Time for a glass of wine

Down in the valley, in the hills area of villages/wine zones in northeastern Piedmont, called Gattinara, flourishes the nebbiolo grape.Whereas the vastly more famous Barolo and Barbaresco wine zones are located in Piedmont’s southeastern corner, Gattinara anchors the so called “northern nebbiolo” territory, which extends roughly from Torino to Lago Maggiore.
Gattinara wines, as well as those of the other well-known northernappellations, such as Carema, Ghemme, and Fara, are typically based on nebbiolo but incorporate other weird northern Piedmont varieties such as uva rara, vespolina, and bonarda.
Gattinara undergoes an aging regimen similar to that of Barolo; it is aged a minimum of three years before release, with a minimum of one of those years in wood (Barolo spends two of its minimum three years in wood).
And, like Barolo, a good Gattinara is all about the heady, rosy perfume of nebbiolo. Generally speaking Gattinara wines are a little higher in acid and a little leaner than heir southeastern cousins, but I've had many a Gattinara wine that can rival Barolo in depth and complexity.