3.
Nebbiolo
The darling of the Italian Piedmont region, the grape is named for the “little fog” because it’s growing season is so long that it is harvested as the early winter fog begins to rise around the vineyards. For this reason, and the quality of the wine it produces, Nebbiolo usually gets the choice, warmest vineyard locations edging out it’s friends Barbera and Dolcetto. The fruit in the famous wines of Barolo and Barbaresco, Nebbiolo makes a dark, bold, dense wine with merciless tannins. Drink it young at your own peril. But with age you get a rich, layered, highly structured wine. Nebbiolo fools you with light floral and red fruit aromas, then wallops you a mouthful of grippy tannin that brings along with it rich dried fruit, licorice, leather, coffee and earth. Outside of the Piedmont, where Nebbiolo gets more warmth the wines show the same rich flavor profiles with softer tannins.