Coste della Sesia is a DOC covering red, white and rose wines from the hills just east of Biella, in Piedmont, north-western Italy. Its catchment area overlaps almost exactly with the combined area of the Gattinara, Lessona and Bramaterra DOCs, the three Nebbiolo specialists of northern Piedmont. The Coste delle Sesia title provides an alternative to these more restrictive, style-specific titles, and offers local winemakers a little more freedom in the wine styles they make. Most significant among these freedoms is the right to use grape varieties other than Nebbiolo, which can be rather challenging both in the vineyard and on the palate.
The most common form of Coste della Sesia wine is the standard rosso (red) wine, made from a base of Nebbiolo, Bonarda, Vespolina, Croatina and Barbera. These varieties can be used individually, provided they make up the 50% minimum proportion required under the DOC laws. The rosato (rose) wines are based on the same blend.
White Coste della Sesia Bianco is less common than the red form, but equally interesting. It is made almost entirely from Erbaluce, one of a handful of white grape varieties native to Piedmont. Erbaluce is perhaps best known for its role in the sweet wines of Erbaluce di Caluso.
The communes covered by the Coste della Sesia DOC are divided between the Vercelli and Biella provinces. They are Gattinara, Lessona, Roasio, Lozzolo, Serravalle Sesia, Masserano, Brusnengo, Curino, Villa del Bosco, Sostegno, Cossato, Mottalciata, Candelo, Quaregna, Cerreto Castello, Valdengo and Vigliano Bielleseall.
