Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
theirs. If you know something about grapes in
general and Nebbiolo in particular, this won't
come as a surprise. Nebbiolo is characterized by
a large proportion of peonin and cyanin in its
anthocyanin profi le, determining the lighter
hue of its wines and relatively unstable colora-
tion over time, with a tendency to turn garnet
sooner (and the wines are usually born with a
strong garnet tinge). Despite its lack of deep
hue, wines made from Nebbiolo grapes age
amazingly well, thanks to a combination of dry
extract, total acidity, tannins, and alcohol. Neb-
biolo is very sensitive to spring frosts (it buds
very early) and to autumn rains (it ripens very
late); due to their rapid growth and considerable
length, the buds risk breakage in excessively
windy conditions. Nebbiolo's plentiful leaf can-
opy grows vigorously, but good growers reduce
the foliage to encourage just the right amount
of photosynthesis, while creating open space for
airfl ow and optimal sunlight to the berries.
Clusters are thinned either by removing the
lower half of all clusters, or by removing half of
all the clusters on each vine. In Piemonte this
cluster management typically occurs in two
moments: once in July, at the time of the
ven-
demmia verde
(or green harvest), and then again
during the last weeks of ripening. Cluster man-
agement with Nebbiolo is necessary but time
consuming and it must be done over and over in
order to yield excellent grapes. Furthermore,
Nebbiolo needs plenty of sunlight and warmer
sites to ripen fully and historically has been
planted in southern-exposed sites in Italy:
sorì
della sera,
vineyards exposed southwest (so the
grapes catch the afternoon sun), and
sorì del
mattino
(characterized by southeast exposures
so grapes see more of the morning sun), as well
in the
bricco,
the very top part of the hill, so that
the exposure is 360 degrees. Unfortunately,
such is the hunger for great Barolo and Bar-
baresco that in the Langhe many producers
have taken to planting Nebbiolo in less than
ideal sites just to have more wine to sell—not
exactly a stellar idea with a variety that is so site
sensitive. It follows that many Barolos and Bar-
barescos are less than they should be, and the
world is being deprived of excellent Freisa or
Grignolino wines. I'm not joking: it's time
someone told Langhe producers that enough is
enough and instead of another less than stellar
(but always expensive) Barolo or Barbaresco, we
would all be grateful for some less expensive,
everyday table wine to have at lunch or dinner.
Of course, nebbiolo fi ts that bill very nicely too.
In Italy Nebbiolo only grows in Piedmont,
Valle d'Aosta, and Lombardy, and while the
Nebbiolo of Sardinia has been identifi ed mainly
as Dolcetto, Nebbiolo grapevines can also be
found on the island. Italy has roughly 6,500
hectares planted to Nebbiolo, of which 5,500 are
in Piedmont. Outside Italy, it grows in Argen-
tina, in the United States (in Oregon, Califor-
nia, Washington, and in less famous wine
states such as New Mexico, Idaho, Pennsylva-
nia, Tennessee, and Virginia), in Australia, in
Mexico (especially in Baja California), in South
Africa, in New Zealand, and in Chile. In each
one of these countries there are undoubtedly
some viticultural areas that offer reasonable
chances for success with Nebbiolo. For exam-
ple, as Nebbiolo wants less-fertile soil rich in
clay and limestone with some sand, it follows
that California's coastal regions ought to prove
very suitable, since these soil types are found
there. In Australia, cool climate districts such
as the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria and
the Margaret River area of Western Australia
have been shown to have weather patterns sim-
ilar to those of the Langhe region of Piedmont,
so Nebbiolo ought to thrive there too. And there
is no reason to think that New Zealand, which
has already managed to successfully corral
Pinot Noir and the diffi culties it presents, can't
do the same with Nebbiolo.
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Nebbiolo seems to be perfectly happy growing
on the clay-limestone soils of the Albese; at
least the best Nebbiolo wines are all made there.
Obviously a homebody, it doesn't seem to mind
this area's hail, fl oods, fog, and cold weather.
The diffi culty with Nebbiolo grown elsewhere
in Italy or abroad is that the resulting wines,
