A Language Lesson in Roero Wines – Drink In Life

A Postcard Diary from Roero: Part Two

In Italy, language and landscape share a secret vocabulary. Dialects shift from valley to valley, shaped by history, migration, and the intonation of daily life. The wines are much the same. In Roero, the grapes have their own lingo, learned from sand, sun and the patient tutelage of the seasons. The vines speak in voices as distinct as neighboring villages, each revealing the vernacular of this corner of Piedmont in their own fluent way.

If you listen closely, you might hear a little argument between the two local dialects, Arneis and Nebbiolo, each convinced it captures the truest accent of the land. Listening closely helps you appreciate that wine, like language, belongs to a specific place, and that every sip can become a small lesson in translation.

This article is a continuation of my Postcard Diary from Roero series, and part of the Sip & Savor: Pairing European Wines and Deli Meats study trip that I took last month. I’ll explore the language lesson of Roero wines, discovering how the region’s two most important varietals, Arneis and Nebbiolo, each speak with their own inflection of Roero’s terrior, and how the Consorzio Tutela del Roero give those voices a stage.

If you missed the first feature, begin here, An Invitation to Roero: Discovering Piedmont’s Hidden Heart, to trace how this journey through Roero unfolded.

Learning Roero’s Wine Language

Grasping the essence of the wines made in a place like Roero takes time. Each day I was there peeled back another layer: a conversation with a local producer, new vintages tasted, even how a meal revealed a side of the wines that I hadn’t met before. Together these experiences began to sketch a bigger portrait of the wines from Roero. By the third day, I had begun to understand the region a little more, but as in all things, there was still much to learn about both Roero’s people and its wines.

That morning brought a chance to listen more closely and dive a little deeper. The Consorzio Tutela del Roero had arranged a tasting for our group, a Masterclass devoted to Arneis and Nebbiolo. In many ways, it felt like a language class, an invitation to learn how these grapes speak and what they’re trying to say. A wine masterclass, especially within a region, is a guided tasting led by those who know the land from the inside out, a way to understand how geology, climate, and tradition find their way into every bottle.

Sessions like this helps me find my footing in a wine region. They tie together the individual moments of the trip, the growers, the vineyards, and the specific details into a clearer picture of why the wines taste unmistakably of their region. During the first couple of days, I had listened to producers share fragments of their stories and began to form a kind of phonology, the sounds and contrasts that define the language of these wines.

This class, however, was the point where I stopped collecting impressions and began to recognize Roero for what it is: a place with its own linguaggio del vino, un linguaggio che si comprende meglio attraverso il gusto e il tempo — a language best understood through taste and time.

So let me share a little of what I learned that morning, how Arneis and Nebbiolo each revealed their side of the conversation, and how, together, they tell the narrative of a place that often speaks in hushed tones, but with remarkable depth.

The Collective Voice of a Region

To understand how a region like Roero tells its story, it helps to first understand the storytellers themselves. Across Italy, a Consorzio exists to protect and promote the identity of its wines. Each one represents a specific and legally defined origin under the DOC or DOCG system, ensuring that what ends up in the glass remains inseparable from the land it was born from. Think of it as both guardian and narrator, part rulebook and part chronicler.

Beyond the regulations lies something far more personal: a shared belief that wine should mirror its territorio, a word Italians use to describe not only the physical land but the people and traditions bound to it. A Consorzio brings these elements together into a single voice. It unites growers, winemakers, and families who have spent lifetimes learning how to listen to their vines. Together they form a lexicon that defines a specific place.

In Roero, that collective voice belongs to the Consorzio Tutela del Roero.

Founded in 2014, the Consorzio di Tutela Roero is dedicated to protecting and celebrating the identity of the entire Roero territory, its vineyards, growers, and traditions. While Arneis and Nebbiolo remain its most emblematic varietals, the Consorzio also represents the diverse range of grapes cultivated across the hills of Roero, including Favorita, Barbera, Dolcetto, and Brachetto, as well as small plantings of international varieties that reflect the region’s curiosity and adaptability.

