Timorasso Wine Guide: Piedmont’s Age-Worthy White Grape

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Timorasso came alarmingly close to disappearing. By the 1980s, this old Piedmontese white grape had been pushed to the margins, overlooked in favor of easier, more fashionable varieties. Yet Walter Massa saw what others had missed: a white wine of real depth, structure, and longevity — more serious than fashionable, and all the better for it.

You can level many legitimate criticisms at Italian wine producers. Or, indeed, at Italian wine. Their labels can be overly complicated due to the myriad of designations and separate appellations recognized under Italian law. Moreover, the country’s obsession with importing French varieties in the 20th century led to a certain homogenization of its wine culture, which is highly regrettable. But you cannot question the passion of Italy’s finest winegrowers, who are led by their hearts as much as the balance sheet.

Guide to Italian White Wine: Read more

Timorasso: The Piedmont White That Refused to Disappear

Timorasso has been part of the Piedmontese landscape for centuries, particularly in the hills around Tortona. Yet by the late 20th century, the grape had been pushed to the brink of extinction. It was unfashionable, poorly understood, and difficult to sell beside more familiar Italian and international varieties.

The commercial appeal of easier, more marketable grapes proved difficult to resist. Across much of Italy, indigenous varieties were pulled out or neglected in favor of more widely recognized grapes. Timorasso might have disappeared altogether had Walter Massa not seen something others had missed.

By the 1980s, it seemed that Timorasso would disappear forever. It was only thanks to the intervention of Walter Massa that we can now enjoy these fantastic wines. Massa saw no reason to abandon Timorasso simply because the market had lost interest. In its thick skins, firm acidity, and stubborn personality, he saw the makings of a serious Piedmontese white — a wine with grip, nerve, and the ability to age. That conviction helped drag Timorasso back from near-oblivion.

Today, Timorasso is closely associated with Colli Tortonesi and Derthona, names that have become shorthand for structured, mineral, age-worthy whites from southeastern Piedmont. For wine lovers who think Piedmont begins and ends with Nebbiolo, Timorasso is a useful corrective.

How Timorasso Is Made

Although Timorasso lacks the fame of Vermentino and Campanian varieties like Greco, it still packs a punch in the winery. Young wines, particularly those aged in wood, offer a cornucopia of ripe flavors: guava, pineapple, vanilla, and lime. Indeed, top-quality Timorasso showcases concentration, depth, and good acidity in one glorious package. There is very little to dislike about the grape.

These innate qualities are harnessed in different ways. Wines made via a cool fermentation in stainless steel will be vibrant and fruit-driven. Barrel maturation and/or skin contact bring a whole new dimension to Timorasso, enhancing the wine’s texture and complexity. In the Colli Tortonesi appellation of Piedmont, the grape is occasionally blended with Moscato Bianco and Vermentino to make a most arresting white style: beautifully fragrant and fresh.

Food Pairings for Timorasso

Timorasso has the body and acidity to work with richer dishes than many Italian whites. It is particularly good with foods that are fatty, earthy, or gently sweet.

Good pairings include:

• Roast poultry with herbs, lemon, or mushrooms.
• Veal with sage, cream, or white wine sauce
• Risotto with porcini, truffle, or aged cheese
• Fresh pasta with butter, sage, or hazelnuts
• Rich fish dishes such as turbot, monkfish, or baked sea bass
• Aged Alpine or Piedmontese cheeses
• White truffle dishes

It is not a white wine built merely to refresh; it is built to sit at the table.

Timorasso Producers and Wines to Try

The following producers offer a useful starting point for exploring Timorasso, from benchmark Colli Tortonesi wines to newer interpretations from leading Piedmont estates.

• Vigneti Massa
• Claudio Mariotto
• La Colombera
• Vietti
• La Spinetta
• Borgogno
• Ezio Poggio