Barbera     Barbera, the most representative of the Piedmont's wines, is made from the homonymous grape that can produce marvelous wines as well as blending wines. It is one of the best-known and appreciated wines throughout Italy for its generosity in terms of alcoholic strength, and numerous modern experts fully recognize Barbera's many virtues. Today, Barbera represents about 50% of the whole Piedmont’s wine production. It is, in fact, a wine “par excellence” to such a point that its image is identified with that of the whole region as a wine producer. Always rather severe it is, still, richly and exquisitely perfumed and with a flavor that couples strength with finesse. Superior Barbera wines can exhibit a ripe currant flavor with a nuance of smokiness. When young, it has strong flowery bouquet and is a good accompaniment to local dishes (salami, stew etc.). Aged, Barbera has a beautiful ruby red color and a taste and bouquet that recall Barolo. Five DOC areas in the region produce the most noteworthy Barbera wines. Two of them: Barbera d'Alba and Barbera d'Asti are made 100% from Barbera grape. Barbera d'Alba are some of the more robust of the Barberas so they should be drunk within 3 to 4 years after the vintage date. Barbera d'Asti are wines generally regarded as slightly less full-bodied than those from Alba, therefore, they should be drunk young.

Barbaresco     Barbaresco, one of the most renowned DOCG areas, is a great wine of Piedmont with extremely ancient origin. This wine has much in common with Barolo though it ages faster. It also comes from the Piedmont’s native Nebbiolo grapevine. In the comparison, Barbaresco wines are usually regarded as more elegant and refined; the Barolos are thought to be more robust and longer-lived. It often has an alcohol content over 14%, good total acidities and high tannin content. This means compulsory aging before being sold. Thus, the wine must be aged for a minimum of 2 years, one of which is in oak barrels. When aged for 3 years in wooden barrels it has the right to the mention "Riserva", for 4 years "Riserva Speciale" and its lifespan can be up to 20-30 years. It would be a shame to drink it sooner than 6 years after the vintage. Ten to 15 years would be better. During the aging period, the wine is kept in oak barrels for further complexity of flavors. Considered as one of Italy's best wines, it has an intense and complex aroma, spicy flavors and, although dry, it has a perfumed sweetness of violets. It is an excellent wine to drink with braised red meat or game, with aged cheeses, venison and white truffles. Even though Barbaresco selling prices can be expensive, the wine is exceptional. Few places can produce a wine of such purity, harmony and delight.

Barolo     Barolo is the most famous red wine of Piedmont that is referred to as "the king of wines and the wine of kings'' because of its regal characteristics. This splendid red is one of the standard bearers of Italian enology. Few places can produce a wine of such a quality. The grape that produces this superb wine is the Nebbiolo, a grapevine that was already under cultivation in the Middle Ages. DOCG rules require Barolo wines to age for a minimum of 3 years, two of which must be in oak casks, before being bottled and sold and must have a 12% alcohol content minimum. “Riserva” wines require 4 years and “Riserva Speciale” wines must age for 5 years. Nonetheless, it is especially suited for long aging as its lifespan can be up to 20-30 years. During the aging period, the wine is kept in oak casks to further improve the complexity of flavors. Young Barolos are tough, tannic and need long aging to soften. Once they soften and open up, however, they're rich, full-bodied and complex and can have truffle and chocolate taste, with an aroma reminiscent of violets. Barolo has a beautiful orange-red color and has a dry, austere, yet harmonious velvety flavor. Likewise Barbaresco, Barolo is an excellent wine to drink with roasted meat or game, with aged cheeses, and even truffled "foie gras". It should be served at a temperature of 20°C and should be opened one hour before drinking to allow a slight oxidation.

