Freisa di Chieri Wine

Freisa di Chieri is a DOC of Piedmont in north-western Italy. It specializes in red wines made from Freisa grapes grown around the town of Chieri, and the title was granted in 1973. These are often sparkling wines, similar in style to Piedmont's most famous sparkling red, Brachetto d'Acqui. A town of approximately 35,000 people, Chieri lies just south-east of the regional capital Turin (Torino), from which it is separated by a range of low, ridged hills that become the Monferrato hills further north-east.

The Freisa di Chieri title covers various interpretations of the grape: dry secco, sweet dolce, semi-sparkling frizzante and foaming spumante styles. There is also a superiore mention available to still, dry forms of Freisa di Chieri, on the condition that they be aged for at least 12 months prior to commercial release, six months of which must be spent in oak barrels. All these styles are relatively high in natural acidity, and all demonstrate the strawberry and raspberry aromas which characterize the Freisa grape.

Freisa seems to be rather a polarizing variety. It repels many who try it with its often-overbearing tannins, bitter finish and the residual sugar so often used in an attempt to counter these effects, while others find these qualities enticing. Those who like sweet, strawberry-scented Brachetto and tannic, petulant Nebbiolo are probably Freisa's main fans.

All wines made under the title must comprise at least 90% Freisa (believed to be a relation of Piedmont's star red variety Nebbiolo). Although much less common today, at the end of the 19th century Freisa was the most widely planted grape variety in the Torino province. Its strong resistance to disease and mildew should theoretically still make it very popular in the vineyards, but the Piedmontese vignerons (like their equivalents in Burgundy, to whom they are so often compared) seem to like a challenge.

The Chieri DOC catchment area spreads eastwards from Chieri town into the surrounding countryside, where it eventually shares its boundary with the western limits of another Freisa DOC, Freisa d'Asti. The other communes covered are Pecetto, Pino, Pavarolo, Baldissero, Montaldo, Mombello, Andezeno, Arignano, Moriondo, Marentino and Riva presso Chieri. Parts of eastern Turin are also covered. The terrain here is mostly flat, particularly by Piedmont standards, especially in the south around Riva presso Chieri. It undulates gently between 850ft and 1000ft (260m and 305m), in stark contrast to the dramatic alpine skyline which arcs around it to the south, west and north and the rippling Monferrato hills to the east.