Nebbiolo variety
Nebbiolo is the row material for the most important wines of Piedmont and perhaps the world: Barolo and Barbaresco.
The name “Nebbiolo” has different origins and meanings: according to some people, as the harvest of Nebbiolo usually occurs in October, when it might be already foggy, it takes the name from “nebbia” that means “fog“; according to other people, as the grapes are covered with “pruina”, a substance that makes the skin of the grape berry similar to a barry covered by haze, again “Nebbiolo” comes from the “foggy berries” idea. Its grapes give very structured wines suitable for long aging, but according to the soil, the result in the wine can be very different.
The history
A noble variety through the centuries
In 1300 Nebbiolo vine appears in documents, but its pick arrives in the mid-seventeenth century when, thanks to the new winemaking methods introduced in the Langhe by the King of Savoy, becomes the raw material for the production of Barolo wine, achieving great success even outside the region.
At the end of 1800 the three epidemics that hit the vines (powdery mildew, downy mildew and phylloxera) led to the reduction of the spread of this variety, because the grape-growers were forced to cultivate Nebbiolo only in suitable areas, with good sun exposure.
This phase marked once and for all, however, the advantage of Nebbiolo and its great potential.
