While Piedmont's Langhe superstars Barolo and Barbaresco hog much of the spotlight, Nebbiolo grows and makes good - even great - wines under various aliases throughout Northwestern Italy. The wines may lack the muscle of Barolo and Barbaresco, but they make up for it in perfume, nervosity and delicacy.

Northern Piedmont: This region includes Gattinara, Ghemme, Bramaterra, Fara, Lessona, Sizzano and, of course, Boca. Nebbiolo (called Spanna here) is often blended with Vespolina and Uva Rara.

Carema: Also in northern Piedmont, but just southwest of those mentioned above. Carema sits in the shadows of Mt. Blanc and is on the border of the Valle d'Aosta region. Nebbiolo (here called Picoutener or Picotendro) grows at high altitudes in fantastically terraced vineyards rooted in poor stony soils. Compared to the wines from Gattinara, Lessona, Boca, etc., the wines of Carema are even more brisk and ethereal.

Valtellina: In Lombardia and bordering Switzerland, these vineyards reach over 2,000 feet. Nebbiolo (locally called Chiavennasca) can be blended with other grapes (Rossola, Pignola, Prugnolo and Pinot Nero). This is the most "nervous" Nebbiolo, full of flowers and sometimes subtle gamey notes. The four Crus are Sasella, Grumello, Inferno and Valgella, which may appear on labels. There's also a tradition of beefing up the region's light wine by drying grapes, Amarone-style; they call this Sforsato.

Donnas and Arnad-Montjovet: From the eastern section of Valle d'Aosta near Carema, these are light and crisp Nebbiolos (called Picoutener or Picotendro).

Lambrusco's acidity and bubbles make it the perfect complement to the rich, largely pork-based cuisine of Emilia-Romagna, which is generally considered some of Italy's best. The acidity, bubbles and low tannins make Lambrusco a great partner for cheeses and spicy Asian foods as well. Overall, it's very versatile at the table.

Commonly thought of as just one grape, Lambrusco actually refers to a great big family of similar varietals growing mainly in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, though there are also plantings in Lombardy and elsewhere. The vine originated in the wild before it was domesticated; it now boasts more than 60 strains, the most common being Sobara, Salamino (its grape bunches are said to look like salami,) and the red-stemmed Grasparossa. Sorbara is prized for it's lightness and elegance, while Grasparossa is the fullest and most powerful, and Salamino falls somewhere between the two.

Slightly more confusing, Lambrusco zones often share their names with their area's most common strain: In the area of Castelvetro it's Grasparossa, in Santa Croce it's the Salamino strain, and Sobara is associated with the plains north of Modena that surround a village of the same name. A fourth area, Lambrusco Reggiano, is home to a lot of bulk production and is extensively planted with high-yielding strains and Salamino.

Classic Lambrusco can be made either dry or amabile, which means off-dry or just slightly sweet. While typically red, there are both rosés and whites based on Lambrusco grapes as well.

The wines can be made sparkling through either the Charmat method (secondary fermentation takes place in a pressurized tank) or through the more traditional method where secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle.

The following is translated from the YouTube intervew with Teobaldo Cappellano. Translation provided by former Crush Employee Bill Shube.

We have one terrible defect here in the region, with regard to the social set-up. All of a sudden we have Estates. The estate had always been a very tiny thing in our region.

This is truly a way of life for us here, because [previoiusly] my competitor wouldn't have been a landholder, so I wouldn't have been a farmer-winemaker, so I've lost the aspect of democracy. It's absurd, because in dictatorship, it's as if there can be more democracy than in an area like that where everyone has a landlord. But my competitor is also my neighbor, because he'd come to help me with the harvest, out of his own goodness, and he'd profit from it, too.

As you know, finding truly great Pinot under $30 a bottle can be quite difficult - there's simply not enough juice to satisfy worldwide cravings.

As the quality/price ratio decreases in traditional regions like California, Burgundy and even Oregon, we are finding some of our favorite value Pinots in unexpected places like the Jura, Austria, and today, Italy.

My previous experiences with Italian Pinot have been from Tuscany, and most have been lackluster. So when I heard about Pinot being grown in the mountainous region of Valle d'Aosta, better known for its skiing, I was a more than a bit skeptical.

Nebbiolo, the grape used to make Italian Barolos and Barbarescos, can seduce wine drinkers almost as well as Pinot Noir. Unfortunately, the seduction rarely comes quickly or cheaply. If you look hard enough, however, you'll find wines like Ferrando "Etichetta Bianca" ("white label") 2001, a Nebbiolo from a small producer that is just spectacular.

Of all the wines I tasted this month, none met my criteria for a great wine as well as this one. The "Etichetta Bianca" is from a traditional family-run winery that makes its wines with love and care. It drinks beautifully now but will age gracefully for at least another seven years. Finally, the wine is exceptional for the price; it drinks like a $50 bottle.

Why the amazing quality for the price?

The Black Label
2007 Ferrando Carema Etichetta Nera
...My answer is: Carema." - Neal Rosenthal

If you think of the White Label as a Chambolle-Musigny - elegant feminine, eminently graceful, the Black Label is Bonnes Mares.

The Etichetta Nera (black label) is produced only in exceptional vintages. It sees a bit longer barrel aging, some of which is in new oak. In vintages when it’s produced, Ferrando makes only about 3,000 bottles of the black label. Maybe you can see where we're going...

The Grace of Mountain Nebbiolo
2007 Ferrando Carema Etichetta Bianca
"When I am asked which wine would I choose were I to be restricted to a single one, my answer is: Carema." -Neal Rosenthal

Carema is the product of backbreaking work on steep, terraced slopes in the margins of where grapes can properly ripen in the northern hemisphere.

The Rosenthal quote, above, really says something - this is a man, after all, who has Fourrier's Griotte at his fingertips.

But there's no denying that Ferrando's Carema is luminous, captivating, unique, something to cherish.

New Mountain Nebbiolo Find
2007 Antoniotti Bramaterra Rosso
From the Haunts of N. Piedmont, 100 Miles North of Barolo

Mountain Nebbiolo delivers something exceptional, something truly fascinating: a perfume, a steeliness, a clarity and detail that makes these red wines feel as though they share much with the world of white wines.

Wines from these parts always manage to lure us in, whether it's Ferrando's Carema or Ar Pe Pe's Valtellina wines, just to name a few peers in the category.

Monprivato Large-Format
2007 G. Mascarello Barolo Monprivato
The Only MAGNUMS & DOUBLE-MAGNUMS in the Country

"The 2007 Barolo Monprivato is flat-out stunning. Deep, powerfully layered and totally impeccable, the 2007 possesses marvelous class and harmony."
- Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate

On Monday, we sent out our offer for the 2007 Monprivato - a wine that Antonio Galloni basically serenaded with his review.

The Muse for the Mascarello Geeks
2004 G. Mascarello Barolo Villero
The Only Bottles Available in the U.S.

Mauro Mascarello is one of Piedmont's greats, a peer of Bruno Giacosa, Giacomo Conterno, Bartolo Mascarello. And while his Monprivato is the precious gem in the portfolio that everyone clamors for, his Barolo Villero hangs out more quietly, a bit unassumingly, yet undeniably beautifully...

The Villero seems content to be the muse for mostly the Mascarello geeks, at least in the U.S., where this bottling is rarely seen.