📍 Piedmont
The Alpine foothills of the north-west, home of Barolo and Barbaresco.
Piedmont is a wine region in north-western Italy, at the foot of the Alps, and also the appellation DOC Piemonte of the same name. According to the official list of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture (March 2026), it has 60 designations of origin, 19 DOCG and 41 DOC. That is more DOCGs than any other Italian region. Piedmont has no IGT wines at all.
The leading red variety is Nebbiolo. Barolo and Barbaresco are DOCGs made from it alone. Barolo is aged for at least 38 months before release, 18 of them in wooden barrels, and a riserva for 62 months. Barbaresco needs at least 26 months, 9 of them in wood, and a riserva 50.
The Barolo zone covers the whole of the communes of Barolo, Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d'Alba and parts of eight more communes in the province of Cuneo; its boundaries were set back in 1933. Another important variety is Barbera: Barbera d'Asti is at least 90% Barbera. According to the OIV, Barbera covered 18,000 ha across Italy.
The white sparkling Asti is made from at least 97% Moscato Bianco. Other DOCGs of Piedmont include Gavi, Gattinara, Roero, Alta Langa and Nizza.
Why it matters to you. DOCG is the highest level: it is granted only to a wine that has held DOC status for at least seven years and follows stricter rules. DOCG bottles carry a state control mark with a series and number. The term riserva means longer ageing than the regular wine of the same appellation, which for Barolo is over five years.
How it connects to Wine
📍 Piedmont ← grows in ← 🍇 Dolcetto → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🗺️ Italian wine
- Wines made here
- 🍷 Asti
- Related to
- 📜 Nebbiolo d'Alba, 📜 Gavi / Cortese di Gavi, 🍷 La Scolca, 🍷 La Scolca Pinot Nero, 🍷 Sol Lui, 🥃 Grappa piemontese, 🥃 Grappa di Barolo, 🥃 Genepì del Piemonte, 🍷 Still wine, 🍷 Sparkling wine
- Grapes
- 🍇 Nebbiolo, 🍇 Barbera, 🍇 Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, 🍇 Dolcetto, 🍇 Brachetto, 🍇 Arneis, 🍇 Erbaluce, 🍇 Ruchè, 🍇 Cortese, 🍇 Grignolino
and 41 more
🍇 Croatina, 🍇 Freisa, 🍇 Pelaverga, 🍇 Baratuciat, 🍇 Uva Rara, 🍇 Greco Bianco di Novara, 🍇 Rossese Bianco, 🍇 Uvalino, 🍇 Doux d'Henry, 🍇 Nerettia Cuneese, 🍇 Neretta Cuneese, 🍇 Pelaverga Piccolo, 🍇 Vespolina, 🍇 Malvasia di Schierano, 🍇 Favorita, 🍇 Lambrusca di Alessandria, 🍇 Quagliano, 🍇 Gamba di Pernice, 🍇 Barbera Bianca, 🍇 Cascarolo Bianco, 🍇 Bubbierasco, 🍇 Becuet, 🍇 Ruchè, 🍇 Timorasso, 🍇 Malvasia di Casorzo, 🍇 Neretto di Bairo, 🍇 Grisa Nera, 🍇 Plassa, 🍇 Carica l'Asino, 🍇 Bragat Rosa, 🍇 Furner, 🍇 Durasa, 🍇 Moscato Nero di Acqui, 🍇 Albarossa, 🍇 Avana, 🍇 Avarengo, 🍇 Valentino Nero, 🍇 Bric, 🍇 Boggione Rosso, 🍇 Slarina, 🍇 Cornarea - Grape products
- 🥃 Grappa
- Main grapes
- 🍇 Barbera, 🍇 Dolcetto, 🍇 Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, 🍇 Chardonnay, 🍇 Cortese
- Wines
- 🍷 Red wine, 🍷 White wine, 🍷 Rosé
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Brachetto d'Acqui, 🍷 Vermouth di Torino
- In other topics
- 🇮🇹 Italian cheeses
Frequently asked questions
How many DOCGs does Piedmont have?
19, according to the list of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture as of March 2026, more than any other region. Another 41 appellations have DOC status.
What grape is Barolo made from?
Only from Nebbiolo, just like Barbaresco, Piedmont's other famous wine from this variety.
How long is Barolo aged?
At least 38 months from 1 November of the harvest year, 18 of them in wood; Barolo riserva, 62 months.
Is it true that Piedmont has IGT wines?
No. The Ministry's IGT list contains no Piedmontese name at all: every wine with a designation of origin here is DOC or DOCG.
How does Asti differ from Barbera d'Asti?
Asti is a white sparkling wine from Moscato Bianco (at least 97%), while Barbera d'Asti is a red wine made from at least 90% Barbera.
What to read next
- 📜 Gavi / Cortese di Gavi — A well-known white wine of Piedmont made from Cortese around the town of Gavi.
- 🍷 La Scolca — A family wine estate at Rovereto di Gavi in Piedmont, founded in 1919 and run by the Soldati family, now in its fourth generation; known for Gavi dei Gavi from the Cortese grape.
- 🍷 La Scolca Pinot Nero — La Scolca Pinot Nero: red wine by La Scolca from Rovereto di Gavi in southern Piedmont; Piemonte DOC Pinot Nero.
- 🍇 Chardonnay — One of the world's best-known white grapes, from Burgundy; the base of Chablis and many Champagnes.
- 🥃 Grappa — Italian grape pomace spirit with an EU geographical indication: at least 37.5% ABV (75 proof in US terms). “Invecchiata” means 12+ months in wood, “riserva” 18+.
Similar
📍 Emilia-Romagna · 📜 Trevenezie · 📍 Abruzzo · 📍 Molise · 📜 Alto Livenza · 📜 Valdadige
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.
What it includes
Sources
- MASAF: Elenco alfabetico dei vini DOP e IGP italiani (agg. 18.03.2026) e disciplinari di produzione
- Legge 12 dicembre 2016, n. 238 — Testo unico del vino, artt. 28, 31, 33, 48 (Normattiva)
- eAmbrosia — the EU geographical indications register: Piemonte (PDO)
- OIV Focus 2017: Distribution of the world's grapevine varieties