TNWG Wine Times: Ep 50: Wines of Piemonte (Barolo and Barbaresco)
- aplofthouse
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
ANNOUNCEMENTS/EVENTS
💥 The Wine and Cheese Network is back in SEPT 💥
That's right folks, after the summer pause, we are back with a bang in September and what better way to start than to have Wake Smith Solicitors as our keynote speaker and Paces as our charity that we are all sponsoring via 10% of your ticket price for the month of September.
To grab your ticket, please head to the website via this link to make sure you book your place, as we head back into 'full steam ahead' mode for the month of September:
For the future dates for your diary, till the end of the year - here are the Wine and Cheese Network & Wine Waddle Dates:
Friday 17th October - Wine Waddle 2.0
Thursday 30th October 2025 - keynote speaker required.
Friday 14th November - Wine Waddle 3.0
Thursday 27th November 2025 - keynote speaker required
Friday 19th December 2025 - Christmas Special Edition (in collaboration with the Wine Waddle)
CALL MY BLUFF at Over The Yardarm Bar - Thursday 16th October
Come and Test Your Wine Knowledge with a Wine Tasting combined with a game of Call My Bluff with award winning wine host, The Northern Wine Guy!
Lots of fun but also educational at the same time! Time to test that knowledge and see if you can tell which wine it is from the choices read out!
Buy your tickets now: https://www.thenorthernwineguy.co.uk/event-details/call-my-bluff-wine-tasting-at-over-the-yardarm-bar
OTHER DATES FOR YOUR DIARY / THINGS TO WATCH:
Friday 7th December - Wine & Tapas Evening at the Library, Sheffield (tickets to go on sale soon)
Silversmiths Special Tasting Menu with Paired Wines
Selena - Fine Wines / Whisky Tasting Events
👉 PRIVATE CELLAR BUILDS, PRIVATE SOMMELIER and IN-HOUSE DRINKS EVENTS👈
We offer a great range of additional services at The Northern Wine Guy including building wine cellars for private clients - that can be as little as 12 bottles upwards (the more the merrier!).
We can provide private sommelier services at your offices or at your private residence for large parties, gatherings or entertaining clients.
In-house staff engagements, meetings or socials. If you have a client you want to impress, then why not consider a Wine and Cheese Event? Or maybe you would like a Whisky and Cigar session? Rums? Sakes? You name it, we can look at creating it for you.
Just drop me a DM, connect with me here on LinkedIn or go to my website (www.thenorthernwineguy.co.uk) and create an enquiry.
🎄🎄CHRISTMAS - THE 'C' WORD 🎄🎄
I know, I know. It is August...BUT here is the thing...venues and events are being booked up and if you haven't thought about your Christmas Party yet, then you really need to get a move on!! ALL Thursdays I am booked out until Christmas in the evenings now ALREADY!
For Christmas - here are some thoughts from me:
Make sure you have your drinks ready for Christmas - don't leave it till the last minute and hit those big queues. Give The Northern Wine Guy a shout and we can discuss your requirements and get it to you with plenty of time before the main event.
Staff Christmas parties? If you have them, then let's get a venue sorted and a Wine & Cheese or Wine paired meal setup. Whisky Tasting? Have you tried Sake?
In-house event? No problem, bring the drinks expert to you - we can do this too!
FOCUS: Wines of Piemonte, Italy (Barolo country)
Piemonte is a region in North West Italy that really sings to me - firstly because of it's ability to be accessible from the French Alps, which is where I drove form to enjoy this part of the world. Secondly, because it is a part of the world that marries food with wine so perfectly.
If you are expecting this region to be flat, you will be disappointed. Not only are the Alps a constant reminder with the white backdrop in summer, but are ever present even with the rolling Monferrato hills. In fact the climate is a perfect backdrop for grape production, with the ice capped Alps to the north and the Mediterranean to the south, giving counter balances.
The two best known reds of the Piemonte region are Barolo and Barbaresco - both taking their names from villages - the others are named after grape varietals such as Nebbiolo, Barbera, Brachetto, Dolcetto, Grignolino, Freisa, Moscato.
Nebbiolo is the grape varietal behind Barolo wines. The region is magical to visit and as per my shot of it below, just has a stunning view from all sides. The Barolo zone is just 2 miles southwest of Barbaresco. Barolo now stands up with the likes of Burgundy and Bordeaux in it's fine wine echelons for collectors and investors alike.
Barolo must be aged for a minimum of 38 months, 62 months for reserva wines before they can be released for consumption! Within Barolo there are 11 communes - La Morra and Barolo are deemed to be lighter styles, sitting mostly on limestone. The communes of Serralunga d'Alba, Monforte d'Alba and Castiglione Falletto are usually bolder because of the sandstone soils.
What should be noted though is that Barolo and Barbaresco only amount to 3% of wines produced in the Piedmont region!😲 So make sure you try everything else that is on offer too!!
