Blind tasting. Twenty people. Eight wines. A lot of curiosity. Last year, I led a game about wine based on a blind tasting: the participants couldn't see the labels and didn't know the type. In that case, the main goal was not to guess the grape varieties, regions of origin, and vintages, but to stimulate all the senses of the guests, encouraging them to listen to each other and discuss the wines.
One of the wines being tasted was a Fiano from the volcanic soils of Campania. It piqued the interest of a guest who asked me if there were other volcanic wines and where they could be found. Among the various countries and regions I mentioned, I also spoke of Piemonte. She looked at me incredulously: "But I've been to Piemonte, there are no volcanoes there!".
You were right. In Piemonte there are no volcanoes. So, how are the volcanic wines of Northwestern Italy born?
Many stories about European viticulture begin with the Romans. I'm afraid this time we'll have to go even further back in time, beyond the Roman Empire and further than what the time machine from "Back to the Future" can allow us.
Imagine the world 300 million years ago. It's not easy, I know: the Earth was a single continent, Pangea, and the first dinosaurs had not yet appeared. Let alone the Australopitheci! Now, let's move to the future northern Piemonte, still far from the birth of the stars of Barolo and Barbaresco. We are above Turin, between the Aosta Valley and Lombardy.
In this area, millions of years ago, there was a gigantic volcano: the Supervolcano of Sesia, a unique fossil volcano.
For millions of years, it remained active until a series of powerful eruptions led to its collapse, forming a massive caldera. And as a "classic" says: "With great power comes great responsibility."
Now let's jump forward in time by almost 200 million years. With the fragmentation of Pangaea and the drift of continents, the African plate collided with the European plate, raising the Alps. This titanic event brought to the surface the depths of the old volcano, revealing rocks that were once located more than 25 km beneath the Earth's crust.
Today, walking among the hills of Alto Piemonte, we can experience first-hand the traces of this ancient volcanic activity: soils rich in minerals that give the wines of the area a distinctive character.
These lands gift us wines made from nebbiolo that are completely different from the famous Langhe, or more precisely Barolo and Barbaresco.
Furthermore, here nebbiolo often does not work alone, but creates a team with its faithful allies, underrated native grape varieties.
And finally, let's go discover these volcanic wines.
The Alto Piemonte includes ten denominations, characterized by fairy-tale landscapes, often surrounded by forests and with views of Monte Rosa from various altitudes. As in fairy tales, each area has a unique advantage. Who has reaped the volcanic benefits?
"Here we are on the soils of the Supervolcano of Valsesia. It's an area characterized by volcanic rocks dating back 300 million years, which defines the area of Boca, Gattinara, and part of Bramaterra," says Anna Sertorio, owner of the Podere ai Valloni, pointing to a round red stone.
Anna and her husband run one of the few organic wineries in Boca, and their small team produces about 10,000 bottles a year. Looking closely at this rock, many different colors become noticeable. "They are rich in minerals of various kinds. Iron is the main one, followed by manganese and a lot of quartz," Anna continues. The soils of Boca are rich in volcanic porphyries, very ancient rocks that crumble when exposed to the elements.
Another peculiarity of Boca is its altitude: it reaches slightly higher elevations compared to its volcanic neighbors, Gattinara and Bramaterra, approaching 400 meters above sea level in some areas. Additionally, there is another advantage: the vineyards of Podere ai Valloni extend to the summit of the hill, with a privileged view of the majestic Monte Rosa.
Here the vines enjoy maximum sunlight exposure, while the cool breezes, even in summer, lower the temperature. A perfect balance that yields fresh, elegant, and incredibly deep wines.
Let's uncork the Boca DOC Vigna Cristiana 2015 from Podere Ai Valloni. In the last century, this denomination was at greater risk of extinction than any other in Alto Piemonte. By the late 1990s, Boca DOC had only 10 hectares of vineyards. By 2023, it expanded to about 27 hectares of vineyards in five municipalities: Boca, Maggiora (part), Cavallirio, Prato Sesia, and Grignasco. The main grape of Boca DOP is certainly Nebbiolo (from 70 to 90%), accompanied by Vespolina and Uva Rara.
Boca DOC Vigna Cristiana 2015 by Podere Ai Valloni is a blend of all three local grape varieties: 20% vespolina, 10% uva rara, 70% nebbiolo from the vineyard over 50 years old that surrounds the house. A complex and velvety wine, just as one would expect from a good nebbiolo. Fresh, refined, with a slight salty note on the finish and more "restrained" tannins compared to many nebbiolos of the same age from the more southern Piemonte. Only one thing is missing: a Fassona steak, the Piedmontese breed beef, low in fat but rich in flavor.
And what if we want to delve even deeper into the other Piemonte? Anna Sertorio offers us one of the only 900 bottles of "Péperi." In this case, the "field" is vespolina, while nebbiolo takes a back seat. The name of the wine refers to vespolina, "the most significant indigenous grape we have in Alto Piemonte," says Anna, who loves this grape variety. Vespolina "adds spice" to the wine (and also to life). Soft, young, silky, full of energy and charisma, with that delicate salty note: that's what vespolina is. Perhaps, for this very reason, it pairs so well with an intellectual and complex nebbiolo?
Even though "Péperi" is delicious on its own, I can't stop thinking about paniscia alla novarese, a traditional Piedmontese risotto with savoy cabbage and beans.
For a few minutes, we sit with Anna and her four-legged friend from the Pyrenees, admiring the sun reflecting in our glasses and on the smooth round red volcanic stone.
