 Piemonte, Italy | |
of Lombardy,Liguria, Aosta Valley and for a very small fragment with Emilia Romagna. The geography of Piedmont is 43.3% mountainous, along with extensive areas of hills (30.3%) and plains (26.4%). Piedmont is the second largest of Italy's 20 regions, after Sicily.
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Dear Wine Lover
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Good Morning, I hope you had a enjoyable weekend and try not to let the snowy Monday morning get you down. We could be like some of the great wine regions of Europe and be buried under a meter of snow and shivering at -20. It's kind of strange to be gloating in Alberta in February, but the weather has been amazing.
This week we cover the great Italian region, Piedmont. This important northern Province is steeped with history and has long been a important area for wine in Italy. With a strong influence from their next door neighbours, France, and especially Burgundy, Piemonte has decidedly created over the centuries, some of the very best in wine.
Today's feature winery is Carlin de Paolo. A great family winery in San Damiano d'Asti. 4 Generations of the Ponte family have always dedicated themselves to wine production and trade. The family believes that wine is grown in the vineyards, not made in the winery. The vineyards are the most important element, if the grapes are grown well, the wine will be good.
Enjoy the issue and we will see you next week.
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Rome AwdeMeritage Wine Agents Ltd.
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Piemonte wine is the range of Italian wines made in the province of Piedmont in the northwestern corner of Italy. The best-known wines from the region include Barolo and Barbaresco. They are made from the Nebbiolo grape. These wines are ideal for storage and a well-aged Barolo for instance may leave a feeling of drinking velvet because the tannins are polished and integrated more and more into the wine. As the wine matures the colour becomes more brownish and rust-red.
Other popular grapes used for red wine production are Barbera and Dolcetto. Wine made on the Barbera grape is often fruity and delicate with less tannin than wine made from the Nebbiolo grape. Dolcetto on the other side, is not as the name indicates sweet (dolce is Italian for sweet). The grape gives fresh and dry red wines with some tannin. The wines made from the Dolcetto grape should be consumed young.
The sparkling wine Asti is made from the Moscato grape.
The Brachetto is another variety used for making sweet and sparkling red wines.
The majority of the area's winemaking take places in the provinces of Cuneo, Asti and Alessandria.
While Turin is the capital of the Piedmont, Alba and Asti are at the heart of the region's wine industry.
The wine making industry of the Piedmont played a significant role in the early stages of the Risorgimento with some of the era's most prominent figures-like Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour and Giuseppe Garibaldi owning vineyards in Piedmont region and making significant contributions to the development of Piedmontese wines. The excessively high tariffs imposed by the Austrian Empire on the export of Piedmontese wines to Austrian controlled areas of northern Italy was one of the underlying sparks to the revolutions of 1848-1849.
The majority of the region's winemaking (about 90%) takes place in the southern part of Piedmont around the towns of Alba (in Cuneo), Asti and Alessandria. The Piemonte wine region is divided into five broad zones.
The Piedmont region is home to 45 Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) and 12 Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG).
The 12 DOCG wines in Piedmont are:
Barbera is the most widely-planted grape in the region, and the third largest in Italy, but Nebbiolo and Dolcetto account for a significant portion of the area's red wine production as well.
With white wines, Moscato is the most prominent with its sparkling and frizzante style wines. Other notable white wines include styles made from the Cortese grape in Gavi as well as blends of Cortese with Arneis and Favorita from Colli Tortonesi and Alto Monferrato.
Since the 1980s there has been growing numbers of experimental plantings with the international varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot noir, Sauvignon blanc and Syrah. Other local or indigenous grapes include Bonarda, Croatina, Erbaluce, Freisa, Grignolino, Malvasia Nera, Pelaverga and Vespolina.
The Piedmont produces more DOC/G wines by volume than any other Italian wine region with nearly 84% of all the areas of wine production falling under a DOC/G designation.
The area has no Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) classification, in contrast to Tuscany where IGT wines or Super Tuscans, make up a significant portion of that region's wine production.
Some varietal style wines are made in the Piedmont region with the name of the grape and town both appearing on the label. Some DOC examples include Barbera d'Alba, Barbera d'Asti, and Dolcetto di Dogliani made entirely from the Barbera and Dolcetto grape respectively.
The historical importance of the region to the formation of modern day Italy cannot go unnoticed. The region was heavlily influencd by France, and especially the Burgundians, as they invaded the region many times over the centuires. Turin was for a short time, the Capital of Italy as The King of Sardina-Piedmont, Victor Emmanuel II of Sardina, was very influential at the time. 
