Roero, Monferrato & Gavi

Barbera d'Asti: Piemonte's everyday red - cherry fruit, bright acidity, soft tannin.

Pure Barbera from the hills around Asti and Alessandria, warmer than the Langhe, so the fruit is riper and the tannins gentler. Many bottles are unoaked and juicy; Superiore adds oak and weight. Drink young with salumi, pasta and pizza.

Pure Barbera from the hills around Asti and Alessandria, warmer than the Langhe, so the fruit is riper and the tannins gentler. Many bottles are unoaked and juicy; Superiore adds oak and weight. Drink young with salumi, pasta and pizza.

Gavi: dry, crisp Cortese - citrus, green apple, almond and a salty edge.

Italy's best-known Cortese, grown on Apennine marl hills near the Ligurian border. Pale, dry and fresh, with lemon, pear and white flowers. Most is made to drink young, but the best estates age into honeyed, mineral wines.

Italy's best-known Cortese, grown on Apennine marl hills near the Ligurian border. Pale, dry and fresh, with lemon, pear and white flowers. Most is made to drink young, but the best estates age into honeyed, mineral wines.

Roero Arneis: floral pear-and-almond white from sandy hills across the river.

Arneis was close to extinct in the 1970s; the sandy, chalky Roero hills brought it back. Dry, soft and aromatic with pear, apricot and almond, and gentler acidity than Gavi. The Roero's Nebbiolo reds sit in the Langhe guide.

Arneis was close to extinct in the 1970s; the sandy, chalky Roero hills brought it back. Dry, soft and aromatic with pear, apricot and almond, and gentler acidity than Gavi. The Roero's Nebbiolo reds sit in the Langhe guide.

Salumi and roast white meat with a cool Grignolino.

Grignolino's firm tannin and high acidity cut fat, so it handles cured meats and roast chicken or rabbit that would swamp a delicate red. Serve it a little cooler than other reds.

Grignolino's firm tannin and high acidity cut fat, so it handles cured meats and roast chicken or rabbit that would swamp a delicate red. Serve it a little cooler than other reds.

Grignolino looks like rosé but behaves like a tannic red.

The berries carry several pips, which add tannin even though the skins give little colour. So Grignolino is pale ruby in the glass, with firm grip and high acidity on the palate. It needs food, not an aperitivo.

The berries carry several pips, which add tannin even though the skins give little colour. So Grignolino is pale ruby in the glass, with firm grip and high acidity on the palate. It needs food, not an aperitivo.

Nizza: Barbera's top zone - denser, oakier, built to age.

A cluster of villages around Nizza Monferrato with sandy-silty soils and lower yields, now its own appellation. Darker, deeper Barbera with violet, plum and sweet spice, usually oak-aged, that improves for a decade.

A cluster of villages around Nizza Monferrato with sandy-silty soils and lower yields, now its own appellation. Darker, deeper Barbera with violet, plum and sweet spice, usually oak-aged, that improves for a decade.

Grignolino: a pale red that behaves like a tannic one - peppery, crunchy, food-hungry.

Very pale ruby wine from the Asti and Casale hills. Crunchy red berries, white pepper and high acidity, with firm tannin from the pips. Drink it a little cool with salumi, roast white meat and tomato dishes.

Very pale ruby wine from the Asti and Casale hills. Crunchy red berries, white pepper and high acidity, with firm tannin from the pips. Drink it a little cool with salumi, roast white meat and tomato dishes.

Ruchè: a rose-petal and white-pepper perfumed red from a few villages near Asti.

A tiny appellation around Castagnole Monferrato. Pale-to-medium ruby and strongly aromatic, with rose, violet and spice, moderate tannin and a long perfumed finish - closer in feel to Pinot Noir than to Nebbiolo.

A tiny appellation around Castagnole Monferrato. Pale-to-medium ruby and strongly aromatic, with rose, violet and spice, moderate tannin and a long perfumed finish - closer in feel to Pinot Noir than to Nebbiolo.

Nizza: Barbera's top zone - denser, oakier, built to age.

A cluster of villages around Nizza Monferrato with sandy-silty soils and lower yields, now its own appellation. Darker, deeper Barbera with violet, plum and sweet spice, usually oak-aged, that improves for a decade.

A cluster of villages around Nizza Monferrato with sandy-silty soils and lower yields, now its own appellation. Darker, deeper Barbera with violet, plum and sweet spice, usually oak-aged, that improves for a decade.

