Wines from Piedmont have an excellent reputation, especially the reds. There are many Piedmont labels that receive awards and extremely high scores, have exorbitant prices and are sought after by wine lovers. Wine has been made in Piedmont at least since the times of the Ancient Romans, and the area’s environmental conditions are ideal to obtain quality products. Compared to other regions, Piedmont has been rather reluctant to introduce international varieties; Chardonnay, Cabernet, Riesling and Pinot Noir do exist there, but to a limited degree. What has played an important role, on the other hand, are the local, native grape varieties, mostly used to produce monovarietal wines. Examples of native white grape varieties are Cortese, Erbaluce and Arneis, and Muscat Blanc is cultivated extensively. With regard to black grapes, Barbera, Dolcetto and Nebbiolo take the lion's share, but Grignolino, Freisa, Ruchè and Brachetto are also very popular.
Barbera is the most widespread variety, giving wines with an intense red colour and fruity aromas, low tannins and high acidity. It is suited to making many types of wine, from young and sparkling, to structured and aged in wood. Barbera has several designations: Barbera d’Asti DOCG, Nizza DOCG, Barbera del Monferrato Superiore DOCG, Barbera del Monferrato DOC and Barbera d’Alba DOC.
It is commonly believed that Dolcetto is the grape variety that forms the base of popular wines belonging to the rural tradition: wines with a fruity taste, medium alcohol content and simple structure. Today, however, wines of every style can be produced with Dolcetto, including structured, complex wines, and it is a grape variety that has gained popularity even beyond Piedmont. It gives soft, round, fruity wines with characteristic aromas of liquorice and almond. There are several designations for wines made from Dolcetto. Here are some of the most renowned: Dogliani DOCG, Diano d’Alba DOCG, Ovada Superiore DOCG, Dolcetto di Ovada DOC, Dolcetto d’Alba DOC and Dolcetto d’Asti DOC.
Grignolino D'Asti DOC, made from the Grignolino grape variety, is a pale red, generally fresh, medium-bodied wine. Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG is a red wine with an intense aromatic fragrance