Erbaluce di Caluso
Erbaluce di Caluso was the first white wine in Piemonte to receive DOCG status in 1980, upgraded from the original DOC status awarded in 1967. Three types of wine can be produced with DOCG status; Dry wine, Spumante and Passito (made from air dried grapes). All wines need to be 100% Erbaluce grape, which unfortunately is not as well known outside of Piedmont. Erbaluce di Caluso Passito DOCG is amongst the best passito wines in Italy, along with Sciacchetrà and Pantelleria.
The Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG is located entirely inside the largest glacial basin in Europe. Many of the vineyards lie between the cities of Ivrea and Caluso, but the DOCG takes in 32 communes in Torino province and 3 more in Vercelli.
Most vineyards are located around Lake Candia and the town of Caluso to the south, and Viverone to the east along the glacial bank of la Serra. The Dora Baltea river traverses the region, on its way from Mont Blanc and on its way to meet up with the Po river.