Freisa

Freisa counts among the oldest documented grapes of Piedmont. The earliest mention usually cited is a 1517 entry about a toll at Pancalieri, south-west of Turin, where a wine called freisa was taxed at roughly twice the rate of other wines; how that entry should be read is not entirely certain. The first reliable ampelographic description dates from the close of the eighteenth century and came from Count Giuseppe Nuvolone Pergamo of Scandaluzza.

DNA profiling in the early 2000s uncovered a parent-offspring link between Freisa and Nebbiolo. A 2020 SNP-based study supports Nebbiolo as a parent of Freisa, not the reverse. The same work also reported a possible close genetic tie to Viognier of the northern Rhone, a result described as preliminary, plus a possible relationship to Reze, an old variety of the Valais. Freisa is often confused with other dark Alpine and Piedmont grapes, yet each of these is a distinct variety: Fumin from the Aosta Valley, Neretto Nostrano from the Canavese, and Neretta Cuneese, a vine that is sometimes sold as Freisa di Nizza, otherwise Freisa Grossa.

From its heartland around Turin and Asti, the variety spread to the Langhe, the Tortona hills and the Pinerolese. Small plantings also survive in Vicenza province, in the Veneto. The national agricultural census of 2000 recorded about 1,453 ha. Current estimates are lower, ranging from roughly 400 ha registered in Piedmont to around 1,000 ha, depending on how the area is counted.

Freisa is a vigorous vine whose berries accumulate high levels of anthocyanins, which is why the juice can look deeply coloured even when the finished wine is paler than expected from a variety of this pigment content. It ripens in mid-season and is susceptible to coulure, so a poor flowering can cut yields sharply. Naturally high acidity and abundant, firm tannins mean that careful extraction and ripe skins and seeds matter more than raw sugar. Hillside sites with good drainage and sun exposure suit it best, and the Freisa di Chieri disciplinare sets a minimum vineyard elevation of 180 m. Both of the varietal DOCs require at least 90 percent Freisa, with a small share of other suitable Piedmont black varieties allowed.

Freisa appears in more forms than most Piedmont reds. The traditional style is a lightly sparkling wine that completes its fermentation in tank or bottle and retains some residual sugar, which softens the grape's bitter edge and tannic grip. Dry and sweet wines, whether still, frizzante or spumante, are allowed under both the Asti and Chieri denominations for Freisa. Because modern cellars can control fermentation and residual sugar precisely, dry still wines have become more common: perfumed, medium-bodied, bright with acidity and grippy, they can be cellared for several years. Some producers age Freisa in large oak or barriques for extra structure, while others bottle it young and fresh to show off the red-fruit aromatics. Sweet frizzante versions pair with cured meats and salami, and dry versions suit the fatty dishes of Piedmont such as agnolotti and braised meats.