After receiving so much interest from readers wanting more information on the wines of Alba, Italy from my last column (Sept. 25, 2023), this seemed like the perfect opportunity to look at these Italian reds.

In Part 1, we’ll look at some varietals, which are also grown here, and Part 2 (coming Nov. 6), we’ll revisit my experiences at three of the top wineries in the Langhe Piemonte region of Italy, and I’ll let you in on where to find these Italian varietals locally.

First, let’s take a look at the region.

Similar to our Rogue Valley, the northwestern Piedmont area is situated in an environmentally unique spot, at the base of the Alps, while still presenting a more temperate Mediterranean climate. Like Southern Oregon, this creates those broad day-night temperature variations, called the diurnal range, which help produce such lovely grapes that become fine wines. There are, of course, differences — soil content, water amount (by law there is no irrigating allowed in Italy’s vineyards), techniques and other factors — however the Rogue Valley has successfully grown several of the most popular Italian varietals. Our focus is on the grapes and red wines of Alba, Medford’s sister city region.

Italy has a quality control classification for Italian wines. The highest designation is the DOCG, which translates to Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin, the most sought after. The DOC still offers high quality but has less strict standards. These designations will show prominently on the bottle label.

The main red grapes are barbera, dolcetto and nebbiolo. All three of these varietals are grown in the Rogue Valley, but not all the varieties of wine are made from them.

Barbera is the most widely planted grape in the Piemonte. It’s a rich, food-friendly wine, more savory, less tannins with bright cherry and woodsy spices. Dolcetto, which means “little sweet one,” is definitely not sweet. While it tends to express floral aromatics like violet, even lavender, in general there are moderate tannins and acidity, with flavors of dried cherry, black fruits and notes of roasted almonds. And then there is the fussy and fog-loving nebbiolo. Dating back at least as far as the 14th century, nebbiolo is suspected to come from the Italian word for fog, “nebbia,” and it’s generally when the fog settles onto the vineyards that this grape varietal is best harvested.

Nebbiolo’s finickiness about soils is also one of the reasons this grape can take on a such a sense of place-driven presence such as in Barolo and Barbaresco wines. We can make wine from nebbiolo here because it is a varietal, but because Barolo and Barbaresco are places that produce such specific expressions of the individual terroirs through nebbiolo grapes, their names can only be applied to wines crafted from vineyards in these areas.

During my time there, I tried several Barolos, each rich, complex, captivating and quite distinctive. Barolo DOCG must be 100% nebbiolo, aged a minimum of 38 months and are considered the “king of wine.” These prestige wines are firm and luscious with a bit of sultry elegance. Often compared to fine pinot noirs, another similarity to the Rogue Valley wine country, the Barolo appellation sits just south of Alba and is made up of 11 villages. Barolo is both an age-worthy wine, as well as highly drinkable upon release. A broad price range makes it affordable, as well.

Barbaresco DOCG, also 100% nebbiolo, is located slightly northeast of Alba. This appellation has four villages. Barbaresco has unfortunately been considered a lesser wine than Barolo. While Barolo is full-bodied and does have that long ageability factor, and Barbaresco tends to be slightly lighter in taste, with softer tannins, I personally found myself drawn to the vibrancy of Barbaresco rather than the austere tannic structure of Barolo.

These wines are distinctively different and both deserve a place at the table.

Stay tuned for more on wines and wineries of Alba and the Rogue Valley in Part 2.