Piedmont
Taste through 15 Piedmont wines with your host, and Master of Wine, Brendan Jansen.
Monday 23 June
Session 6: Piedmont: Nebbiolo, Barbera & Gavi
Hosted By Brendan Jansen MW
Masterclass: 6-8pm, 15 Wines & Substantial Canapes $115
(Only 14 seats available - private dining room event)
The Burgundy of Italy?
“Piedmont is sometimes described as Italy’s answer to Burgundy, but producers’ masterful work with Nebbiolo in the Langhe hills deserves its own plinth.”
- Chris Mercer, Decanter (2025)
Decanter on Piedmont continued…
The Piedmont wine region is situated in north-eastern Italy. The alps form a prominent backdrop here, bordering the region to the north and west. It’s a hilly region that’s renowned for its fog (or ‘nebbia’, from which the grape variety took its name).
Piedmont’s vineyards in Barolo and Barbaresco have been the subject of intense analysis, and in 2010 the Consorzio approved the MGAs laid out by cartographer Alessandro Masnaghetti, in consultation with many of the winemakers.
This pioneering work for the region delineates the best sites in much the same way as the Burgundian cru system.
The most famous grape variety of the region is the thick-skinned Nebbiolo, however other red varieties include Barbera and Dolcetto.
Muscat is used for Moscato d’Asti, Cortese for Gavi, and Arneis for the whites of Roero and beyond.
Creative tension between tradition and modernity has at times boiled over in Piedmont, as witnessed by the so-called ‘Barolo wars’.
Bartolo Mascarello’s famous ‘No barrique, No Berlusconi’ 1998-vintage label epitomised one traditionalist view, alongside a separate political stance.
‘Tensions have eased in recent years as prosperity and compromise have prevailed,’ wrote Tiziano Gaia for Decanter in 2019.
Piedmont’s climatic diversity and the rise of single-vineyard ‘cru’ wines, alongside prized multi-commune blends, have helped to foster comparisons with Burgundy – even though Nebbiolo differs stylistically to Pinot Noir.
While Barolo and Barbaresco sit atop Italy’s wine classification pyramid, with DOCG status, many top sites are further showcased via ‘MGAs’ – Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva.
There is no premier or grand cru hierarchy, but magic certainly happens when top producers and sites combine.
Meet the host…
Master of Wine: Brendan Jansen
Brendan Jansen MW is a specialist medical practitioner, and the development of his expertise in wine began with his involvement in tasting groups with colleagues. His love affair with wine was cemented when he lived in Italy for two years, during which time he developed an affinity for, and in-depth knowledge of, Italian wines. Brendan's passion is for wine education and appreciation, and this has inspired his MW journey. Tastings led by Brendan are fun and informative and involve a deeper exploration of the varieties and regions covered.
The Master of Wine qualification indicates that the title recipient has completed the toughest series of examinations on viticulture, wine making styles and techniques, all wine regions, and all pluses and minuses in the marketing of these wines on planet. Then added to this is the requirement for an extraordinary ability to discern the bouquet & flavour nuances caused by the factors above which indicate the wine’s variety, age, wine making techniques used, regions, quality, hygiene and seasonal variations.
The title MW is the greatest imprimatur or recognition that the wine world can give to its most able students. After 50 years of Master of Wine graduates there are just 2 in Western Australia and perhaps 24 in Australia.
The Wine List
First bracket
2023 Picollo Ernesto Gavi
2021 Linea Retta Gavi?
2022 ROCCHE COSTAMAGNA Arneis
2022 Prunotto Langhe Arneis
Second Bracket
2022 ROCCHE COSTAMAGNA Barbera d'Alba DOC
2021 La Spinetta Barbera d' Asti Superiore Ca di Pian 2021
2022 Lalù Barbera d'Alba
2021 Cavallotto Barbera d'Alba Vigna del Cuculo
Third Bracket
Massolino Dolcetto d'Alba
2017 Bruno Giacosa FALLETTO Dolcetto d'Alba
Fourth Bracket
2021 Prunotto Occhetti Langhe Nebbiolo
2022 Massolino Langhe Nebbiolo
2020 La Spinetta Monferrato Rosso "Pin"
2021 Cavallotto Langhe Nebbiolo
2020 Bruno Giacosa Nebbiolo d'Alba 'Vigna Valmaggiore'