At the Foot of the Mountains

Surrounded by the Alps on 3 sides, and bordering with France and Switzerland, Piedmont is arguably the best region in Italy for growing wine. Testament to this is the fact that this is the home of Barolo and  Barbaresco, I,e, probably the best Nebbiolo’s Dolcetto’s and Barbera’s in the world. If it is still not “clicking” for you, then think of fancy Italian red wines that age well, and often cost a fortune .

We come back to Piedmont every couple of years really by way of chance as the region normally does not give us many opportunities to fit in our budget. But every so often, we find an amazing Barbera or Dolcetto (my personal favorite) in our range that we can’t pass by. Indeed it was this month’s host of Dolceto and a fanatic Arneis that convinces me to do the hard yards, and search out a few more wines from the region.

Isn’t Dolcetto “sweet” ? These wines may have a bit more sugar content than a Nebbiolo, they don’t miss that tannic character of the region and are fresh and dry. I find that they have a bit more fruity flavor, and most importantly are meant to be drank young. You decide for yourself, as we have included 3 different Dolcetto’s from different parts of the region.

And who is the “Little Rascal”?  In the local dialect, the white grape variety of Arnies is called the little rascal as it is a notoriously difficult grape to grow. Normally found in the area of Roero, these are dry full bodied wines with strong pear and apricot tones. Even if a bit naughty, they are elegant and very very good.

So lets go enjoy the “View” at the foot of the Alps.

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