Canavese is a white wine-specific DOC of Piedmont, in north-western Italy. It covers an area of respectable size, incorporating the Carema and Erbaluce di Caluso viticultural zones. Since its inception in 1996, the Canavese title has neatly filled the gaps between the (often sweet) white Erbaluce wines of Caluso and the tannic, fruity Nebbiolo of Carema.
Although Canavese wines are made from vines grown more than 60 miles (100km) north of those which make quintessential Piedmont wines (Barolo, Barbaresco, Asti and Gavi), they are no less Piedmontese; they simply represent the less-serious side of the region's vinous personality. If there were a trace of any other region in these wines, it would be from the Aosta Valley, whose Donnas DOC lies just across the regional border to the north.
Where Canavese Bianco is made from 100% Erbaluce (an indigenous white variety widely planted in this area), Canavese Rosso is made from a 60% base blend of any combination of Nebbiolo, Barbera, Bonarda, Freisa and the local obscurity Neretto.