Brachetto     A superb DOCG dessert wine much in demand especially abroad, although its production is extremely limited. However, this is compensated by a fine quality, which makes this wine incomparable. Brachetto is a wine made from the Brachetto indigenous grapevine from which wine makers can draw sparkling and small quantities of refined Passito wines. The grapevine is not very vigorous. Its productivity is not constant in the years. It feels notably the effects of the climatic course and of the characteristics of the ground where it is cultivated. The wine has a ruby red color, not very intense with rose-colored reflexes, a delicate aroma of roses and a sweet taste with the presence of fairly persistent foam. Brachetto doesn't require aging.

Carema     From the rocky slopes of the hills situated in the far north of Piedmont where the vineyards raise with a series of characteristic terraces, a minuscule DOC area produces Carema red wine. The grapevine used is Nebbiolo, one of the few that can be grown on that land. This makes a wine that is unique, incomparable with wines made in the other zones with the same grape variety. The clusters are intense blue; they tend to gray for the wax that develops on the grapes. These are small, spherical and with substantial peel. The grapes are fermented before pressing and a dry, lightly bitter wine is  produced that, suitably aged, develops into a wine of rare finesse. It must be aged for at least 4 years, two of which must be in casks of chestnut or oak tree. Carema is full-bodied, with garnet red color and aroma that recalls roses. The production area is strictly limited. None of the Carema wine can be sold before aging for 4 years and the bottles must clearly indicate the vintage. It pair well with red and white roasted meats, game, seasoned cheese, dried  pastries and dried fruits. Serving temperature is 20-22°C.

Dolcetto     Dolcetto is a red table wine produced in large quantities in the Piedmont. Despite its name, “little sweet”, it is quite dry and has a slightly bitter flavor. Indeed, the grape that yields the wine is quite sweet, so much so that in the past it was much appreciated as a fine table grape. However, that sweetness is not passed along to the wine. Dolcetto is made exclusively from the homonymous grape that is believed to be indigenous. Yet, the history of this grape variety is extremely complex. The grapevine is quite sensitive to geological variations of the terrains in which it is planted and the wine takes on shadings that differ according to the nature of the soil, even when vineyards are located only a few miles apart. It adapts well to higher elevations so that it is often found at altitudes of as much as 600 meters. There are seven DOC zones for Dolcetto, all in the Piedmont region and, probably, the best known is Dolcetto d'Alba. This zone is renowned for the number of high-quality wine producers. Dolcetto wines have moderate acidity and are usually deep purple in color. They have perfumed characteristic bouquets and rich, fruity, ripe-berry flavors with a slightly bitter almonds aftertaste. Its tannins and high alcohol content enable it to develop premium qualities through aging for one or two years. During that period, special qualities evolve that make the wine comparable to Barolo and Gattinara. Some even prefer it because it is lighter and subtler. This makes it a young wine with body, lively and with fragrant aroma that is easy to drink and that pairs well with dishes of moderate structures, with white meats (veal, poultry, etc.) and a wide variety of foods. A slightly sparkling variety, best appreciated outside meal times, is also produced.

Freisa     Freisa is another Piedmont’s indigenous red wine grape that has been grown in the region for centuries. This variety is extremely resistant to climatic fluctuations and diseases and it is highly adapted to a diversity of soils and to generally unfavorable exposures. The result is that the variety offers substantial yields, sometimes and in certain conditions to the detriment of the wine's finesse. Its cultivation is now rather widely diffused and is vinified in many styles ranging from dry to sweet, and still to lightly sparkling. Freisa DOC is usually a dry wine but a considerable part of the production is vinified in such a way as to create a sweetish or even sweet beverage that is fizzy or sparkling, depending upon the degree of fermentation of the natural residual sugars. It is a highly acidic,  pale cherry-red wine whose aroma and flavor are reminiscent of raspberries.