On March 17, 1861 the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed by the Parliament, so ratifying the annexations of all other Italian states to Piedmont.
The institutions and laws of the Kingdom were quickly extended to all Italy, brutally abolishing the administrations of the other regions.
Piedmont would become the most dominant and wealthiest region in Italy and the capital of Piedmont, Turin, would remain the Italian capital until 1865 when the capital was moved to Florence; but in contrast, many revolts exploded through the peninsula, especially in Southern Italy.
Cheers. Rome
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Carlin de Paolo
CARLIN de PAOLO, a family-run firm already in its fourth generation, has always dedicated itself to wine production and trade. It owes its name to the founder Paolo and his son Carlo, nicknamed Carlin. A strong passion for the land, grape-growing and wine production has been passed down from father to son. Giancarlo and Davide Ponte, the founder's grandsons, currently carry on the activity helped by their parents Franco and Giusy and with the support of their younger brothers Lorenzo and Paolo. While still respecting agelong traditions they avail themselves of modern technology so as to obtain the best quality possible. "Good wine is not made in the cellar but on the vineyard".
This is the philosophy which has guided the Ponte Family, founder and still today head of the Carlin de Paolo firm. The sole objective of the commitment, competence and hard work dedicated to the vineyards is the production of top quality grapes, an element essential to achieve excellence. 
The entire process starts in winter with dry pruning, followed by careful bending of the fruit-bearing shoot and finally grafting in line with Gouyot's principles. Thereafter comes the pinching out and an entire series of activities required to ensure a balanced development of the plant in harmony with the environment and the seasonal trend, which together with the terroir determines the characteristics of the year's grape harvest. If there are too many clusters on a single plant it is necessary to thin them out to help the ripening of the remaining fruits.
The first controls start at the end of August: a sampling of 400 grapes is picked from every vineyard, from which to extract the juice to be analyzed. The same process is repeated one week later and then again to keep track of the ripening trend. The date on which to start the harvest is however decided only after receiving the organoleptic evaluation, that is tasting the grapes: if they are sufficiently ripe to be eaten they are also good for harvesting and wine making.
Here too, as in all the other operations, the determining element is the passion and desire by Carlin de Paolo always to fully satisfy those who will drink the wine it produces. Carlin de Paolo wines available in Alberta; Barbera d'Asti DOCG 2010 747329 $17.18 btl. Piemonte Grignolino DOC 2010 747238 $17.18 btl. Monferrato Dolcetto DO 2010 747330 $17.18 btl. Roero Arneis DOCG 2010 747328 $21.90 btl. Moscato d'Asti DOCG 2010 747327 $19.26 btl.
MONFERRATO DOLCETTO D.O.C.
CSPC 747330 $17.18 btl Case of 12 | | | | General characteristics: Carlin de Paolo's dedicated work is aimed at the total satisfaction of the customer, the great protagonist of this oenogastronomic show. The objective of such a professional commitment is to make anyone drinking its wine rediscover a long forgotten pleasure. Hence the production of a fresh and fragrant Dolcetto Monferrato, featuring a lively and satisfactory taste, a quality obtained by anticipating the grape harvest and with a regular 6/7 days maceration carried out at low temperatures. The preservation aims at
 maintaining the primary flavours, that is those of the original grape.
Alcohol content: 12,5°
Colour: ruby red with violet tints.
Scent/flavour: intense and fruity scent, sweet, harmonious and velvety flavour with a typical slightly bitter aftertaste.
Prevailing flavours: cherry and plum.
Serving temperature: 16-18 °C.
Gastronomic pairings: simple plates, cold cuts and salami, cheeses.
Vineyard: Traditional Piedmontese growing of Guyot vines with a density ranging from 5000 to 5500 plants per hectare.
Vineyard average age: 20/40 years
Grape yield: 85 q./ha
Production: 25,000 bottles/year |
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 Barbera d'Asti Award, Selection Mondials Des Vins To have allocated please contact Rome at: rome@meritagewineagents.com
1-403-615-3550
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About Meritage Wine Agents Ltd.
The goal of Meritage Wine Agents is to be one of the top suppliers of exquisite wine to the leading wine focused restaurants and retailers in Alberta. We will do this by sourcing high quality , high value wines from unique and emerging markets and bring them to our customer in an efficient and cost effective manner, deliver them fair prices, and support them with passion and professionalism. Meritage Wine Agents Ltd.
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