Derthona (Timorasso): rare, weighty, mineral white that rewards bottle age.

From the Colli Tortonesi hills east of Monferrato and next door to Gavi. Nearly lost, it is now one of Piemonte's most distinctive whites: round, waxy and honeyed, but crisp and mineral. Some labels say only 'Derthona'.

From the Colli Tortonesi hills east of Monferrato and next door to Gavi. Nearly lost, it is now one of Piemonte's most distinctive whites: round, waxy and honeyed, but crisp and mineral. Some labels say only 'Derthona'.

Celebration: a Nizza from Chiarlo or Coppo.

Michele Chiarlo's Cipressi or La Court, or Coppo's Pomorosso, are the zone's benchmark bottles. Darker, deeper and happy in the cellar for a decade.

Michele Chiarlo's Cipressi or La Court, or Coppo's Pomorosso, are the zone's benchmark bottles. Darker, deeper and happy in the cellar for a decade.

Grignolino: a pale red that behaves like a tannic one - peppery, crunchy, food-hungry.

Very pale ruby wine from the Asti and Casale hills. Crunchy red berries, white pepper and high acidity, with firm tannin from the pips. Drink it a little cool with salumi, roast white meat and tomato dishes.

Very pale ruby wine from the Asti and Casale hills. Crunchy red berries, white pepper and high acidity, with firm tannin from the pips. Drink it a little cool with salumi, roast white meat and tomato dishes.

Ruchè: a rose-petal and white-pepper perfumed red from a few villages near Asti.

A tiny appellation around Castagnole Monferrato. Pale-to-medium ruby and strongly aromatic, with rose, violet and spice, moderate tannin and a long perfumed finish - closer in feel to Pinot Noir than to Nebbiolo.

A tiny appellation around Castagnole Monferrato. Pale-to-medium ruby and strongly aromatic, with rose, violet and spice, moderate tannin and a long perfumed finish - closer in feel to Pinot Noir than to Nebbiolo.

Derthona (Timorasso): rare, weighty, mineral white that rewards bottle age.

From the Colli Tortonesi hills east of Monferrato and next door to Gavi. Nearly lost, it is now one of Piemonte's most distinctive whites: round, waxy and honeyed, but crisp and mineral. Some labels say only 'Derthona'.

From the Colli Tortonesi hills east of Monferrato and next door to Gavi. Nearly lost, it is now one of Piemonte's most distinctive whites: round, waxy and honeyed, but crisp and mineral. Some labels say only 'Derthona'.

Braida: the house that made Barbera a fine wine - Bricco dell'Uccellone.

Founded by Giacomo Bologna, whose 1982 Bricco dell'Uccellone is credited with starting Barbera's fine-wine revolution. Family-run in Rocchetta Tanaro.

Braida is the house that changed how Piemonte sees Barbera. Giacomo Bologna's 1982 Bricco dell'Uccellone, an oak-aged Barbera, is widely credited with turning the grape from a carafe wine into a serious bottle. His children Beppe and Raffaella Bologna run the estate from Rocchetta Tanaro. The Barbera range works like a ladder: La Monella, then Bricco della Bigotta and Ai Suma, then Bricco dell'Uccellone and Montebruna at the top, richer, oakier wines that can age for a decade or two. Braida also bottles Grignolino (Limonte), so one visit covers both of Asti's signature reds. Tasting the Bigotta next to the Uccellone shows exactly what extra oak and a better site add. Bricco simply means a hilltop vineyard, so expect the name on many bottles in this area.

Michele Chiarlo: Nizza Cipressi and La Court, from Calamandrana.

A leading Nizza house near Nizza Monferrato; Cipressi is the pure, structured one, La Court the bigger, more powerful bottle.

Michele Chiarlo's cellar sits on the road between Nizza Monferrato and Canelli, right on the edge of the Nizza zone, and takes bookings for tours and tastings. Two single-vineyard wines show why the zone matters. Nizza Cipressi is bright and pure, with violet, blackberry and a little spice, balanced and built to age. Nizza La Court is the bigger, more powerful and refined wine, structured and long. Beside them sits Barbera d'Asti Le Orme, a modern, fresher style that makes a good everyday comparison, and Chiarlo also makes Gavi from its Rovereto vineyard, so the same visit stretches from Barbera to Cortese. If you only taste one pair, take Le Orme and Cipressi side by side: same grape, same house, and the clearest demonstration of what the Nizza name buys.