Gattinara     The wine-producing area around the small town of Gattinara has an excellent reputation from ancient times and accounts for many of the region's most prestigious DOC wines. Actually, the nature of the terrain makes the district an excellent habitat for ubiquitous Nebbiolo grape. However, each type of wine is made in relatively limited quantities. Among them, the high-class and renowned Gattinara DOCG is made from at least 90% Nebbiolo. It requires at least 4 years of aging to perfects its valuable aroma, two of which must be in casks of chestnut or oak tree. Gattinara is a red wine with orange reflexes. It is full-bodied and elegant, with intensive ethereal and pleasant aroma of violets and spices. The taste is dry, slightly bitter and austere and, at the same time, velvety. Some Gattinara are also long-lived and capable of aging for 10 to 15 years or more. This is a wine of choice to drink with braised red meat or game.

Gavi     Gavi DOCG, the most important of Piedmont's dry white wines, is made exclusively from native Cortese grapes. The variety has been widely praised for its purity as well as for its output. Today, cultivation of Cortese, which is highly resistant, is especially intensive. Only the hilly vineyards in the district of Gavi, with appropriate slopes and exposures, and whose terrains are of a calcareous-clayey nature, are considered suitable. This wine is considered one of Italy’s best still whites and is, also, one of the most espensive. Gavi tends to be more or less tenuous straw yellow in color with greenish reflections; it has a delicate and characteristic aroma with scents of fresh fruits. Its flavor is usually fruity, persistent, dry, fresh and balanced. It pairs particularly well with fish. Gavi is best drunk when young; its quality peaks after a year, and it is fine for 2 or 3 years more. It is, also, produced in natural fizzy and sparkling versions.

Ghemme     Ghemme is a small DOCG zone surrounding the homonymous town, where the primary grape used for the red wine is, once again, Nebbiolo. Careful selection of the best-unbroken grapes and the soft pressing is followed by a temperature-controlled fermentation for 7-10 days. Then by 4 years of aging, three of which must be in casks of chestnut or oak tree and the additional time in the bottle for refinement. Ghemme wine is ruby red colored tending toward garnet with orange reflections when aged. Its aroma has a complex fragrance of spices, violets and roses; it is dry and sapid, harmonious, with a mouth-filling taste, smooth and pleasantly bitter with a satisfying finish. It fits ideally with all roasted meats or poultry, game dishes, aged cheeses, and hearty pasta dishes. Ghemme can be aged for at least 9 years, and special vintages will yield Riserva wines. Ghemme wines are considered by some to be as good the neighboring Barolo or Gattinara.

Grignolino     Grignolino, one of the great aristocratic wines of Piedmont, is made from the homonymous indigenous red wine grape. This variety produces unusual wines for this region, which is known for its big, bold, long-lived reds. Conversely, Grignolino wine, which is rust-colored, is delicately scented and flavored, light-bodied, slightly bitter and best drunk when young. It is made in relatively limited quantity, which only boosts its value. Because of the accumulation of experience and the improvement of vinification techniques, Grignolino has come to occupy an important place in the Piedmont’s wine production and it was, therefore, accorded the DOC recognition. Small amounts of this variety are grown in California, where it's turned into light-bodied red or rosé wines.

Malvasia     Of extremely ancient origins, the Malvasia grape is native of Greece. It is really a family of grapes, including White Malvasia and Black Malvasia, which produce very scented wines and can lend a delightful fragrance to some red wines. Piedmont’s vineyards are extensively planted with two kinds of Black Malvasia, which was introduced centuries ago. And they yield a wide variety of wine styles ranging from very dry to very sweet, depending upon the zone and the way in which the grapes are vinified. Malvasia DOC is used to make very rich flavored dessert wines, still or fizzy, by drying the grapes before crushing. This method allows the sugars and flavors to be concentrated as the water in the grapes evaporates. Among the range of wines produced, Malvasia d'Asti is one of the most highly esteemed and it is made by a complicated process. The grapes are fermented until about one third of their sugars have been transformed into alcohol. The must is then racked, filtered and clarified. A second slow fermentation is then initiated and the refrigerated wine is repeatedly subdued to filtration and centrifugation. The process is completed after one year then the wine is bottled. In any form, the wines are ruby red, orange-coloured and have aromas of pears and spices with fresh fruity flavors remembering those of the grape. The taste is sweet and aromatic. It is a dessert wine that should be sipped at the end of a meal. It goes extraordinarily well with pastries, ice creams and fruits. Other than the dessert wine variations, Malvasia wines do not age well and should be consumed young.

