WINE:The wines of Piedmont aren't for sipping in front of the TV - they're more an intellectual exercise, writes John Wilson
"Barolo is the Bach of wine, strong, supremely structured, a little forbidding, but absolutely fundamental. Barbaresco is the Beethoven, taking those qualities and lifting them to heights of subjective passion and pain that have never been surpassed."
- From A Long Finish, by Michael Dibdin
THE MIST-SHROUDED HILLS of Piedmont are home to some of Italy's greatest treasures, unique wines that certainly do not receive sufficient attention in this country. This week we will take a look at the two best-known wines of the region, Barolo and Barbaresco, the king and queen respectively of Italian wine.
It is often said that Barolo and Barbaresco have much in common with Burgundy. Both have a marginal climate, and therefore very variable vintages; both are largely populated by small farmers with fragmented small-holdings of vines. Soil and exposure are crucial; move a couple of hundred yards, and the wines can change entirely. Both use a single grape variety to make sublime wines that are often misunderstood by the rest of the world. In the case of Barolo and Barbaresco, that grape is the Nebbiolo. This makes challenging wines, which are often beautifully perfumed with scents of violets and smoke, a kernel of piquant summer fruits, an earthy edge, power combined with an amazing delicacy. If this sounds wonderful, they can also be tart and acidic, even astringent, with plenty of tannins and a mean toughness. All in the same wine.
These are not lush, rounded wines to knock back in front of the television, more an intellectual exercise. These are wines that make you work for your pleasure. For some reason, most consumers have been led to expect the wines to be big, rich and hearty, and are often disappointed. A number of producers have attempted to please this market and produce a more accessible forward, easy-drinking style of wine. However, the hard core of devoted Nebbiolo fanatics scoff at these modernists.
To me, the classic style can certainly be taxing at times, but ultimately the most rewarding of all. Superb perfumed wines, with complex mature fruit, a noticeable acidity, and a dry finish. Ronan Foster of Best Cellars (see below) has the best range in this country. "In the hands of a skilled winemaker, Nebbiolo makes a wonderfully fragrant, elegant, refined wine with a haunting character - when it's good - that you look for in every bottle you taste," he says.
These are not wines to sip on their own. Piedmontese cuisine, one of the greatest in Italy, is substantial and hearty, relying on red meat and the flavours of the earth: truffles, mushrooms and root vegetables. And, of course, risotto. Having completed my tasting of the wines below, I retired to the kitchen to cook a mushroom risotto and a dry-aged steak, which I devoured alongside the wine in the company of a good friend. Life does not get much better.
Finding good Barolo and Barbaresco is not easy; the best tend to be imported by small specialists. Neither do they come cheap. The surrounding area, known as the Langhe, also produces much good Nebbiolo, often at more accessible prices.
I apologise that all of this week's wines cost more than €20, but I believe that each offers value for money. If you want to dip your toe in, try the Langhe Nebbiolo Renato Ratti (€15.49) or the Umberto Fiore Barbaresco (€13.49), both from Marks & Spencer. The following three sources are worth following.
BEST CELLARS
Ronan Foster has put together an amazing, mouth-watering list of the very best wines of Piedmont (and much else besides).
Not only does he have two of the all-time greats, Giacosa and Aldo Conterno, but in addition he now stocks a superb range from the more modern producers such as La Spinetta and Voerzio.
In short, a source that no Italian wine-lover can afford to ignore.
Best Cellars Wine Merchants, Templeogue, Dublin 16. Tel: 01-4946508 or e-mail info@bestcellars.ie
KARWIG WINES
For many years, Joe Karwig has beaten a path to some of the best Italian producers, as well as many of the great Germans, too. The two names here to seek out are the Produttori del Barbaresco and Fontanafredda, the former a source of great value Piedmontese wines.
Karwig Wines Ltd, Carrigaline, Co Cork. Tel: 021-4374159
ON THE GRAPEVINE / CABOT & CO
Liam Cabot and Gabriel Cooney have scoured Italy for some of the most interesting wines. As well as the odd bottle of Giacosa, they have the more accessible (both in taste and finance) wines of Boglietti and Boroli.
On the Grapevine, Dalkey & Booterstown; Cabot & Co, www.cabotandcompany.com
O'BRIENS
O'Briens does not have a huge selection, but I have found the range of wines from Ascheri to be very good, including its excellent Barolo 2004 Coste & Bricco (€45).
BOTTLES OF THE WEEK
La Spinetta Langhe Nebbiolo 2005, 14%, €16.45.Very much in the modern style, but a delicious wine with rich, rounded, ripe cherry fruits, some smoky oak, and plenty of body. The purists might turn their noses up at it, but this is a very seductive wine. Stockist:Best Cellars
Moccagatta Barbaresco 'Basarin' 2004, 14.5%, €42. A classic nose with lifted dark cherry fruits. There is brilliant purity of fruit on the palate, cool but not unripe, with a dry mineral finish. A very impressive wine that belies its 14.5% alcohol. Stockist:Best Cellars
Barbaresco 'Rio Sordo' 2001 Produttori del Barbaresco, 14%, €40.15.A wild touch on the nose, followed by some redcurrants, cherries and firm tannins on the finish. It opened out very nicely, and tasted so much better with the risotto. Stockists:Karwig Wines, Carrigaline; Gibney's, Malahide; Eugene's, Kenmare; The Corkscrew, Chatham Street; World Wide Wines, Waterford.
Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo 'Bussia' 2001, 14%, €50.A pale colour, an exquisite evolving fragrant nose, leading on to sweet succulent cherry chocolate fruits with an earthiness. An elegant smooth palate that breathes sheer class. Expensive, but outstanding wine. If you cannot quite rise to the price, the Contero Il Favot 2003, at €35, has wonderful pure rounded fruits. Stockist:Best Cellars