Through collaboration between vine growers and winemakers, the Consorzio promotes all wines under the Roero DOCG and DOC designations, Roero Arneis, Roero Rosso, as well as other expressions that capture the land’s versatility. Its initiatives include educational tastings, technical seminars, and events in major cities that highlight not only the wines themselves but also the landscape and culture that shape them, a kind of alchemy between place and people.

At its essence, the mission is to safeguard the rules of origin while keeping the region’s identity alive and visible. These wines, like the people who craft them, speak in a dialect all their own, and the Consorzio serves as their interpreter, translating Roero’s complexity into something that sets it apart among other wines from the surrounding area.

Inside the Masterclass

To bring that mission to life, the Consorzio di Tutela Roero turns to one of its most powerful tools, education. Tastings, seminars, and masterclasses are how it transforms its philosophy into experience, allowing visitors and professionals alike to understand Roero not as an idea, but as a living, breathing place.

During the Masterclass held at the Consorzio’s office in Canale, led by Sommelier Andrea Dani, the conversation around Roero began to take shape. Each glass poured revealed another small piece of how this landscape defines its wines. What had felt abstract over the past few days, sand, fossils, and riverbeds, suddenly became tangible. Those details had texture now, structure.

Roero’s grape-growing area is small, with approximately 1,100 hectares under vine. That modest scale can be both a strength and a challenge for the region, especially since it sits in the shadow of its famous neighbors, Barolo and Barbaresco. The Roero appellation, officially recognized as a DOCG in 2004, covers about 1,150 hectares of vineyards, the majority planted to Arneis and the rest to Nebbiolo. Together they produce around seven million bottles each year, with just over sixty percent exported beyond Italy. For a region of this size, that reach says a great deal about Roero’s growing reputation.

To truly appreciate the distinction of Roero’s terroir, you need more than tasting notes. You need to understand the soil science, weather patterns, altitude, and most importantly, the patience and craftwork of the winemaker.

As the class went on, the glasses in front of me began to look less like a tasting lineup and more like a map, each one tracing a small corner of the region with its own tone and inflection. Together, they seemed to sketch Roero’s topography.

I learned that while Nebbiolo is widespread throughout other renowned Alpine areas, Arneis is a native variety that perfectly represents this corner of Piedmont, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Image Credit-Map of Roero MGA- Consorzio tutela Roero

With each bottle, Andrea showcased a different winery within Roero’s patchwork of subzones, beginning with Arneis to illustrate the expression of the northern hills before shifting to Nebbiolo from the southern ridges. He highlighted how variations in sand, marl, and limestone shape both aroma and structure, proving that terroir along with technique, equally define the wines identity here.

By the end of the class, I was beginning to hear the ongoing dialogue between Arneis and Nebbiolo, and how each expresses this landscape in its own way. Because ultimately, understanding them is the key to understanding Roero itself.

Arneis: The Subtle Accent of Roero

Arneis is one of those grapes that reminds you how deeply history can sleep before someone decides to wake it. Historical records from the 15th century mention Reneysium or Ornesium in vineyards described as “moscatelli et renexij,” early evidence of its long-standing presence in Roero. For centuries it lived in the background, playing a supporting role beside Nebbiolo—planted to lure birds from the ripening red grapes or blended in small amounts to soften Nebbiolo’s structure.

By the mid-20th century, Arneis had nearly vanished, surviving only in scattered rows until a handful of producers began its revival. Alfredo Currado of Vietti was among the first, committing in 1967 to buy every Arneis grape local farmers could supply, sparking renewed planting across the hills. From that act of faith, the variety’s rehabilitation took root, earning DOC status in 1985 and DOCG recognition in 2004.

Today, Roero Arneis stands among Piedmont’s most respected white wines—proof that innovation and tradition can coexist in the same glass, and that sometimes a land’s truest voice is the one that had been silent the longest.

Long regarded as a local treasure and largely consumed within Piedmont, Arneis is now finding admirers far beyond Italy’s borders. The name, meaning “little rascal” in the Piemontese dialect, is a fitting description for a grape known for its temperament. Arneis can be difficult to manage in the vineyard, prone to mildew and quick to lose acidity if left too long on the vine. The most patient producers grow it, and their dedication is rewarded with wines of freshness and depth.

