Photo by VIVC - Vitis International Variety Catalogue
Description
Nebbiolo is the great black grape of Piedmont in north-west Italy, the oldest native dark-skinned variety of the region and the grape behind Barolo and Barbaresco. Its skins are rich in tannin, and it gives strong, powerful wines that usually show their best only after slow ageing. Several distinct clonal types are grown, including Lampia, Michet and Bolla.
Characteristics
Black wine grape; early budbreak, very late ripening; tannin-rich skins; long or mixed pruning; wines built for ageing
Growing Tips
Nebbiolo is a demanding vine: it buds early, in mid to late April in the Langhe, yet ripens late, with harvest in the second half of October, so it needs a long season and a site sheltered from spring frost. Piedmont growers plant it on sunny hillsides facing south to south-west, where the extra warmth helps ripen its tannic skins, and benefit from cool nights during ripening. It is usually trained on a vertical trellis with long or mixed (cane plus spur) pruning.