Roero DOCG

Roero lies in the province of Cuneo, north of Alba on the left bank of the Tanaro, between the Carmagnola plain and the low hills of the Asti area. The DOCG zone takes in the whole administrative territory of Canale, Corneliano d'Alba, Piobesi d'Alba and Vezza d'Alba, together with parts of Baldissero d'Alba, Castagnito, Castellinaldo, Govone, Guarene, Magliano Alfieri, Montà, Montaldo Roero, Monteu Roero, Monticello d'Alba, Pocapaglia, Priocca, Santa Vittoria d'Alba, Santo Stefano Roero and Sommariva Perno. In all, the territory spans 19 communes on the orographic left of the Tanaro. The Rocche, steep escarpments that cut across the territory from south-west to north-east, from Pocapaglia to Montà, are one of the defining features of the landscape, dividing continental soils of river gravels and clays from soils of marine origin. Their formation is tied to the geological phenomenon known as the "cattura del Tanaro", a change in the river's course caused by a movement of the earth's crust. Only hillside vineyards at altitudes no higher than 400 metres belong to the DOCG; valley-floor, flat, damp and insufficiently sunny land is excluded. In June 2014 the wine landscapes of Roero, with those of Langhe and Monferrato, were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

• 19 communes on the left bank of the Tanaro, province of Cuneo: 4 wholly inside the zone and 15 in part
• Wholly included: Canale, Corneliano d'Alba, Piobesi d'Alba, Vezza d'Alba
• Hillside vineyards only, at no more than 400 metres; valley-floor, flat and damp land excluded
• The Rocche: steep escarpments from Pocapaglia to Montà that divide continental soils from marine ones

The geological evolution of Roero produced alternating layers of sand, clay and limestone, mixed differently from zone to zone, and its soils derive from layers deposited on the crystalline floor of an ancient inland sea later called the Golfo Padano. Broadly, the soil is marly-sandstone, with sandstone prevailing and a good content of limestone, clay and sand, the sand making the ground loose, soft and highly permeable. The soils change in sequence from north-west to south-east: sand-rich, low-limestone soils along the Rocche at around 350 metres and above; older, fossil-rich marine sands further east; a Pliocene matrix merging with a grey-blue, more calcareous and clay-rich silty layer in the central part; and, closest to the Tanaro, cold soils of clay mixed with gypsum banks and Marne di S. Agata Fossili, more compact ground similar to that of the Langa. Soil shapes style: where sand dominates the wines tend to be fresh and elegant with subtle aromas, clay influences colour, and limestone aromatic finesse. Writing for Decanter in June 2025, Michaela Morris said Roero's "predominantly sandy soil lends itself to a lighter, more elegant rendering of Nebbiolo". Arneis on the same sandy substrate makes dry whites whose typical aromas and flavours run to almond, peach, pear and chamomile, and Vietti describes its own Roero Arneis as medium-bodied with fresh acidity.

• Alternating layers of sand, clay and limestone laid down on the floor of an ancient inland sea, the Golfo Padano
• Soil sequence from north-west to south-east: sand-rich soils along the Rocche, older fossil-rich marine sands further east, a calcareous and clay-rich silty layer in the centre, clay and S. Agata Fossili marls near the Tanaro
• More sand gives fresh, elegant wines with subtle aromas; clay influences colour; limestone aromatic finesse
• Arneis aromas and flavours: white flowers, chamomile, peach, pear, apricot, citrus, almond

Red Roero and Roero riserva must come from at least 95% Nebbiolo, with up to 5% of non-aromatic red varieties suitable for cultivation in Piemonte, and white Roero or Roero Arneis, including riserva and spumante, from at least 95% Arneis with up to 5% of non-aromatic white varieties. In practice Roero is pure Nebbiolo in almost all cases, and Roero Arneis is usually pure Arneis. Ageing runs from 1 November of the harvest year: red Roero needs 20 months including 6 in wood and may be released from 1 July of the second year after harvest, and Roero riserva needs 32 months including 6 in wood, with release from 1 July of the third year. White Roero with an additional geographical mention needs 4 months, with release from 1 March of the following year, and Roero Arneis riserva 16 months, with release from 1 March of the second year. Maximum grape yields are 8 t/ha for the red and 10 t/ha for the white; north-facing slopes are excluded for the red, while Arneis may also be grown facing north. The spumante may range from brut nature to dolce. The first written traces of Arneis date from between the late 1400s and the early 1500s, including a vineyard called "moscatelli et renexij" that refers to today's Renesio in Canale, and in the 1700s Arneis was vinified mainly sweet or as vermouth. In the 1900s it was grown as a table grape and planted beside Nebbiolo to attract birds, hence the name "nebbiolo bianco"; only in the 1970s, when little more than ten hectares remained, were vineyards dedicated wholly to Arneis rebuilt, and some producers began to make it dry. Vietti dates "The very first bottle of Roero Arneis in purity" to 1967.

