Amordivino Wines
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Piemonte

Population: 4.291.441
Surface (Kmq): 25.399
Density (Ab/Kmq.): 169
Main city: Torino (TO), 1.731.039 inhabitants in the area, 962.507 in the city
Other towns: Alessandria (AL); Asti (AT); Biella (BI); Cuneo (CN); Novara (NO); Vercelli (VC).

From harsh peaks to the charming, romantic atmosphere of the lakes, through the hills between the Alps and the great Po valley, Piemonte has much to offer. The beautiful scenery of mountains like Monviso, Gran Paradiso or Monte Rosa, is ideal for winter skiing and summer trekking. Piemonte’s noble past is visible in the castles and sanctuaries to be found amidst the beautiful hilly landscapes, but also expressed in vineyards that have, for centuries, created a harmonious geometry and produced many wines of great prestige. The Po river has its source in Piemonte and the region is crossed by several Alpine streams flowing into the Po. Many Alpine lakes dot the region and, in the eastern part, are the larger lakes of Lago Maggiore and Lago d'Orta.


 
 

With 45 different DOC and nine DOCG, Piedmont is the region that produces the largest number of best known, noble, and world-appreciated prize-winning wines, such as Barbera, Barolo, Barbaresco, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, Grignolino, Malvasia and Asti Spumante among others. Another distinguished characteristic of Piedmont is that most of its wines are produced on family estates made up of relatively small parcels of land.

The main grape grown here is the distinguished Nebbiolo, which is the base for the famed Barolo, Barbaresco and Gattinara among others. Its name derives from the word nebbia, or fog, because of a velvety, whitish coating over its berries in addition to the fact that it grows in an area where, at ripening time in September, heavy morning fog is a given and the humidity that it provides gives the grapes an ideal habitat.

The production of strong reds is predominant in this landlocked, mountainous region and are the perfect complement to the rich and hearty cuisine featuring white truffles, fonduta, which is a variation of the Swiss cheese fondue, rice, meats, pastas and stuffed vegetables.

That said though, among the whites the Asti Spumante achieved national fame thanks to Carlo Gancia, who learned the Champagne method in Rheims, France, and applied his newly acquired knowledge experimenting with Moscato grapes. This wine is perfect with the rich pastries and fine chocolate products such as the spumone piemontese, a mouse of mascarpone cheese with rum or panna cotta, a smooth rich cream, and the gianduiotti, the lingue di gatto, (cats tongue), and the baci di dama (ladys kisses).

Another Piedmont creation that achieved worldwide fame is the Vermouth, which was first created by Benedetto Carpano in his wine shop near the Turin Stock Exchange. The classic American martini cocktail takes its name from the most known Italian producer of dry vermouth, Martini & Rossi.

These are the DOC wines from Piemonte:
Albugnano
Alta Langa  
Barbera del Monferrato  
Barbera d'Alba  
Barbera d'Asti  
Boca  
Bramaterra  
Canavese  
Carema  
Cisterna d'Asti  
Colli Tortonesi  
Collina Torinese  
Colline Novaresi  
Colline Saluzzesi  
Cortese dell'Alto Monferrato  
Coste della Sesia  
Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba  
Dolcetto Langhe Monregalesi  
Dolcetto d'Acqui  
Dolcetto d'Alba  
Dolcetto d'Asti  
Dolcetto di Dogliani  
Dolcetto di Ovada  
Erbaluce di Caluso  
Fara  
Freisa d'Asti  
Freisa di Chieri  
Gabiano  
Grignolino Monferrato Casalese  
Grignolino d'Asti  
Langhe  
Lessona  
Loazzolo  
Malvasia Castelnuovo Don Bosco  
Malvasia di Casorzo  
Monferrato  
Nebbiolo d'Alba  
Piemonte  
Pinerolese  
Roero  
Rubino di Cantavenna  
Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato  
Sizzano  
Strevi  
Valsusa  
Verduno Pelaverga 

The DOCG wines from Piemonte are:
 Asti spumante o Moscato d'Asti  
 Barbaresco  
 Barolo  
 Brachetto D’Acqui o Acqui  
 Dolcetto di Dogliani Superiore  
 Gattinara  
 Gavi o Cortese di Gavi  
 Ghemme  
 Roero