CATHERINE FALLIS: A GUIDE TO NEBBIOLO

Here’s how it goes for sommeliers and wine lovers discovering Barolo, the majestic Nebbiolo wine of Piemonte in northwest Italy. First, there is the awareness, a sighting – on a wine list, retail shelf or table. Then, with luck, a tasting. The interplay of cherry, mint, licorice, rose, game, fennel and almond is as intoxicating as its chewiness, grip, and raging high acidity is palate-thrashing. Now hooked, there is the quest for more, always more, no matter the cost. Then there is the wait, the 5 plus years needed to let the wine become more mellow, less aggressive, more behaved if you will. Here at Planet Grape Wine Review, where we taste wine over a period of three days – the grape goddess three-day rule – we are able to experience a several year evolution with natural aeration, nothing more. If your wine is not showing well when you first open it, pour it into a large carafe, then serve 2-3 ounces in large glasses. Pair with rich foods, and let the leftovers sit in the bottle for a few days. In Barolo the guest of honor is given the leftovers from the previous night’s bottle. Here are 8 of our favorite Barolos and 4 Nebbiolos from the neighboring communes.