The grape thrives in Roero’s sandy and calcareous soils, where layers of marine fossils remind you that this land was once sea. These well-drained, mineral-rich soils limit vigor and push the vines to search deep for water, concentrating flavor and structure in the fruit. Warm days promote ripeness while cooler nights at higher elevations help preserve acidity and balance.

Once nearly forgotten, it has returned as one of Piedmont’s defining white varieties and a true reflection of the region’s resilience and craft.

The Masterclass made something very clear: Arneis is far more than a simple “quaffing white.” In the glass, it shows depth, texture, and a natural transparency to place.

Arneis can also be made into a Riserva version, aged for a minimum of sixteen months, and a Spumante style with at least 11.5% alcohol, signs of just how versatile and expressive this grape can be.

As we tasted through several examples side by side, the differences were striking. One wine from a steep, sandy slope carried a distinct, almost saline austerity; another from clay-rich soils felt silkier, more rounded.

At one point the wines stopped being sensory objects and became something else, geographic ambassadors, each telling the story of where it was grown.

Roero Arneis DOCG is also one of those wines that seems to make everything on the table taste a little livelier. I loved it with many of the European cured meats that we tasted during the trip, these kinds of easy aperitif often set the pace for the amazing meals that followed.

It also pairs beautifully with lighter dishes like delicate appetizers, white meats, and the fresh local cheeses found throughout Piedmont. There’s also a natural link to the region’s sweeter ingredients, like a drizzle of honey, a few slices of pear, or a handful of roasted hazelnuts. Together they tell the story of Roero in the simplest, most delicious way.

Roasted pearl eggplant with grilled tomato cream and scamorza cheese fondue at Ristorante Le Scuderie in Govone.

If you enjoy wines like Pinot Gris or Vermentino, you might find a familiar thread in Arneis, yet drinking it teaches you far more about Roero than comparison ever could. Like those grapes, Arneis has a smooth texture and a brightness that feels effortless, more about balance than intensity. Across Roero, styles vary, some lean crisp and lively, others rounder and more textured, but each holds the same subtle precision that makes the wine so easy to reach for in any season. I appreciate how Roero Arneis carries a kind of soft-spoken confidence, yet every sip speaks clearly of its birthplace.

Nebbiolo: The Red Soul of Roero

Nebbiolo is often introduced as the grape behind Barolo and Barbaresco, but in Roero it tells a more intimate tale. Its story in Piedmont runs deep. Nebbiolo appears in documents as early as the 13th century and was already known in Roero by the 14th, evolving through centuries from sweet and rustic to the refined dry reds we know today.

The name itself comes from nebbia, meaning fog, a nod to the mists that drift through these hills during harvest, smoothing the edges of both landscape and wine.

Nebbiolo thrives in the Roero hills northwest of Alba. From a distance, the slopes look serene, rows of vines tracing the light, sandy soils of the Tanaro’s left bank, but up close, it’s a constant negotiation between nature and fortitude. This side of the river lives a little in the shadow of the Alps’ snowy outline, a reminder that beauty here often comes with extremes.

About 1,180 hectares are planted across the area between Bra and Govone, edging toward the Asti border. The climate is famously dry, with hot summers and cold winters that test both vines and growers. July and August often climb above eighty degrees Fahrenheit, and rain is a luxury seldom granted. When it does arrive, it’s as likely to come in the form of a thunderstorm—or worse, hail. Yet these conditions, challenging as they are, shape Nebbiolo’s elegance. Here, the vines dig deep, the fruit stays fragrant, and the wines carry a clarity that feels unmistakably tied to this landscape.

Under DOCG rules, Roero Rosso must contain at least ninety-five percent Nebbiolo, though most producers use nothing else. The wine must age twenty months before release, including six in wood, while Riserva wines wait at least thirty-two. Historically, a whisper of Arneis might have found its way into the blend to lift perfume and soften edges, a practice now more nostalgic than necessary.

Winemaking styles vary widely. Many producers favor stainless steel and shorter macerations to highlight fruit and avoid over-extraction, giving their wines lift and immediacy. Others lean toward oak, embracing a firmer structure and a little wood spice for company.

