Colline Novaresi DOC

Located in “Piedmont Nord” (Northern Piedmont), this appellation covers the hills in the province of Novara. It serves as a broad DOC designation for the area that also hosts the smaller, more specific DOCGs of Ghemme and Gattinara. The region is known for its distinct local synonym for the Nebbiolo grape: Spanna.

Grape Varieties The Colline Novaresi DOC allows for the production of both white and red wines using varieties native to Northern Piedmont:

• Nebbiolo (Spanna): While Nebbiolo is the noble grape of the region, Colline Novaresi regulations differ from the strict 100% requirement of Barolo and Barbaresco. Here, the wine requires a minimum of 85% Nebbiolo, allowing for blending. While capable of yielding very good wines, critics note they generally do not reach the “complexity and sheer majesty” of their Langhe counterparts.
• Erbaluce: This is the primary white grape of the DOC, which must be 100% Erbaluce. While the nearby Erbaluce di Caluso is more famous, Colline Novaresi Erbaluce (sometimes labeled simply as Bianco) can be “just as good,” though legally it cannot carry the “di Caluso” name.
• Vespolina: A native variety often used to add spice to Nebbiolo blends in Ghemme or Boca. When produced as a monovarietal wine, it is frequently bottled under the Colline Novaresi label.
• Croatina: A high-quality, tannic red variety that also finds a home in this DOC.
• Uva Rara & Barbera: These varieties are also permitted for use in Red and Rosé wines within the denomination.

The Critical Take Colline Novaresi serves as a crucial appellation for varietal wines that fall outside the specific requirements of the local DOCGs. It is particularly important for highlighting individual expressions of Vespolina and Croatina, which are often relegated to blending roles elsewhere. The Erbaluce produced here offers a viable alternative to Caluso, often showcasing the variety’s high acidity and suitability for both dry and sweet styles.

What Was Lost Here Alto Piemonte is the great vanished vineyard of Italy. Before phylloxera the hills of Novara and Vercelli carried something on the order of forty thousand hectares of vine and out-produced the Langhe; today the whole of northern Piedmont amounts to a few hundred. The vines were not killed by the louse alone. They were abandoned, as the textile mills of Biella and the factories of Milan drew a generation off the land in the decades after the war, and the terraces went back to scrub and birch. What is being replanted now is recovery, not continuity.

Benchmark Producers

• Rovellotti (Notable for Erbaluce, specifically the Bianco and Passito Valdenrico).
• Francesco Brigatti, Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo, and Torraccia del Piantavigna are noted as benchmark producers for Vespolina, which is often released under this or the Coste della Sesia designation