Banfi Vintners

Italy by Region…Valle d’Aosta and Piedmont

Each of Italy’s regions is unique with regard to the wine that it makes and the traditional dishes or foodstuffs that grace its table. Yet, regardless of where you are in Italy, food is not usually served without wine and vice versa.

Tucked away in the northwest corner of Italy is the Valle d’Aosta. It is Italy’s smallest wine region and its smallest in terms of production too. Sandwiched between France, Switzerland and Piedmont, it feels the influence of all cultures.

The vineyards are planted on terraces that are chiseled into the mountains themselves. In fact, Europe’s highest classified vineyard is located here. Grapes have uncommon names such as Neyret, Vien de Nus, Fumin, Mayolet (all red) and Blanc de Morgex, Prie Blanc, and Petite Arvine (all white). Wine labels can be written in French or Italian.

Piedmont

Piedmont’s Blockbuster Reds
Piedmont, too, has its peaks and foothills. Although its very name means “at the foot of the mountain,” the region is anything but flat.

It is famous for its age-worthy reds made by the tannic and firmly structured Nebbiolo grape: Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara, and Ghemme. Nebbiolo takes its name from the Italian word “nebbia” meaning fog. This late ripening variety is often picked in late autumn when the hills of Piedmont are cloaked in morning fog. These age-worthy reds are often quite tannic in their youth and are characterized by aromas of tar and roses.

Other popular reds include Dolcetto, Barbera and Rosa Regale.

Dolcetto means “little sweet one” and refers to the high sugar content of the berry when ripe. The wine itself is vinified dry and often in a light, Beaujolais-like style. Barbera is considered a workhorse grape within Piedmont. It can make a simple quaff or a silken red of great depth and complexity with its benchmark core of vibrant acidity and soft, wild berry fruit.

Also hailing from Piedmont, home of the fabled Brachetto grape, is Rosa Regale, a sexy, seductive and sensuous red sparkler that pares wonderfully with spicy foods from TexMex to Szechuan to Thai and dark chocolate and is equally well suited as an aperitif. Hints of roses and raspberries on the nose add to its subtle charm. This festive wine is appropriate for just about any occasion and is a perfect accompaniment to a host of foods ranging from spicy to savory to sweet.

Piedmont’s Wonderful Whites
Piedmont is also known for two distinctive whites, Moscato d’Asti or Asti DOCG and Gavi. The first is sparkling; the second, still—although, quite often, Gavi is bottled to trap some the residual carbon dioxide left over from fermentation to give the finished wine a refreshing spritz.

Moscato is made from the Muscat grape, an ancient variety with intense notes of honey, apricot, honeysuckle, orange blossom, and raisin. Gavi is made from the Cortese grape and crafts a high acid wine with a refreshing nut-skin bitterness.

Other whites of note are Arneis and Erbaluce di Caluso. They are fashioned into both still and sparkling wines; the Erbaluce di Caluso can also be made as a passito.

Passito wines are made from raisined or semi-raisined grapes. After harvest, clusters are allowed to desiccate on mats in the sun or in specially designed drying racks until the desired level of moisture has evaporated from the grapes. This process is known as appasimento. The concentrated juice inside the berry, when fermented into wine, makes an incredibly rich and concentrated wine.

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