A Tour of Wine Grapes: Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo 🍷 Photo by Hanna on Wikimedia Commons Nebbiolo ( neb-ee-oh-low ) is one of Italy’s top red wine grapes, most famous for its role in the Piedmont ( pyeh-MON-teh ) region. Nebbiolo is ancient royalty. The first written record of the grape dates all the way back to 1268 in a document from the Rivoli region of Piedmont. It has been beloved by Italian nobility, popes, and kings for over 700 years. The name Nebbiolo comes from "nebbia," the Italian word for fog. This may come from the late October harvest, when it is typical for a thick fog to roll through the valleys and blanket the Piedmont hillsides. Or, just as likely, it refers to the fact that the grapes develop a milky, fog-like white powder (called bloom) over their dark skins as they mature. While Nebbiolo is the grape, you’ll also see wines produced from this grape labeled as “Barolo” and “Barbaresco.” These are specific Italian regions that are legally required to use 100% Nebbiolo grapes. In the glass, wines made from N

by Marc Kirkpatrick · source ↗