Either way, Roero’s version of Nebbiolo speaks with its own accent, familiar in tone, but distinct enough to make you listen twice.

During the Nebbiolo tasting of the class, I began to grasp more fully the discipline required to craft this wine. The wines unfolded with gentler tannins, yet beneath that suppleness was a quiet determination to convey identity, a quality that feels distinctly Roero. What struck me most was how texture replaced power, how restraint emerged as its own form of confidence. Some glasses opened with generous fruit, others spoke in lower tones, inviting attention through nuance rather than weight. Each revealed a different interpretation of the same dialogue, winemakers articulating Roero’s landscape and temperament through their individual vision of Nebbiolo.

Nebbiolo from Roero feels instinctively suited to the table. Its balance and structure make it a graceful partner for food, complementing rather than competing.

It pairs beautifully with red meats, mushroom dishes, and aged cheeses, the kind of foods meant for long meals and good company.

Pasta with fresh shaved black truffles at Andar per Tartufi.

If you are drawn to wines like Sangiovese or Pinot Noir, you may find something familiar in Nebbiolo from Roero. All three share a kind of varietal honesty, medium in body, high in acidity, and shaped more by where they’re grown than by winemaking technique. Roero’s version stands out for its balance and approachability, with tannins that feel integrated rather than dominant and a brightness that keeps the wine lively even as it ages. I love that Roero Nebbiolo doesn’t announce itself with power, instead it earns attention through balance.

The Conversation Continues at Home

You don’t need a tasting classroom or vineyard view to begin understanding Roero. All it really takes is curiosity, a few good bottles, and a table set for discovery.

There’s a nice selection of Roero wines available on Wine.com (and for transparency, I receive no compensation for sharing this link; it’s simply a helpful starting point), making it easy to begin your own introduction. Order two bottles of Roero Arneis and two of Roero Nebbiolo, if possible, from different producers or vintages. To deepen the experience, include a Barolo or Barbaresco as a point of comparison. My recommendations, if they are still available, are in the image below.

Once your wines arrive, think of this as a small geography lesson told through taste. Start with Arneis and notice how it feels more than how it smells. Does it move lightly across the palate or linger? Then move to Nebbiolo, paying attention to the mouthfeel, is it grippy or velvety? Taste a Roero next to a Barolo or Barbaresco and let the contrasts reveal themselves. There’s no need to name aromas and flavors; let observation replace description.

As you sample them, consider pairing the wines with something that feels true to Piedmont: a simple risotto with Parmigiano, roasted hazelnuts, mushroom crostini, or handmade tajarin pasta with butter and sage.

As you sip them, ask yourself questions like:

• Which of these wines feels most like your own personality, and why?
• If you could share one of these wines with a friend, who would it be, and what would you want them to notice?
• Which wine would you return to on a quiet evening and why?
• What emotions, memories, or places do these wines bring to mind?
• Which wine leaves you curious for another glass, and which one feels complete after just one?

Often when I taste a wine, especially for the first time, I ask myself where it belongs in my life. What music, book, or meal would feel at home beside this glass? How does it change as I spend time with it, does it open up, soften, or reveal something unexpected? And if I had to capture the feeling it leaves behind in just a few words, what would they be?

These are the quiet questions that tell me as much about my own palate as they do about the wine itself.

A side-by-side comparison of a region’s wines at home isn’t about training your palate; it’s about awakening your curiosity. With each pour, you’re not just learning about Roero, you’re joining in the conversation. The best discoveries often arrive between sips with the hope that you can say, “I think I finally understand what makes this place special.”

The Voices of Roero

When my time in Roero came to a close, I realized that to tell this region’s story, I needed to give its wines a voice of their own, a language that sets them apart from the broader chorus of Piedmont.

I hope I’ve managed to share a glimpse of that story with you; enough to spark your interest about Roero and the wines shaped by its hills, its people, and its unhurried way of life.

There’s more to come as I turn to the producers, restaurants, and artisans who carry this region’s way of life into every glass and every meal. The voices of Roero continue to speak, each adding their own chapter, and I hope you’ll return to listen as the story continues to unfold. Alla prossima—until next time.

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