Alto Piemonte is home to a particular sort of wine that doesn't quite exist anywhere else. The vineyards of the large Canavese region are carved onto the eaves of the Alps around the city of Ivria at the mouth of the Valle d’Aoste. This is Nebbiolo country, but where southern Piedmont traditionally makes structured, brooding Nebbiolo, here the wine is as bright as sunlight on a snow capped mountain. The Ferrando family are perhaps the most important winemakers this side of Barolo, responsible for saving the legendary wines of  Carema from total obscurity. While their soaring Carema both deserves and commands prices similar to superb Barolo, they also produce this charming blend: 65% Nebbiolo, 30% Barbera, and 5% Neretta, picked early and vinified gently to make wine that walks the line between liquid and gaseous states, giving aromas of red clay, red cherries, red cranberries, red roses, red peppercorns and red vines. The palate is crisp, clear, and seamless with surprising weight and packed to the rim with red berries, pepper and dusty soil. Delicate tannins build slowly, and the finish is fresh and outrageously long. A crowd pleaser in any setting, this Rosso would cut a particular dash with a great cheese board.