Northwest Italy produces one of the greatest and most long-lived of all red wines. Barolo – or the "wine of kings and the king of wines" as it is often called – is produced from the nebbiolo grape on the slopes of the Langhe hills. In good vintages, it can last for decades.

Many people might believe that this is the major wine of Piedmont but such famous names as Gavi, Barbera di Asti as well as Alba and Asti Spumanti are produced here, among others. A less well-known but equally long-lived wine called Gattinara is also produced in the region and is produced from the same grape that makes Barolo.

The Barolo DOCG ( Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, being the full spelling of this government-controlled designation of top quality) comprises five villages or communes: La Morra, Barolo, Serralunga d’Alba, Monforte d’Alba and Castiglione Falletto. Some of the most famous vineyards in the world are also here, namely Cannubi, Brunate, La Serra, Monprivato and Bussia.

The very best wines will often have a combination of the village with a great vineyard on the label indicating a wine of supreme quality. Having said this, so-called basic Barolo is always very good as only between 7 million and 9 million bottles are produced for the whole world.

With recent massive improvements in quality, demand for these wines is as high as ever, which has not been helped by a poor vintage in 2002 after a great run of vintages stretching back to 1995. The wines normally start to appear about four years after the vintage for good wines due to their being matured in oak and bottle before release.

There seems to be a distinct division of style with modern Barolo ranging from wonderful scents of violets, wild flowers and licorice on the nose and deep rich dark fruit on the palate. Older-style Barolo is much drier on the palate and can often have a really endearing aroma of truffles and mushrooms when it ages, all backed up by wonderfully balanced yet fragile fruit scents and taste. Tar, tobacco and leather are to the fore with the older wines.

At its best, Barolo easily matches, in my opinion, the finest wines that Bordeaux or any other region can offer. The wines pair well with red meats and dishes with mushrooms in them. Great makers include Domenico Clerico, whose Pajana has long been a favorite of mine. Other great examples are Oddero, Elio Altare, Paolo Scavino and Pio Cesare.

Barolo is so enchanting and powerful across its spectrum that it is easy to forget the other wonderful reds such as Barbaresco made in the central part of the Langhe hills and Gattinara that represent brilliant value and are also made from nebbiolo grapes. Barbaresco is more commonly found in the United States. These wines develop faster than Barolo and seem to be more red-fruited than black-fruited. Good makers include Produtorri di Barbaresco and Bruno Giascosa.

In addition the Piedmontese drink youthful and dark purple Dolcetto wines while they wait for the Barolo to mature. These wines have bright acidity and rich, red-fruit flavors. Barbera wines made in Alba and Asti are also drunk fairly young, although recent efforts by La Spinetta and Braida have started to move these wines into more serious, age-worthy and expensive territory.

Among the white wines produced, probably one of the most famous are Asti and Moscato d’Asti, two sweet sparkling wines. Asti was probably the world’s first sweet sparkling wine. It can be very fine but many poor examples exist and care needs to be taken in buying it.

Moscato d’Asti made by La Spinetta is very fine but for some (me among them) too sweet. The neighboring DOCG of Brachetto D’Acqui produces a lovely, slightly sparkling wine of the same name that tastes of strawberries and has become popular of late. Due to its low alcohol levels it makes an excellent pool wine or breakfast tipple. Banfi and Braida make good examples.

The southwest part of Asti produces a wine that I feel is greatly underrated. Arneis can be a quite full-bodied white with nice aromas of quince balanced by pleasant minerality. It is well worth looking out for when made by Bruno Giacosa and Giaccomo Vicco and is a great alternative to the palate jaded by dull and boring pinot grigio wines.

Gavi is another white wine made in the region that is often dull and inspiring, which can be interesting if made by a good producer. The cortese grape grows well here and produces good citrus-flavored wines with balancing acidity that makes them refreshing to drink and good with fish. My favorite is made by Villa Sparina.

No article on Piedmont is complete without mention of Angelo Gaja, the iconic maker who gives a range of names to his wines that otherwise would be known as Barolo or Barbaresco. Along with Piero Antinori he is one of the giants of Italian wine making.

Gaja wines often retail in the $200-400 range and are much sought after for their power and concentration, which makes them very collectible. Such legendary names as Sori Tildin, Sori San Lorenzo and Costa Russi are Barbaresco; Sperss and Conteissa are Barolo.

The wines, when mature, display an almost unrivalled balance of fruit, tannin, acidity, and structure leading to a spectacular complexity that is, of course, the reason why they are so expensive and sought after.

Piedmont is known for other wines but those mentioned above are the ones most readily found in the United States. While French wines dominate the lists of most of the world’s great restaurants, the wines of Piedmont should be explored by anyone professing a love of wine after which a life-long passion for these wines will invariably result.

Mark Darley is a fine wine sales consultant for Universal Wines and Spirits in Miami. Contact him at mark.darley@universalwines.net .