheese such as the Gorgonzola or also with ragù (meat sauces) are perfect to be eaten with the Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC .
The second courses could be veal boiled meat, roasted chickens, game such as pheasant or boar and also filled Piedmontese turkey (with vegetables, chestnut and rosemary).
You have to serve it at 16°C maximum 18°C in a wide and tall wine glass adaptable for red wines. It has to be served at least after three years of aging (young) and through the years this piedmont wine become finer and it allows to discover its organoleptic particularities always with more precision and emphasis (max refinement is 4/5 years after the grape harvest).
The best excellent years are the 2008 and 2009. Also the 2011 and 2012. There is no year classified as qualitatively lower because from 2000 to 2013 there are no bad years. The above quotes are the best ever.
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