Freisa is one of the oldest and most characterful red grapes of Piedmont, and Freisa d'Asti is its benchmark appellation. The area includes all the hill municipalities of the province of Asti, with the exception of Cellarengo and Villanova d'Asti: the same landscape of vineyards and villages that produces Barbera d'Asti and the wines of Monferrato.
Figures and rules
The DOC was recognised in 1972. Vineyards cover about 158 hectares, with an output of 4,510 hectolitres: a small appellation, tied to producers who believe in the grape. The regulations require at least 90% Freisa; 100% was mandatory until 2021. Minimum alcohol is 11%.
One wine, many styles
Freisa d'Asti comes in several versions. The Rosso may be still, lightly sparkling or sweet, following a farming tradition that loved slightly fizzy, medium-sweet reds to drink through the year. The Superiore is the more serious version: it ages for at least one year, six months of it in cask. Finally there is the Spumante.
In the glass Freisa is ruby red, with aromas of raspberry, strawberry and rose, sometimes a note of undergrowth. On the palate it is lively, with marked acidity and firm tannins, almost rough when young, which round out with age. In some ways it recalls Nebbiolo, to which it is genetically close.
Five centuries of history
The first records of Freisa date back to the early sixteenth century, in the customs registers of Pancalieri, where it appears among the taxed wines. In the late eighteenth century Count Nuvolone Pergamo described it among the finest Piedmontese grapes. In the late nineteenth century its resistance to downy mildew helped it spread, while the disease was devastating other varieties. Today it goes with cured meats, agnolotti, bollito misto and cheeses; the sweet version suits fruit and dry pastries.
