Torraccia del Piantavigna

The word ” Nebbiolo ” causes a series of almost automatic reactions in all wine lovers. The first is a practically unlimited admiration for the grape that produces some of the wines with more character, among the most elegant and long-lived. The second is an automatic identification of the variety with its best known expressions, the two great wines produced in the hills north and south of Alba, respectively Barbaresco and Barolo.

But Nebbiolo has a much longer history and a much wider geographical extension than these two fairly restricted areas: in addition to the crops on the border or in the Val d’Aosta (Donnaz, Carema) and in the area north of Lombardy ( Valtellina), there is an illustrious history of Nebbiolo wines in northern Piedmont, to be precise, in the three provinces of Novara, Vercelli and Biella. There are a number of small denominations such as Bramatera and Lessona, but the most important areas, both in terms of history and tradition, are Ghemme and Gattinara.

And a house that has come forward in both areas in recent years is  Torraccia di Piantavigna , owned by important families of distillers, the Francoli and Ponti who, with a maneuver that involved considerable investments, now own 40 hectares of vineyards. Passion and good intentions were present from the beginning, while experience and competence needed to be acquired, and the family was very provident in entrusting the creation of wines to the more than capable and often inspired hands of the wine consultant  Beppe Caviola , he same producer of Nebbiolo wines in the  Barolo DOCG .

The house offers a regular series of excellent bottles and, a detail not to be overlooked, quite inexpensive, mainly from Nebbiolo grapes, which are sold as  Colline Novaresi Nebbiol or, and the 25 thousand cuvée bottles from various vineyards are a convincing demonstration of how to reconcile quantities and quality. The most important wines, however, are produced in both denominations. Both the  Gattinara Vigneto Jerbiön  and the  Ghemme Vigneto Punciön  confirm that this part north of Piedmont can absolutely produce a higher caliber Nebbiolo.