⚠️ TNWG TIP ⚠️
If you are heading to the region, then La Morra has to be on your list of places to see. It has soils that are very similar to Barbaresco - i.e. calcareous marls. It is the largest commune and the elevation ranges from 200 - 500 metres. It also has a wonderful courtyard in the centre, where you can while away a few glasses of vino and a few nibbles and think that you have made it in life!
Barbaresco has an 11th century tower about it, which is now seen as a tourist attraction in the region, but offers you a 360 degree viewing gallery of the Alps and rolling hills filled with vineyards. Well worth a visit!
⚠️ TNWG TIPS - WINERIES TO VISIT ⚠️
If you are in the region, then you have to go to my favourite producer - G.D. Vajra - just 3kms from Barolo. A family established vineyard and winery that is the perfect setting to sum up everything that is within the region, in a bottle.
In Barbaresco, Gaja have some amazing wines and should not be missed from tasting them, especially with the greater influence of the daughter, Gaia Gaja.
🍇 GRAPE VARIETIES 🍇
Nebbiolo - the 'king' of Piemonte. Used both in Barolo and Barbaresco wines as mentioned, it brings tannin and ability to age for wines.
Barbera - a juicy, fruity charactered black grape varietal often used and is the most planted in the region too.
Dolcetto - another black fruit, known for its dark fruit flavours and pretty high acidity.
Moscato - mostly used for the well known sweet, sparkling wine 'Moscato d'Asti'
Other Piemonte Wines Well Worth Trying:
Brachetto - a sweet and floral light wine, also available as sparkling too.
Ruche - pretty unique and comes only from the name sake commune, but produces a black cherry, peppery, moderate tannin wine.
Vespolina - fruity, tannic and quite spicy, it is often blended with Nebbiolo for wines.
Pelaverga - cherries, raspberries, again a light red that is sometimes a sparkling wine too.
Freisa - a delicate, light coloured wine, often served sparkling.
Bonarda - a darker, ruby orientated red wine, with bold fruit.
Quagliano - A pretty rare red wine made in a slightly sweet style.
🗞️ LATEST DRINKS INDUSTRY ARTICLES 🗞️
Article of the Week: Scotch, Whiskey and Vodka Prices Set to Rise as US Tariffs Bite
Not a great headline but also not surprising, that sadly Trump's tariffs are going to start impacting consumer prices for certain drinks.
OTHER ARTICLES THAT CAUGHT MY EYE:
📈 MARKETS IN BRIEF 📉
On the week (as at 22nd August 16:00) changes:
EQUITIES: ⬆️ FTSE 100 up 2.2%; DAX flat %; ⬆️ S&P 500 up 0.3%; ⬇️ Nikkei 225 down 1.73%; ⬆️ Dow Jones up 1.6%.
COMMODITIES: ⬆️Brent Oil up 2.6% ; ⬆️ Crude Oil up 0.93% ; ⬆️ Gold up 1%; ⬆️ Silver up 2.3%; ⬇️Copper down 0.7%
BONDS (in yield terms): ⬆️ UK 2yrs higher 0.02%; ⬆️ UK 10yrs higher 0.054%; ⬇️ German 10yrs lower 0.0625%, ⬇️ US 2yrs lower 0.044%; ⬇️ US 10yrs lower 0.062%.
It's heading to the wire this week to see how we finish up.
Fed's Chair Powell is set to deliver his final Jackson Hole speech today which investors and the market more generally are poised to watch in case we get a dovish shift painted by the Fed. The market is still expecting 2 cuts starting with September in 2025 and clearly Trump is pushing for more rather than less action.
Next week's headlines, given it is still within the summer lull, sees the US data - PCE and goods imports. In Europe the German IFO survey as well as regional inflation prints too.
The above weekly changes though tell you everything of what is typically a pretty lacklustre few weeks with a lack of market depth as a result of participants being away from the desk or being the only person on the desk, which typically means less new risk is in play. We have the BoJ speech on Thursday for those studying Asian markets and tomorrow BoE's Bailey and ECB's Lagarde will speak at Jackson Hole although little of new note is set to be expected.
Tariff trumps are starting to pinch in specific markets across the globe and this is set to continue which will therefore, be a key consideration when looking at the fine wine market too.
In fine wine more generally, whilst there isn't huge performance, trading volumes have steadily increased. Bordeaux especially as a region, now that we have had 2 big drops in price over the last 2 years for en primeur, is seeing a lot of changing of hands of bottles (up 6.3% as an overall market year to date, according to Cult Wines). The focus for buyers seems to be older vintages, that are harder to come by but also that have historic pricing underpinned to them matched with drink readiness (i.e. they are in their drinking windows having been stored for a period of time too).
For more information on fine wine investing, markets or events - feel free to drop me a DM or comment below.
Have a great Bank Holiday weekend all!
Cheers
Andy a.k.a. The Northern Wine Guy