Tuesday, December 31, 2013

The Wines of Piedmont


Prized Barolo Vineyards Near ALBA
in PIEDMONT


Of all the great wine regions of Italy, the greatest wine country of all, the region of Piedmont is probably the most diverse .. The best known wines of the region include Barolo and Barbaresco, which are both made from the Nebbiolo grape 100 % .. Gavi is another wine of great popularity with American drinkers and of the World, and is a white made of the Cortese grape. Barbera is well known on America and Dolcetto and Gattinara as well. Barbera is made of the Barbera grape and Dolcetto is made from Dolcetto, while Gattinara is made from Nebbiolo. Other wines include Arneis, a white, Brachetto d'Acqui (Sweet Sparkling Red), Moscato d'Asti (Sweet Sparkling White)

BAROLO & BARBARESCO

Since time immemorial Nebbiolo has been the most highly-prized vine and the wine-growing emblem of Alba and the Langa, and when it is matched with a great wine-making terroir it is capable of expressing itself at sublime levels in wines of remarkable personality, intense bouquet, great smooth tannins, and outstanding possibilities of evolution and resistance over time. This is Barolo wine.




GIACOMO CONTERNO
Considered by Many as The Pinnacle of BAROLO Wines
And Barolo's Top Producer


My Personal Favorite


BAROLO
BARTOLO MASCARELLO






The GREAT BARTOLO MASCARELLO
And His Daughter
Maria Theresa




"SEE This SIGN" ???
Pay ATTENTION !!!
And Take The ADVICE !
Do Not Drink BAROLO or BARBARESCO
or BRUNELLO
THAT Has Been HEAVILY OAKED In Small FRENCH OAK BARRIQUE BARRELS ..
The Small Barrels Distroy The Delicate Character of NEBBIOLO and SANGIOVESE Based Wines'Like BAROLO, BARBARESCO, and BRUNELLO, The GREATEST WINES of ITALY ..
WINES Like BAROLO, BARBARESCO, and BRUNELLO are Best Aged in Large Slovenian Oak Barrels that are much gentler and better suited to these wines ..
Remeber "No Barrique" !!!
And No Berlusconi !!!





BAROLO
La SPINONA "SORI GEPIN"
A Single Vineyard BAROLO
That is Resonably Priced
And as good or Better Than Many Barolo's
That are 2 or 3 Times The Price



BARBARESCO

Barbaresco is one of Italy's great premier wines. Barbaresco like Barolo are made of 100 % Nebbiolo grapes and of the highest quality of standards .. Barbaresco is every bit the equal of Barolo but often in the minds of many plays second fiddle to Barolo that is by no means true, but is a unjust perception of people that really don't know that much about wine. In a way this status of Barbaresco as 2nd Fiddle to Barolo is a blessing in disguise for thos of us in-the-know who do know our wine. The blessing is in the fact that Barolo is more popular and sells more and more easily than does Barbaresco, the wholesale and thus retail prices of Barbaresco generally run  a quarter to a third less than Barolo wines, and as I've said and anyone who knows Italian Wine well will tell you, Barbaresco is every bit the equal of Barolo .. So if you read this and didn't know before, now you do. So next time you are in a restaurant and see a Barolo for $120 a bottle and a Barbaresco for $90, go for the Barbaresco. 
Don't get me wrong, I love Barolo, and have druck many fine ones and all the great ones over the years .. Luckily, being in the business, I don't have to pay and usually I don't have to buy wine. It is given or bought for me .. When I do pay, because of the equal greatness of the wine and the fact that Barbresco is about a third cheaper, I go for the Barbaresco.
Basta! Nuff said.



BARBARESCO MARENGO MARCHESI di GRESY
Is One of THE BEST

And One of My FAVORITES
"TRY IT"




The 2000 and 2001 Vintages of BAROLO and BARBARESCO were
Two of the GREATEST VINTAGES Ever for BAROLO and BARBARESCO
PS ... A little secret. The 1996 vintage of Barolo & Barbaresco was not nearly as highly exalted as 2000, 2001, and 1990 but every bit the equal and at much lower prices. I drank many wonderful 1996 vintage BAROLOS and BARBARESCO and just loved them. 1996 is my favorite vintage ever for Barolo and Barbaresco. I had the great fortune to drink many oustanding 1990 Barolos and Barbarescos as well as those of 2000 and 2001, but the vintage of 1996 for Piemont is still my Favorite ...


ANGELO GAJA Makes Great BARBARESCO
and is the Most Famous and Most Esteemed of all Barbaresco Producers
His Wines are Wonderful and Highly Esteemed but I'm Sorry to say are not
Worth The Rediculously OUTRAGEOUS PRICES THEY CHARGE.
You Can't Buy a GAJA BARBARESCO for less Than $450 in a restaurant and that is at the low-end. They are usuually $650 a bottle and up .. It's all MARKETING and HIPE !!!
If people are DUMB Enough to pay these outrageous prices, the importers and distributors who set the pprice, along with Angelo Gaja are gonna go for the Gold. But beleive me, you can normally get a bottle of Marcesi di Gresy or similar Barbaresco like from my friend Italo of Castello di Neive for about $90 to $105 a bottle as opposed to a bottle of Gaja Barbaresco for $450 to $650 a bottle .. These other Barbarescos that will cost you about one-hundred dollars are every bit as good as the Gaja ones that cost $500 or more .. "Beleive me, It's the Truth." !!!



EVERYDAY MORE AFFORDABLE PIEDMONTESE WINES

Much of the wine mentioned thus far are more expensive prestige wines .. More affordable and everday drinking wines in Piedmont are plentiful. Wines such as whites like Gavi, Cortese, Arneis, with sparlkers of Spumante, and reds like Barbera, Dolcetto, Freisa, Ruche and Grigilino .. The last 3 mentioned are pretty rare and pretty much are only found in Piedmont, so if you're looking for something new and different and out of the everyday norm, try one of these. I especially love Ruche when I can get my hands on some. Ruch is a lovely light to medium bodied Piedmontese Red that has lovely aromatic red berry fruit flavors in the mouth and goes well with just about anything including fish if you like a red while eating some seafood.

Dolcetto is known to Americans and others around the world. Dolcetto, meaning "Little Sweet One" is not a sweet wine and is always femented dry. The flavor profile is of Black Fruits and Liquorice, with sometimes hints of prune .. Dolcetto goes well with Pasta with Meat Ragu, Bue al Barolo (Piedmontese Beef Braised in Barolo), grilled meats and braised rabbit or chicken ..

Barbera, incomparison to Dolcetto is a bit more popular and better known to Americans, the English and others around the world .. In general, Barbera is a little lighter in body than Dolcetto, with nice garnet collor as opposed to the darker black fruit of Dolcetto. Barbera when made in a lighter style, usually exhibits Cherry, Bueberry, and Rasberries on the palate. If made in a bigger more conentrated style Barbera can sometimes exhibit black fruit flavors such as Black Berries and Black Couurant .. Teh preferable style of true Barbera should be the lighter Barberas of light to medium body as opposed to a more international type of wine that is bigger, fatter, and full bodied does not represent true Barbera of Piedmont, though their are a number of them produced there. And of course besides being bigger and fatter in the mouth, they are the same in the wallet, bigger and fatter prices .. Go with the true Barbera, light to meium body and price ...


MICHELE CHIARLO 
MAKES BOTH STYLES




Average Price $10.99




Michele Chiarlo Barbera "La Court"
average Price $35.95

GUESS Which Is The TRUER BARBERA ?
And The One I Like Better ....







Daniel Bellino-Zwicke




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