Food Encyclopedia

Nebbiolo

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 highly regarded wines from the regions of barolo, barbaresco, Gattinara, Ghemme and Spanna. These dark-colored wines are rich and full bodied with aromas and flavors that are suggestive of chocolate, licorice, raspberries, truffles and violets. Nebbiolo wines are typically long-lived and require significant aging to develop and soften. Nebbiolo has not been planted in significant amounts outside of northwest Italy.