Nebbiolo     The Nebbiolo term mainly identifies the Piedmont’s native grape that generates most of the aristocratic wines of the region that are, also, some of the world's finest and longest-lived wines. It has been tried with very little success to grow Nebbiolo in other parts of the world but Piedmont’s hills are its home and they seem to be the only  place where it can grow and where it has been cultivated since very ancient times. Nebbiolo generally makes powerful and intense wines, with full body and color. These wines are high in tannins and acids; they often need several years of aging in the bottle before they are ready to drink. The Nebbiolo grape is black-violet and one of its characteristics is that it is coated with a thick stratum of bloom, a kind of wax that covers other fruits as well. The gray surface that results looks like fog condensing on the grapes. This is one explanation for the name Nebbiolo (foggy), which is also related to the thick fog (nebbia) customary in the vineyards of Piedmont’s cool mornings during the harvest period. Nebbiolo d'Alba is the label of high-class red wines made from the Nebbiolo grape and grown on the hilly DOC zone that covers a large area around the town of Alba. Because of the common grape, Nebbiolo d'Alba is often regarded as a lower choice of neighboring outstanding DOCG Barolo and Barbaresco wines. This is so even though all three wines are made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes and are grown in roughly the same areas. Actually, much Nebbiolo d'Alba is simply declassified Barolo or Barbaresco, representing production from younger vines of an estate. Most of the rest is from the best vineyards lying between the strictly delimited Barolo and Barbaresco zones. So, Nebbiolo wine quality comes very close to theirs, yet at a more affordable price. It, also, requires only 1 year of aging, compared to a minimum of 4 years for Barolo and 3 years for Barberesco. Although most of the wines produced are still and dry, DOC rules permit sweet and sparkling versions as well. Its color is deep and intense dark ruby red with garnet reflections after aging. The aroma is characteristic, tenuous and delicate with scents of violets that are accentuated and developed through aging. The taste is properly tannic when young. When mature it is velvety, balanced, full-bodied and dry to pleasantly sweetish with flavors of raspberry and violet and even liquorice. Nebbiolo is great with most roasted or braised meats.

Asti     The Asti DOCG area produces Asti Spumante, Italy's most famous sparkling wine, which shares this DOCG with a related wine, Moscato d'Asti. The latter is made similarly but in a lightly sparkling (frizzante) style. When Asti Spumante was upgraded to DOCG status, its name was simplified to Asti. These excellent and extremely popular white wines are made from the white Moscato grapevine. They have a fresh grapey taste for the vinification process fully preserves the slightly sweet and peculiar aroma of Moscato grapes. They are generally semisweet to sweet. Their worldwide demand is so great that a shortage of Moscato grapes has frequently developed. The grape normally matures in the first half of September. The clusters, of middle size, are gold, slightly dark when exposed to the sun. The grapes are turgid, full of juice and they are so compacted that sometimes it is difficult detach the first for tasting. They are very sweet to the palate, with rich contents of aromas. Both wines are made by a modified version of the Charmat process, as opposite to the Champenoise method used in France's Champagne region. This process involves faster and less expensive production techniques by using large pressurized tanks throughout the production. Once the desired alcohol and residual sugar levels are reached, the wine is rapidly chilled to stop fermentation. The main difference between Asti Spumante and Moscato d'Asti wines is that the fermentation of the latter is stopped sooner so that the residual sugar content is higher, the alcohol level is lower, and the wine is less sparkling. Both wines should be drunk young and cool at a temperature of 7-8°C.