Piedmont Wines

In Piedmont (or Piemonte in Italian), and the Langhe region in particular, the landscape is breathtaking. Rolling hills, with a town at the top of each, all covered in vines. The forbidding alps loom on the horizon, equidistant from the warming Mediterranean Sea. The soil and confluence of geographical features makes for a magical wine region. 

Nebbiolo is the grape that rules in these parts. It's what makes up any Barolo or Barbaresco, known as the King and Queen of Italian red wines. These are incredibly complex and age-worthy wines. One thing to watch for on the labels are the names of the vineyards in which the grapes were grown. It's a great way to compare the influence of terroir within the region, and it's a sign that it's not one of the higher volume labels blending grapes from across the region (the blends are still great wines and often at a sharper price point, but at Vino Cammino we prefer the precision of single vineyard wines). Here are high quality official cru maps for each region: Barolo and Barbaresco.

If you're looking for an intro to the reds of the region without the top-shelf price point - many producers also make a Dolcetto, Barbera or Nebbiolo. When the label shows Nebbiolo instead of Barolo or Barbaresco, that's usually because it hasn't aged as long in barrel or bottle between harvest and sale. Barbera has a broader range of styles, but we prefer the more serious and structured version from Cecilia Monte - this is not your local pizza joint's Barbera! Dolcetto is usually a lighter, juicier style, and a common regional table wine for the mid-week family lunch or dinner. It's rare to find it grown in vineyards that could produce a Barolo or Barbaresco, but Cagliero do and it's a standout.

Pictured: Early growing season Nebbiolo vines in the Serracapelli vineyard, Barbaresco.