The Italy Wine Project

Regions / Piedmont

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Piemonte DOC

The regional catch-all, created so that Piedmont's producers could bottle wines outside the strict local DOCs and still avoid the IGT label. Most of it is cheap Piemonte Barbera or Cortese, plus Moscato and Chardonnay-based spumante, but there are curiosities like Piemonte Albarossa (a nebbiolo-barbera crossing) and some good sparkling wines. Piemonte Barbera is bright, tart, plummy and simple; Piemonte Cortese is a Gavi-lite. Judge by producer, and treat it as the pizza-night option.

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Bottles I'm chasing

ProducerWinePriceBuy
Vietti
Piemonte Moscato Cascinetta
Technically Moscato d'Asti in most vintages, but Vietti's Piemonte Moscato and Piemonte bottlings are national staples; peach, orange blossom, low alcohol.
$14 to $18Wine-Searcher
Michele Chiarlo
Piemonte Barbera Le Orme
Actually labeled Barbera d'Asti in most years, but Chiarlo's entry Barbera and its Piemonte-labeled siblings are the easiest buy; sour cherry, no oak.
$13 to $16Wine-Searcher
Fontanafredda
Piemonte Barbera Briccotondo
Big Serralunga house; ripe black cherry, soft, a bit of oak, reliably stocked across the US.
$14 to $18Wine-Searcher