Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo is responsible for two of the most famous wines in Italy, Barolo and Barbaresco. This thin-skinned, high acid / high tannin grape variety is grown almost exclusively in the North Eastern region of Piemonte. Typically it is the last grape to ripen, usually in late October when morning fog (nebbia) blankets the region. 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.