La Spinetta "Barbaresco Valeirano" 2005

Wine making grape

Nebbiolo is an Italian red wine grape variety best known for its production in the Piedmont region, where it produces the DOCG wines of Barolo, Barbaresco, Roero, Gattinara, Carema, and Ghemme. The word “nebbiolo” is thought to come from the Italian nebbia or Piedmontese nebia, which means “fog.” A thick, dense fog descends on the Langhe area, where many Nebbiolo vineyards are located, during harvest, which usually occurs in late October. Alternative interpretations include the formation of a fog-like glaucous veil over the berries as they mature, or that the name is derived from the Italian word nobile, which means noble. Nebbiolo manufactures light-colored red wines that are tannic in youth and have tar and rose scents. The wines mature to reveal other aromas and flavors such as violets, tar, wild herbs, cherries, raspberries, truffles, tobacco, and prunes as they age and take on a distinctive brick-orange hue at the rim of the bottle. To balance the tannins with other characteristics, Nebbiolo wines can take years to mature.