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📍 Alto Piemonte

Wine region ✔ Checked: 10.2026 · sources: 4 Updated:

A northern zone around Gattinara and Ghemme.

Alto Piemonte is the northern wine zone of Piedmont in Italy, at the foot of the Alps. It lies north of the famous Langhe, where Barolo and Barbaresco are made. Here Nebbiolo, called Spanna locally, is grown together with local varieties such as Vespolina and Erbaluce.

The best-known names are Gattinara and Ghemme, along with Boca, Fara, Lessona, Sizzano, Bramaterra, Colline Novaresi, Coste della Sesia and Valli Ossolane. The soils are volcanic and marine, acidic and poor. The climate is cooler than in the Langhe, and nights are cold.

Once Alto Piemonte was a large wine zone with tens of thousands of hectares. Then many vineyards disappeared because of disease, wars and people leaving for the cities. Today the zone is reviving: young winemakers are returning to old slopes and making wines with bright acidity and a mineral taste.

Alto Piemonte belongs to Piedmont and to the wine of Italy. The wines here are more restrained than in the Langhe and are prized by connoisseurs. Alcohol is for adults.

kind of📍Piedmontin region📜Bramaterrain region📜Colline Novaresiin region📜Coste della Sesiain region📜Farain region📜Lessonain region📜Valli Ossolanein region📜Gattinarain region📜Ghemmein region📜Bocain region📜Sizzanogrows in🍇Nebbiologrows in🍇Vespolinagrows in🍇Erbaluce📍towardia.com
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How it connects to Wine

📍 Alto Piemonte ← grows in ← 🍇 Nebbiolo → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine

Part of
📍 Piedmont
Appellations
📜 Bramaterra, 📜 Colline Novaresi, 📜 Coste della Sesia, 📜 Fara, 📜 Lessona, 📜 Valli Ossolane, 📜 Gattinara, 📜 Ghemme, 📜 Boca, 📜 Sizzano
Grapes
🍇 Nebbiolo, 🍇 Vespolina, 🍇 Erbaluce

Frequently asked questions

What is Alto Piemonte?

The northern wine zone of Piedmont at the foot of the Alps, making Gattinara and Ghemme from Nebbiolo.

What is Nebbiolo called in Alto Piemonte?

Spanna.

How is Alto Piemonte different from the Langhe?

The climate is cooler, the soils volcanic, and the wines are usually more austere and mineral.

What to read next

  • 📜 Gattinara — A red from Nebbiolo in northern Piedmont, at the foot of the Alps.
  • 📜 Boca — A small appellation in northern Piedmont with red wines from Nebbiolo.
  • 📜 Fara — A tiny area in the province of Novara, red wines based on Nebbiolo.
  • 📜 Lessona — A tiny zone near Biella in northern Piedmont making elegant Nebbiolo wines.
  • 📜 Ghemme — A Nebbiolo red from the hills by the Sesia River, opposite Gattinara.

Sources

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