produttori di carema
Carema DOC
“I was quite frankly blown away by the wines I tasted from the Cantina Produttori Nebbiolo di Carema cooperative.”
Carema DOC
Carema is a tiny, alpine appellation perched on the border of Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta — one of the most singular and dramatic wine landscapes in Italy. Here, a unique biotype of Nebbiolo called Picotendro clings to near-vertical slopes, trained on wooden pergolas held aloft by dry-stone terraces and granite pillars known locally as pilun. It's a landscape as remarkable as the wine itself: hand-built, generations in the making, and demanding constant upkeep. The appellation covers just 23 hectares in production today.
Produttori di Carema
Produttori di Carema – shorthand for Cantina dei Produttori Nebbiolo di Carema – is the heart and soul of this tiny commune: a cooperative of about ten families, farming largely as a passion rather than a livelihood, carrying on their proud tradition. For most, wine isn't a full-time job; they tend their vines like gardens between other work, and painstakingly rebuild the granite pillar systems that support their precious vines. It's back-breaking work, but it preserves not only the wine, but a unique historical and cultural landscape. The cooperative vinifies grapes from 13 of the appellation's 23 hectares.
The wines themselves are ethereal and highly perfumed — wild herbs, orange peel, fennel — with brisk, mountain-fresh acidity and a pale, orange-tinged hue. If Barolo is your reference point for Nebbiolo, Carema asks you to think again: this is a lighter, more elegant face of the variety, built on levity and acidity rather than power. Their annual limited release is one of our favourites — perfumed, alpine, and among the most restaurant- and wine-bar-friendly reds on the market. By choosing one of their wines, you help preserve a place that is truly one of a kind.
“The Produttori di Carema cooperative turns out gorgeous, classically built wines that capture the essence of this tiny appellation in Canavese. Readers will find aromatic, ethereal wines shaped by aging in neutral cask...” – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Classico & riserva
Carema Classico — Black Label
100% Nebbiolo Picotendro, hand-selected from vineyards across the Carema appellation, trained on traditional pergolas. Macerated 12–15 days and aged a minimum of 2 years, with at least 12 months in large Slavonian oak casks.
Dried flowers and savoury complexity adds to sweet red cherry, cedar, and warm spice — tobacco and dried herbs trailing behind. Light on its feet yet genuinely ripe, the finish turns increasingly mineral and savoury. A superb expression of Carema.
Carema Riserva — White Label
100% Nebbiolo Picotendro, hand-selected from the best-exposed sites each vintage, all trained on historic pergola systems. Macerated up to 30–40 days in the best vintages and aged a minimum of 3 years, with at least 24 months in large Slavonian oak casks.
Autumn in a glass. Tobacco, leafy earth, cedar and fresh herbs frame a supremely ethereal Nebbiolo that is also quietly powerful — sweet dried red fruit blooming from beneath the savoury mineral mix. Tension supporting grace. Beautifully composed. Gorgeous wine.
recent reviews
“The Produttori di Carema cooperative has been on a tear in recent vintages. These traditionally crafted mountain wines offer so much Nebbiolo character.” - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
CAREMA CLASSICO
“The 2021 Carema is a terrific introduction to this range. Floral and savory notes meld into a core of sweet red cherry fruit, cedar, spice, tobacco and dried herbs. This elegant, translucent Carema is deeply representative of the appellation. The 2021 marries finesse and elegance in grand style. A whole range of savory and mineral overtones punctuates the finish. Superb.”92 points - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
CAREMA RISERVA
“The 2020 Carema Riserva is laced with crushed autumn leaves, mint, cedar, pipe tobacco and sweet dried fruit. This ethereal, gracious Riserva is loaded with all of the savory, earthy and mineral character that is typical of wines from this appellation. Time in the glass brings out the wine's understated depth. The 2020 gracefully marries elegance with power.” 92 points - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“Bright, pale garnet colour. Scent of rose hip tea, caraway seeds, fennel and alpine herbs. Pretty in the palate but authoritative, shaped with ultra slender, fine tannins that build and build through its exceptionally long finish and give the wine freshness and levity. So pure feeling, such good flavour and detail, exceptional drinking all up and generally just a darn impressive red wine.” 96 points - Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