La Scolca: the Soldati family house; Gavi dei Gavi Black Label, plus D'Antan sparkling.

Four generations of the Soldati family, widely seen as key to Gavi's reputation. Black Label is the classic; D'Antan is the Metodo Classico.

La Scolca is the name most associated with Gavi's rise as a prestige white. The Soldati family has run it for four generations, and wein.plus credits them, with the winery, for raising Gavi's reputation in the second half of the twentieth century. The classic is Gavi dei Gavi Black Label ('Etichetta Nera'): the 'Gavi of the Gavis' name signals grapes from the town of Gavi itself. The range also includes the easier Villa Scolca and Il Valentino, Limited Edition bottlings of Gavi dei Gavi, and a traditional-method sparkling range under the Soldati and D'Antan names, including vintage Brut. Visitors can book wine experiences at the estate. If you want one bottle that explains why Gavi is a respected white rather than a simple one, this is the safest pick, and the D'Antan sparkling makes a local alternative to Champagne.

Timorasso: the rediscovered white that gets better in bottle.

Native to the Colli Tortonesi and almost lost until Walter Massa revived it from 1986. Round, waxy and honeyed, with crisp acidity and strong minerality; ages far better than most Italian whites.

Timorasso is a white grape from the hills around Tortona, in the far east of Monferrato and a short drive from Gavi. Its yields are low, which is why growers once replaced it with easier varieties and the grape nearly disappeared. Walter Massa began to revive it in the late 1980s, and a growers' association has since grown to dozens of members. Fermented in steel and often left on its lees, it makes a wine with a round, waxy, almost honeyed texture, crisp acidity and a strong mineral grip. Young bottles are subtle and closed; the best develop depth over several years in the cellar and are some of the most age-worthy whites in Italy. Labels often say Derthona, the historic name for Tortona, rather than Timorasso. It costs more than Gavi, and is worth it for a special dinner with veal, creamy pasta or fish.

Braida: the house that made Barbera a fine wine - Bricco dell'Uccellone.

Founded by Giacomo Bologna, whose 1982 Bricco dell'Uccellone is credited with starting Barbera's fine-wine revolution. Family-run in Rocchetta Tanaro.

Braida is the house that changed how Piemonte sees Barbera. Giacomo Bologna's 1982 Bricco dell'Uccellone, an oak-aged Barbera, is widely credited with turning the grape from a carafe wine into a serious bottle. His children Beppe and Raffaella Bologna run the estate from Rocchetta Tanaro. The Barbera range works like a ladder: La Monella, then Bricco della Bigotta and Ai Suma, then Bricco dell'Uccellone and Montebruna at the top, richer, oakier wines that can age for a decade or two. Braida also bottles Grignolino (Limonte), so one visit covers both of Asti's signature reds. Tasting the Bigotta next to the Uccellone shows exactly what extra oak and a better site add. Bricco simply means a hilltop vineyard, so expect the name on many bottles in this area.

Michele Chiarlo: Nizza Cipressi and La Court, from Calamandrana.

A leading Nizza house near Nizza Monferrato; Cipressi is the pure, structured one, La Court the bigger, more powerful bottle.

Michele Chiarlo's cellar sits on the road between Nizza Monferrato and Canelli, right on the edge of the Nizza zone, and takes bookings for tours and tastings. Two single-vineyard wines show why the zone matters. Nizza Cipressi is bright and pure, with violet, blackberry and a little spice, balanced and built to age. Nizza La Court is the bigger, more powerful and refined wine, structured and long. Beside them sits Barbera d'Asti Le Orme, a modern, fresher style that makes a good everyday comparison, and Chiarlo also makes Gavi from its Rovereto vineyard, so the same visit stretches from Barbera to Cortese. If you only taste one pair, take Le Orme and Cipressi side by side: same grape, same house, and the clearest demonstration of what the Nizza name buys.

Timorasso: the rediscovered white that gets better in bottle.

Native to the Colli Tortonesi and almost lost until Walter Massa revived it from 1986. Round, waxy and honeyed, with crisp acidity and strong minerality; ages far better than most Italian whites.

