Torino, Italy and its surrounding area is known for the three B's of wine - Barbaresco, Barolo, and Barbera. There are a few other letters that should be added here, like A for Asti which produces a sparkling spumanti and the twin G’s, Gattinaras and Ghemmes.
The Piedmont (the region of Torino) is regarded by many as the finest wine producing region in Italy. This is apparent when you walk through Torino, Italy and see wine shops compete with cafés and chocolatiers for space.
In fact there are two wine museums in the area: The Martini & Rossi Museum at Pessione, Torino and the Bersano Museum at Nizza Monferrato.
The Piedmont region has 75,000 hectares of vineyards and produces 7,000,000 quintals of white and black grapes. Just what is a quintal? A quintal is equal to 100 kilograms which is equal to just over 220 pounds. In other words they produce a lot of grapes.
Barola and Barbaresco as well as Gattinaras and Ghemmes are all produced from the Nebbiolo grape. The Nebbiolo is grown primarily in the Piedmont region. Barola and Barbaresco wines are well known by anyone who pays attention to wines. Gattinaras and Ghemmes wines are less well-known though both are widely available outside of Italy. Perhaps because they are less popular they are also less expensive, often close to half the cost of the better known “B” wines. Gattinaras and Ghemmes are two of only 21 DOCG wines in Italy. DOCG is Italy’s highest designation.
Barola is known as the King of Wines and the Wine of Kings. The production of better wines in Italy is highly regulated and Barola is no exception. By law it must be aged for 3 years, two of those years must be spent in oak casks.
Barbaresco must also be aged for 3 years, two of which are in oak casks. Alcohol content is regulated for wines and the Barbaresco wines have slightly less alcohol than the Barola.
Both these wines require a great deal of self-discipline as they are best when aged upwards of 10 years.
There are other wines produced in the region around Torino, Italy. The sweet bubbly variety of Barbera is Piedmont’s most popular wine. Asti,also called the Italian Toast King is a sweet sparkling wine. Unlike Champagne which is made from black grapes Asti is produced from white grapes. It has a lower alcohol content than many wines.
Vermouth, an aperitif served before dinner was invented in Torino, Italy by Antonio Bendetto Carpano. Vermouth is a white wine flavored with herbs, spices and roots. It is best known as the capfull of wine that is added to a traditional martini.
And for those with cast iron stomaches there is always Grappa. Distilleries around Torino, Italy also produce this potent spirit. But beware - Grappa is between 40% and 50% alcohol by volume (80 to 100 proof). Many producers now add fruit and syrup to make Grappa more palatable.
Torino, Italy produces both fine wines and fine chocolates and a delicious cup of coffee is available every few feet. What more can you ask for in a city?
