Piedmont, together with Tuscany and Veneto, is one of the most important wine regions in Italy. It's the home base for 45 DOCs and 19 DOCGs, the largest number of all Italians regions, and in terms of quality they are at the very top with their Barolo and Barbaresco wines. Piedmont also has an impressive number of indigenous grape varieties, of which Nebbiolo, Barbera and Arneis will sound most familiar. The wines from Piedmont are on the wine list of every self-respecting Italian restaurant, and actually also on the list of any non-Italian restaurant, and each year thousands of wine tourists visit the cantine of the most famous producers. And yet, there is still a lot to discover in Piedmont. In this blog, I will therefore focus on two less well-known DOCGs: Gattinara and Ghemme, two hidden gems in the Alto Piemonte.
The Alto Piemonte, literally the "high Piedmond", isn't just a bit higher up the map (i.e. more northernly), than the more famous Langhe, Asti and Alba, it's also a bit higher in the foot of the Alps, just south of Lago Maggiore and Lago d'Orta. This hilly wine region is on the border between the provinces of Vercelli and Novara, on the shores of the Sesia river. In ancient times, the Alto Piemonte was already an important viticultural centre, known for the excellent quality of its wines. Unfortunately they did not escape the destructive consequences of phylloxera in the vineyards and industrialisation in the valley, and when the local population fled the countryside for a better life in the city, viticulture became almost extinct in the Alto Piemonte: of the once 40.000 ha of vineyards only 600 ha remained. In the 1960s, viticulture slowly returned, but only in the past 20 years have they made big steps forwards to restore the region to its former glory. By now, eight areas have been recognised as DOC, and two have received DOCG status: Gattinara DOCG and Ghemme DOCG.
Gattinara DOCG is on the western border of the Sesia river, in the province of Vercelli. The vineyards are located on steep, South facing slopes in the North of Vercelli, at an altitude ranging form 270 to 400 metres. Gattinara has a long wine tradition and was already known in Roman times for its quality wines. Gattinara kept that reputation for a long time, and in the 19th century the local wine was considered to be better than the by now far more famous Barolo and Barbaresco. However, at the end of the 19th century that success story came to a (temporary) end: phylloxera, industrialisation and the rural flight to the cities were catastrophic for viticulture, and of the 600 ha of vines less than 100 ha remained. The quality diminished as well, and Gattinara was slowly forgotten. Fortunately, things are looking better now: in 1990 Gattinara was awarded DOCG status, and the wines are once again of high quality. Producers can still take advantage of an excellent terroir: the soil in Gattinara is a mixture of granite, stones and volcanic material, which means it's rich in materials with a high acidity. The region is also protected against rain and cold by the Alps, it has a dry continental climate and a large diurnal range.
The producers also took some steps to guarantee the quality of their wines: the maximum yield per ha in Gattinara is lower than in Barolo and Barbaresco, maceration is shorter and they invested heavily in new materials. According to the DOCG rules, the wine needs to age for at least 35 months, of which 24 in wooden casks, while the riserva ages for at least 47 months, of which 24 in wood. The wine has to consist of a minimum of 90% Nebbiolo, locally known as Spanna, and up to 10% of Vespolina and Uva rara (better known as Bonarda) can be added. All those rules ensure that Gattinara is more accessible than e.g. a Barolo, but make no mistake: this is still a big wine with full body, expressive aromas of red berries, liquorice and violets, and the potential to ages for several decades.
The story of Ghemme DOCG is similar to that of Gattinara DOCG, but there are important differences. For starters, Ghemme is on the other side of the river Sesia, in the province of Novara, at an altitude of about 300 metres. The wine tradition in Ghemme is even longer than the one in Gattinara, since vines have been cultivated there since the 5th century b.C., before Roman times. Wine from Ghemme were also known for their quality and were drunk, amongst other places, at the court of the Visconti and the Sforza in the 15th century. Unfortunately, Ghemme has known the same demise as Gattinara and the rest of the Alto Piemonte in the 19th century, luckily also followed by a revival from the 1960s onwards. At the moment, the wine region has a surface area of 50 ha, about half the size of Gattinara. The climate in Ghemme is similar to that in Gattinara, but the soil is more complex: as in Gattinara, you'll find granite and a volcanic subsoil, but also pebbles, quartz, clay and sand.
Ghemme received DOCG status in 1997, with rules that are very similar to those in Gattinara: the wine must age for at least 34 months, of which 18 in wooden casks, while the riserva must age for at least 46 months, of which 24 on wood. Ghemme DOCG has to contain at least 85% Nebbiolo/Spanna and up to 15% of Vespolina and Uva rara can be added in the mix. In general, wines from Ghemme are more elegant and aromatic that those from Gattinara, with aromas of roses, violets and forest fruits, but also a certain spiciness and minerality that sets it apart from its neighbour. The Ghemme wines also have a higher level of tannins and acidity, which means it can age even longer without any loss of quality.
In conclusion, Gattinara and Ghemme have everything to please the wine lover. The only problem is that these DOCGs are fairly unknown and have relatively low yields, which means they are very hard to find. I had to go there to find my bottles... But if by any chance you find one of these in you local wine shop, you should definitely take one (or more) home with you. You will not regret it!
