Terre Del Barolo Barolo 2007 750ml

Winery: Terre Del Barolo

Varietal: Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo is not necessarily a particularly easy grape to cultivate. Indeed, its very late ripening time often means that yield is very low, and they are also quite susceptible to various diseases and forms of rot. However, in their native Italy and in many other countries around the world, wineries persevere with this varietal due to the fact that few other grapes can produce wines as wonderful, complex and flavorful as those made with the Nebbiolo grape. These grapes offer a beautifully pale red juice, packed full of intense flavors such as truffle, violet and prune, making them a real treat for serious wine drinkers looking for a sensory experience not to be forgotten. They are also renowned for their affinity for aging, which allows their strong tannins to mellow and compliment their stunning flavor.

Region: Piedmont

The beautiful region of Piedmont in the north west of Italy is responsible for producing many of Europe's finest red wines. Famous appellations such as Barolo and Barbaresco are the envy of wine-makers all over the world, and attract plenty of tourism as a result of their traditional techniques and the stunning setting they lie in. The region has a similar summer climate to nearby French regions such as Bordeaux, but the rest of their year is considerably colder, and far drier as a result of the rain shadow cast by the Alps. The wineries which cover much of Piedmont have, over many generations, mastered how to make the most of the Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Barbera grapes which thrive here, and nowadays are beginning to experimenting with many imported varietals to increase the region's range and meet international demand.

Country: Italy

Italy is recognised as being one of the finest wine producing countries in the world, and it isn't difficult to see why. With a vast amount of land across the country used primarily for vineyard cultivation and wine production, each region of Italy manages to produce a wide range of excellent quality wines, each representative of the region it is produced in. Any lover of Italian wines will be able to tell you of the variety the country produces, from the deliciously astringent and alpine-fresh wines of the northern borders, to the deliciously jammy and fruit-forward wines of the south and the Italian islands. Regions such as Barolo are frequently compared with Bordeaux and Burgundy in France, as their oak aged red wines have all the complexity and earthy, spicy excellence of some of the finest wines in the world, and the sparkling wines of Asti and elsewhere in Italy can easily challenge and often exceed the high standards put forward by Champagne. Thanks to excellent terrain and climatic conditions, Italy has long since proven itself a major player in the world of wines, and long may this dedication to quality and excellence continue.

Appellation: Barolo

The small appellation of Barolo in Italy's mountainous Piedmont region has become shorthand for almost all that is great about modern Italian red wines. Traditional methods, practiced for centuries in these foggy hills, meet modern production techniques, allowing the wineries of Barolo to produce large amounts of their famous and utterly delicious red wines to display to the world. The region itself benefits enormously from the cool, misty climate the hillsides of this area enjoy, and the mineral rich soils - which are a product of millions of years of tectonic activity - feed the Nebbiolo grapevines of the region, producing beautiful, rich flavors and complex aromas. Today, as in centuries past, Barolo wines are the epitome of Italian quality produce and dedication to excellence.