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Piedmont viticulture
Piedmont is the home of cult wines Barolo and Barbaresco, which are both pressed from Nebbiolo grapes. A modern variant of Barolo vinification has given this wine an even greater fan base. Piedmont is also a Mecca for all truffle connoisseurs. The harvest always begins in October.

History and geography
The ancient Romans drank wine from Piedmont, the land "at the foot of the mountain". Its many medieval castles are particularly impressive. Historically, Piedmont is one of Italy's richest regions.
The hilly landscape lies like a huge valley between the foothills of the Alps in the south and the Apennines in the east. The vineyards are all on slopes facing south-west and east.
The cool climate allows the grapes to ripen slowly, making them very aromatic. Volcanic tuff (tufo) predominates, and limestone soils are also abundant.
Different soils in the Piedmont wine region
Wines
Time shapes wine quality
Grape varieties
The main grape variety is Nebbiolo, from which Barolo, Barbaresco and Gattinara (under the name Spanna) are produced. Other red wines often bear the name of the grape variety combined with their places of origin: Barbera d'Alba, Dolcetto d'Asti etc. Two relatively new wines are the red and white Roero Arneis.
- Vineyard area and production volume: about 62 000 hectares, producing some 3 million hectolitres of wine annually – about 20 per cent of it DOC or DOCG.