• Roero (red): minimum 95% Nebbiolo; 20 months' ageing including 6 in wood; release from 1 July of the second year after harvest
• Roero riserva (red): 32 months including 6 in wood; release from 1 July of the third year after harvest
• Roero Arneis: minimum 95% Arneis, as still wine, riserva (16 months) or spumante (brut nature to dolce)
• Arneis history: written traces from the late 1400s, little more than ten hectares before 1970s replanting; Vietti dates its first pure Roero Arneis bottle to 1967

Vietti, based at Castiglione Falletto in the Langhe, makes its Roero Arneis from limestone- and clay-rich vineyards in Santo Stefano Roero. Luciana Vietti and her husband Alfredo Currado brought new ideas to the estate from the late 1950s, and the Krause family bought the winery in 2016. Matteo Correggia's Roero wines include a Roero Riserva Ròche d'Ampsèj, a Roero riserva La Val dei Preti and a Roero Arneis La Val dei Preti. Giovanni Almondo in Montà is a family winery born in 1978 with 12 hectares of Arneis and 3 of Nebbiolo; its Roero Bric Valdiana comes from the MGA of the same name, a vineyard on a mainly sandy soil in the southern area of Montà d'Alba, and is the estate's only wine to carry an MGA name on the label. Malvirà, in Canale, bottles Roero Arneis from the Renesio and S.S. Trinità MGAs and Roero Riserva from Mombeltramo, Renesio and S.S. Trinità. Taking account of traditional production, Roero may also be vinified in Langhe communes including Barolo, Barbaresco, Castiglione Falletto, La Morra and Serralunga d'Alba.

• Vietti: Roero Arneis from Santo Stefano Roero; the estate dates its first pure Roero Arneis bottle to 1967
• Matteo Correggia: Roero Riserva Ròche d'Ampsèj and Roero Arneis La Val dei Preti
• Giovanni Almondo (Montà): Roero Bric Valdiana, a Nebbiolo from the MGA of the same name
• Malvirà (Canale): Roero Arneis and Roero Riserva from the Renesio, S.S. Trinità and Mombeltramo MGAs

Primary sources (MASAF, the Consorzio di Tutela Roero, and producers' own sites): https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252F2%252F3%252FD.8ccd09a077f2ec35dc9b/P/BLOB%3AID%3D4625/E/7z?mode=download, https://www.consorziodelroero.it/il-territorio/, https://www.consorziodelroero.it/geologia-e-clima/, https://www.consorziodelroero.it/vitigni/, https://www.consorziodelroero.it/storia/, https://www.consorziodelroero.it/tipologie/, https://www.consorziodelroero.it/la-viticoltura/, https://www.consorziodelroero.it/paesaggio/, https://www.consorziodelroero.it/i-winetour-tra-i-cru-del-roero/winetour-1-i-cru-dove-ebbe-origine-larneis/, https://www.consorziodelroero.it/en/producers/malvira/, https://www.consorziodelroero.it/en/producers/almondo/, https://www.vietti.com/en/our-values/our-story, https://www.vietti.com/en/wines/roero-arneis, https://giovannialmondo.com/en/prodotto/roero-docg-bric-valdiana-eng/, https://www.matteocorreggia.com/vini-del-roero/. Secondary sources: https://italianwinecentral.com/denomination/roero-docg/, https://italianwinecentral.com/variety/arneis/, https://www.decanter.com/premium/langhe-nebbiolo-and-nebbiolo-dalba-these-25-bottles-prove-its-not-all-about-barolo-555834/. Last verified 2026-10-05