Timorasso is a white grape from the hills around Tortona, in the far east of Monferrato and a short drive from Gavi. Its yields are low, which is why growers once replaced it with easier varieties and the grape nearly disappeared. Walter Massa began to revive it in the late 1980s, and a growers' association has since grown to dozens of members. Fermented in steel and often left on its lees, it makes a wine with a round, waxy, almost honeyed texture, crisp acidity and a strong mineral grip. Young bottles are subtle and closed; the best develop depth over several years in the cellar and are some of the most age-worthy whites in Italy. Labels often say Derthona, the historic name for Tortona, rather than Timorasso. It costs more than Gavi, and is worth it for a special dinner with veal, creamy pasta or fish.

Accornero: Bricco del Bosco, the benchmark Casalese Grignolino, with an old-vine Vigne Vecchie.

A family estate in the Casale hills whose Grignolino is perfumed with rose, dried flowers and strawberry. Also a Monferace member.

Accornero is the name to seek for Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese. The family makes Barbera and a Nebbiolo called Girotondo too, but Grignolino is the draw: Bricco del Bosco is the standard bottling and the Vigne Vecchie is the old-vine selection, made in a more oak-influenced, age-worthy style. Decanter found the wines perfumed with rose, dried flowers and strawberry over a firm, tannic frame; the Vigne Vecchie is the bottling to look for. Accornero is also a member of the Monferace group of long-aged Grignolino producers, so it covers both styles of the grape. The wines are pale, so do not judge by colour: the structure shows when you taste with food. Serve a little cooler than other reds and pair with salumi, grilled sausages or roast poultry.

Vigneti Massa: Walter Massa, who revived Timorasso; seek the Derthona crus.

A Monleale estate and the grape's champion since 1986. The base Derthona is the introduction; three single-vineyard crus follow.

Walter Massa is the man who brought Timorasso back. Working from his village of Monleale in the Tortona hills, he began bottling pure Timorasso in 1986, when the grape was close to extinct because its low yields had led growers to replace it. He also gave the wine its modern name, Derthona, the old name of Tortona, which many local growers now use on labels, often without the word Timorasso or the appellation. The base Derthona is the introduction. Costa del Vento, Sterpi and Montecitorio are single-vineyard bottlings that show how the hills change the wine. Fermentation in stainless steel with lees stirring for a year gives a round, waxy, mineral white with real acidity. Massa found that the wine improved the longer it sat in bottle, so buy two and wait. He also bottles Barbera under the Monleale name.

Gavi's hills mix sea air, Apennine cold and chalky marl.

The Gavi hills sit between the Po plain and the Ligurian coast. Sea wind meets Apennine cool, and big day-night swings late in ripening keep Cortese aromatic. White marl on the steeper south slopes gives the tauter, more mineral wines.

The Gavi hills sit between the Po plain and the Ligurian coast. Sea wind meets Apennine cool, and big day-night swings late in ripening keep Cortese aromatic. White marl on the steeper south slopes gives the tauter, more mineral wines.

In the glass: Crisp, saline, citrusy Cortese; marl sites give the sharpest, most mineral wines

Monferrato is lower and warmer than the Langhe, so Barbera ripens softly.

Barbera here grows between roughly 150 and 400 metres, sheltered from Alpine wind and softened by the Tanaro and Po. The marl hills give reliably ripe fruit and softer tannins than the Langhe, which suits an easy-drinking, food-friendly red.

Barbera here grows between roughly 150 and 400 metres, sheltered from Alpine wind and softened by the Tanaro and Po. The marl hills give reliably ripe fruit and softer tannins than the Langhe, which suits an easy-drinking, food-friendly red.

In the glass: Ripe dark-cherry fruit, high acidity and gentle tannin

Nizza's sandy soils and low yields make Barbera denser and longer-lived.

Nizza sits on pale, silty marine sands around Nizza Monferrato and is picked at much lower yields than the wider Barbera d'Asti area. The wine is deeper, oakier and ages for a decade or more.

The villages around Nizza Monferrato are often called the heart of Barbera d'Asti. Vineyards run roughly 180 to 280 metres on pale, silty marine sands (the 'Astiane' sands) with limestone, clay and trace minerals. Rainfall is lower than in the Barolo area, and cool nights late in ripening help hold acidity and aroma. Producers cut yields hard compared with the wider zone, and most refine the wine in oak, often small barrels. The result is a more elegant, structured and complex Barbera than the everyday wine, with cherry, violet, plum, sweet spice and a balsamic note, able to age for ten years or more. The zone is small, so there are far fewer bottles than Barbera d'Asti. The Nizza name is a genuine quality signal, but the producer still matters: the best are in the range from Michele Chiarlo, Coppo and Olim Bauda.

