Pinerolese is a DOC of north-western Italy's Piedmont wine region. Created in September 1996 and reviewed just five months later, the title covers red and rose wines from the far west of Piedmont. The specific area centers around Pinerolo, a small town at the very foot of the Cottian Alps. Like Saluzzo, 20 miles (32km) to the south, Pinerolo once held an important strategic position as one of the alpine 'gateways' between France and Italy. During the Middle Ages the town was occupied or owned by the French on several occasions; Piedmont's land was a valuable prize for ambitious French nobles. There are echoes of French culture in local life even today, most visibly through the Doux d'Henry wines made in Pinerolese from the eponymous grape variety.
The Pinerolese portfolio is not limited to a standard rosso (red) and a rosato (rose), but also a number of varietals based on the grapes which have proved most successful in the local terroir. The rosso and rosato are made from Piedmont's two most popular and successful varieties, Barbera and Nebbiolo, accompanied by two less-famous varieties which hark back to a Piedmont of days gone by. The first of these is the near-extinct Bonarda Piedmontese, an aromatic variety not to be confused with other varieties which also go by this name. The second is Neretto, an obscure local red variety almost entirely unheard of outside Piedmont. Combined or individually, grapes of these four varieties must make up at least 50% of any Pinerolese wine. The varietals made under this DOC must contain at least 85% of the variety stated on the label. Those singled out for this honor are all red grapes: Barbera, Bonarda, Freisa, Dolcetto and Doux d'Henry.
The climate around Pinerolo is inevitably cool, being at the foot of the Alps and at an altitude which varies between 1000ft and 2000ft (305m and 610m). This results in an extended ripening period and fresher, crisper wine styles that are less rounded but more refreshing than the bolder styles from Piedmont's south. The soils here are largely made up of alluvial and colluvial sediments brought down from the peaks above. This results in a relatively rich mineral make-up and loose, free-draining structure.
