Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 2008

Winery: Mascarello

Varietal: Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo grapes have been grown for centuries in the hilly region of northern Italy, and have more recently started to appear in many New World countries, too, where modern vintners have expressed great enthusiasm for their fine characteristics. Their fame and popularity is widely known, and the Nebbiolo varietal is recognized as the grape responsible for producing the legendary fine wines of Italy. Indeed, this grape is packed full of intense and interesting flavors, ranging from truffle and prune, to tobacco and violets, making the wines they produce a sensory delight which simply get better the longer they are aged. The grapes also lend a beautifully pale red color to their wines, which helped secure their place as some of the finest and most elegant to be found anywhere on earth.

Region: Piedmont

Situated in the north-western part of Italy, the region of Piedmont is known worldwide and is highly respected for the quality of the wines produced there. Many of the most successful sub-regions in Piedmont produce many of the world's finest red wines, such as those made from the excellent Nebbiolo grape varietal in areas such as Barolo and Barbaresco. However, the historic wineries which typify this region use a relatively wide variety of grapes, including Dolcetto and Barbera for their red wines, which are typically aged and have a delightful velvety character. Piedmont isn't all about beautifully complex red wines, though, as it is also famed for high quality, elegant sparkling wines, notably the Asti wines made with the white Moscato grape. The region benefits from a range of terroirs which are often well expressed in the sparkling wines, and a wonderfully consistent climate ideal for vineyard cultivation.

Country: Italy

There are few countries in the world with a viticultural history as long or as illustrious as that claimed by Italy. Grapes were first being grown and cultivated on Italian soil several thousand years ago by the Greeks and the Pheonicians, who named Italy 'Oenotria' – the land of wines – so impressed were they with the climate and the suitability of the soil for wine production. Of course, it was the rise of the Roman Empire which had the most lasting influence on wine production in Italy, and their influence can still be felt today, as much of the riches of the empire came about through their enthusiasm for producing wines and exporting it to neighbouring countries. Since those times, a vast amount of Italian land has remained primarily for vine cultivation, and thousands of wineries can be found throughout the entire length and breadth of this beautiful country, drenched in Mediterranean sunshine and benefiting from the excellent fertile soils found there. Italy remains very much a 'land of wines', and one could not imagine this country, its landscape and culture, without it.

Appellation: Barolo

High in the beautiful northern Piedmont region of Italy, we find one of the country's most famous and highly esteemed wine regions. Barolo has been used for the cultivation of high quality grapevines for centuries, and over time it received more and more recognition for the exceptional flavours and aromas its Nebbiolo grapes would lend to red wines. By the nineteenth century, Barolo was considered one of the greatest wine regions of Europe, adored for its wines which had an unparalleled richness of flavor and depth of aroma. Today, Barolo wines are a little different than those made in the past; more fruity and accessible than their deeper, high complex ancestors. However, the quality of the wine remains paramount, and Barolo remains one of Italy's true stars.