In the glass: Density, violet and plum fruit, sweet spice, and cellar potential of ten years or more

Sandy, chalky Roero soils give Arneis fragrance and a firm backbone.

On the sandy and chalky hills of the Roero, Arneis keeps its acidity and grows more perfumed than on heavy clay. That is why Roero is its home and why Arneis from elsewhere is usually a lesser version.

On the sandy and chalky hills of the Roero, Arneis keeps its acidity and grows more perfumed than on heavy clay. That is why Roero is its home and why Arneis from elsewhere is usually a lesser version.

In the glass: Pear, apricot, almond and white-flower aromas with enough acidity to stay fresh

Grignolino looks like rosé but behaves like a tannic red.

The berries carry several pips, which add tannin even though the skins give little colour. So Grignolino is pale ruby in the glass, with firm grip and high acidity on the palate. It needs food, not an aperitivo.

The berries carry several pips, which add tannin even though the skins give little colour. So Grignolino is pale ruby in the glass, with firm grip and high acidity on the palate. It needs food, not an aperitivo.

In the glass: Pale ruby colour with crunchy red berry, white pepper, firm tannin and high acidity

Steel keeps Barbera juicy; small oak barrels make it plush.

Unoaked Barbera stays bright, purple-red and cherry-fresh. Oak adds weight, spice, toast and vanilla, which Barbera's high acidity and low tannin carry well. Check the label for Superiore or Nizza if you want the oaked style.

Unoaked Barbera stays bright, purple-red and cherry-fresh. Oak adds weight, spice, toast and vanilla, which Barbera's high acidity and low tannin carry well. Check the label for Superiore or Nizza if you want the oaked style.

In the glass: Steel: fresh cherry fruit. Oak: richer, spicier, more structured

Most Gavi is steel-fermented; the best get extra time on the lees.

Cool steel fermentation keeps Cortese lemony and crisp. Serious estates add lees contact in tank or large barrels and extra bottle age, which brings toasted almond, hazelnut and honey while the wine stays fresh.

Cool steel fermentation keeps Cortese lemony and crisp. Serious estates add lees contact in tank or large barrels and extra bottle age, which brings toasted almond, hazelnut and honey while the wine stays fresh.

In the glass: Steel: citrus and flowers. Lees and age: richer texture, almond and honey notes

Quick soak or long soak: two very different Grignolinos.

Most Grignolino is made in steel with a light touch, giving a pale, peppery wine. A few growers now soak the skins longer and age the wine in oak (see Monferace), which adds tar and spice and makes it last.

Most Grignolino is made in steel with a light touch, giving a pale, peppery wine. A few growers now soak the skins longer and age the wine in oak (see Monferace), which adds tar and spice and makes it last.

In the glass: Short: pale, crunchy, peppery. Long and oaked: darker, spicier, longer-lived

Timorasso: a year of lees stirring, then years in bottle.

Growers like Massa ferment in steel and stir the lees for about a year, which builds a round, waxy texture. The wine needs bottle time to open; most Timorasso is hard to judge in its first year.

Timorasso's weight and acidity both come from technique and time. At Vigneti Massa the wine is fermented in stainless steel and the lees are stirred regularly for a year, a technique known as bâtonnage, which adds a rounded texture and keeps the wine from tasting thin. After bottling, the wine closes down and then slowly opens. Massa says the longer it ages in bottle, the better it becomes, and tasters describe a progression from citrus and flowers when young to wax, honey and mineral depth after five years or more. For buyers, this means the best value is often an older vintage from a good producer, and that young bottles benefit from an hour in the glass or a decanter before serving. The wines are usually served only lightly chilled, since cold hides the texture.

In the glass: Round, waxy, honeyed body with a mineral finish that deepens in the cellar

Gavi also makes Metodo Classico sparkling - long on the lees, toasty and fine.

Estates such as La Scolca and Villa Sparina age bottle-fermented Gavi for years on the lees. Expect fine bubbles, brioche and the same lemon freshness - a local alternative to Champagne.

Estates such as La Scolca and Villa Sparina age bottle-fermented Gavi for years on the lees. Expect fine bubbles, brioche and the same lemon freshness - a local alternative to Champagne.

In the glass: Fine bubbles, toast and almond over crisp citrus