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Nebbiolo
(Italian), or Nebieul (Piemontese) is a red wine grape variety predominantly
associated with its native Piedmont region, where it makes the DOCG wines of Barolo, Barbaresco, Roero,
Gattinara and Ghemme. Nebbiolo is thought to derive its name from the Italian
word nebbia, which means fog. During harvest, which generally takes
place late in October, a deep, intense fog sets into the Langhe region where
many Nebbiolo vineyards are located. Alternative explanations refer to the
fog-like milky veil that forms over the berries as they reach maturity.
Outside
of Piedmont, it is found in the neighboring regions of Val d'Aosta as well as
Valtellina in Lombardia, it is known locally as Chiavennasca, where Nebbiolo
is also used to make a deeply concentrated Amarone-type wine known as Sforzato .
Nebbiolo
produces lightly colored red wines, which can be highly tannic in youth with
scents of tar and roses. As they age, the wines take on a characteristic
brick-orange hue at the rim of the glass and mature to reveal other aromas and
flavors such as violets, tar, wild herbs, cherries, raspberries, truffles,
tobacco, and prunes. Nebbiolo wines can require years of aging to balance the
tannins with other characteristics
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