Nebbiolo [neh-b'YOH-loh] | Wine Terms

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Nebbiolo
[neh-b'YOH-loh]

The fog (nebbia in Italian) that rolls over the hills of northern PIEDMONT and the regions nearby, helps the Nebbiolo grape ripen properly, thereby creating some of Italy’s finest red wines. Wines made from Nebbiolo grapes are associated with a variety of DOC and DOCG names including BAROLO, BARBARESCO, GATTINARA, GHEMME, and SPANNA. They’re characterized as being RICH, full-bodied (see BODY), and CHEWY. These wines often have a high ALCOHOL content (13 percent and above), as well as fairly substantial TANNINS, both of which are easily supported by the wine’s hefty fruit flavors. The aroma and flavor of these dark-colored wines are suggestive of chocolate, licorice, raspberries, truffles, and violets. Nebbiolo wines generally are long-lived and require significant aging to develop and SOFTEN. Although recognized as one of the world’s great wine grapes, Nebbiolo has not been planted in significant amounts outside of northwest Italy. Very few have been planted in California or other U.S. growing regions. The Nebbiolo grape is also known as Chiavennasca, Picotener or Picutener, Pugent, and Spanna or Spana.

Related Links: Barbaresco DOCG, Piedmont, Barolo DOCG, Barbaresco DOCG, tannins

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