Alpine Wines

Yesterday was a salute to Piedmonte, Italy where the new pope's family came from. The New York Times Dining section also welcomed Francis I with a salute to not only Piedmontese wines but to all Northern Italian wines of that area. These go well with almost everything kind of meal and are as different as the northern provinces.

Eric Asimov , who  writes  weekly for the The Pour, the weekly wine column, must have had a ball with the tasting. He got to try some of the Val' d'"Aosta's best fermentation's,.These can be strong tasting and smelling, their aromas with a large acetone odor (think opened nail polish bottle).He did enjoy the cornalon, made mostly in the Swiss Alps.Piedmonte also came in at number two with a nebbiola grape.

If you want a fruity wine then try the Maison Anselmet. A bit steeply priced at thirty dollars, it is bright with an earthy flavor.I can see this wine going well with the region's lighter cheeses.such as fontina (which is like Brie). There is also Fumin which is also bright and has a strong spiciness. If you want a drink that will match the area's hearty meals,. then try Rosso 2007,  which is a rich deep , almost ruby red wine. For funkiness try the licorice ENfer d:Anvier (translated roughly as the hell of Anvier which is a reference to how the sun hits the local vineyards.

The northwest regions of Italy produce the most interesting wines with different tastes and aromas. Try them this Spring. It's the flavor of Alpine vineyards.