Roero Arneis & Roero: the wine of the other side of the Tannaro river
Posted on: 02-01-2019 om 08:11:42
| Karina Imschoot
Roero Arneis and Roero: the area along the Tanaro river in the spotlight
Roero Arneis
The Roero Arneis is an aristocratic wine with a complexity of scents that in recent centuries even justify the definition of white Nebbiolo with a straw yellow color, with greenish or golden reflections.
The aroma is soft and delicate, with a prevalence of peach and melon, aromas of dandelion and elderflower, with a finish of golden yellow apple.
The taste is full, warm and powerful, with a good sweet and sour balance and intense sensations of bread crust and honey; the aftertaste is long with an exuberance of acacia flowers, pineapple and citrus fruits. Characteristic is the bitter aftertaste.
The arneis vine, grown in the area of the Roero, from which it comes, has over the years been able to occupy an important space in a land of prestigious red wines.
The production rules of Roero Arneis docg, obtained from the vinification of Arneis grapes, stipulate that the wine, when released for consumption, has the following characteristics:
Colour: straw-coloured.
Odour: fine, fresh and with possible hints of wood.
Taste: elegant, harmonious and possibly tannic.
Minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 11% vol;
Minimum total acidity: 4,5 per thousand;
Minimum non-reducing extract: 15 g/l.
In addition to the Roero Arneis, the Roero region is also characterized by red wine, or Roero for short.
The Roero is an expression of Nebbiolo and bears the name of the region.
With seven centuries of historical evidence (the oldest mention of Nebbiolo in the Roero dates back to 1303), this wine is the standard bearer of viticulture in its territory.
Characteristics Roero
Delicacy, elegance and delicacy: these are the characteristics that the sandy soils of the Roero offer to develop a wine that is immediately interesting, but with large and harmonious bouquet with aging in the wine cellar.
The bouquet is intense, with notes of cherry, blackcurrant, blackberry and retro-olfactory sensations of hay and pepper.
The taste is warm, dry, with a hint of vanilla reminiscent of tobacco and leather. The tannin sensation is slightly exaggerated, with a raspberry jam finish.
The specification
On the orographic left side of the Tanaro, in a framework of steep hills , with ochre-yellow soils, lies the Roero, an area identified with a DOCG wine obtained from the grape variety Nebbiolo minimum 95% with the addition of other non-aromatic grapes, suitable for cultivation in the Piedmont region, up to a maximum of 5%. However, one can opt for 100% Roero.
The Roero wine, released for consumption from 1 July of the second year following the harvest of the grapes, has the following characteristics:
Colour: ruby red or garnet.
Aroma: Fruity, characteristic and with possible hints of wood.
Taste: Dry, full-bodied, harmonious and tannic.
Minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 12.5% vol;
Minimum total acidity: 4.5 per thousand;
Minimum non-reducing extract: 22 g/l.
In the case of the two - Roero and Roero Arneis - that accompany the development of the area to the left of the Tanaro, some important steps have been taken, such as 1985 when Roero red wine became DOC and 1989 when Roero Arneis achieved the same goal. Then there was 2004 when both became DOCG wines.
The harvest of 2018 will undoubtedly be another important milestone. In fact, the last modification of the specification of the designation has come into force worldwide, with some important changes. The most notable is undoubtedly the formalisation of the so-called additional geographical indications, which will henceforth enable producers to indicate on the label the most precise origin of their wine, be it Roero Arneis or Roero.
Another important innovation is the recognition of the Roero Arneis Riserva type, which makes it possible to accompany the Roero Arneis vintage, fresh and very fragrant, also a more structured type, possibly aged in wood and longer. The maturation period of the wine is affected, namely four months for the basic type (Arneis) with geographical indication and 16 months for the Arneis-Riserva. Each time this period is calculated from 1 November following the harvest.
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