Today, big event in Rome, the “Taste Alto Piemonte”. Held at the Radisson Hotel of Rome, near the Termini station, the event was also a meeting with the producers of the provinces of Biella, Verbania-Cusio-Ossola, Novara and Vercelli.
An important event was held today in Rome, in the halls of the Radisson Hotel in Via Turati, the event “Taste Alto Piemonte”.
Ritmodivino was present at the event through a valuable friend and follower of our portal. This is Angela Miccio, sommelier from the AIS Common Vesuvian, who told us how this important day went.
The Alto Piemonte is a little known area, even for the few bottles in production and for the few hectares that before the end of the 800 were just 40.000. Today the size of this area has reduced, and the hectares today are just 1.300.
Maybe because of the phylloxera or for the excessive hail in the years 40 or perhaps for the difficulties to cultivate vineyards in those areas, the Alto Piemonte has always been considered an area of heroic viticulture.
Alto Piemonte is divided into two areas, separated by the Sesia River. On the East we have the area of the Hills of Novara with the DOCG Ghemme and DOC Boca, Sizzano, Fara. On the West, on the other hand, we have the Coste della Sesia area with Gattinara DOCG and Le Doc Bramaterra and Lessona.
The area of Coste della Sesia is divided in two parts. The southernmost area presents soils loose mixed with sand clay and limestone, this terroir gives wines certainly austere but savoury and fairly balanced even when the refinement of such nectars is little.
Soils in the northernmost of Coste della Sesia areas are, instead, more calcareous and mineral with porphyry residues (remnants of Super volcano eruption millions of years ago). You get here some wines of great structure and austerity, which need long refinement to appreciate them in full.
The areas in the East have just one type of soil.
The main grape of this area is the Nebbiolo (wine of fog) for the major here called “span”. Perhaps it has Valtellina origins (Chiavenna), and only after, in the Langhe and in the upper Piedmont, seems to have found the cradle for its maximum expression.
The percentages range from 50 to 85% of Nebbiolo, but can also compete Vespolina, Uva Rara and Croatina
