Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo (Italian), or Nebieul (Piedmontese) is a red wine grape variety predominantly associated with its native Piedmont region, where it makes the Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) wines of Barolo, Barbaresco, Roero, Gattinara and Ghemme. Nebbiolo is thought to derive its name from the Italian word nebbia which means "fog." During harvest, which generally takes place late in October, a deep, intense fog sets into the Langhe region where many Nebbiolo vineyards are located. Alternative explanations refers to the fog-like milky veil that forms over the berries as they reach maturity, or that perhaps the name is derived instead from the Italian word nobile, meaning noble. Nebbiolo produces lightly-colored red wines which can be highly tannic in youth with scents of tar and roses. As they age, the wines take on a characteristic brick-orange hue at the rim of the glass and mature to reveal other aromas and flavors such as violets, tar, wild herbs, cherries, raspberries, truffles, tobacco, and prunes. Nebbiolo wines can require years of aging to balance the tannins with other characteristics.

Nebbiolo (horse)

Nebbiolo (1974–1980) was a British-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from May 1976 to July 1977 he ran twelve times and won six races. He won five times as a two-year-old including the Curragh Stakes in Ireland and the Gimcrack Stakes in England. In the following year he recorded his most important victory when he defeated The Minstrel in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. After failing to win in three subsequent races he was retired to stud where he showed considerable promise before his death in 1980.

Background

Nebbiolo was a strongly-built chestnut horse with a white blaze and white socks on his hind legs. He was sired by the Gimcrack Stakes winner Yellow God out of the German-bred mare Novara. The Danish businessman Niels Schibbye had owned Novara during a racing career which saw her win several good races in Germany, but sold her after an operation an ovarian cyst was thought to have rendered her useless as a broodmare. When Novara proved to be fertile, Schibbye bought her back for 11,000 guineas in December 1973. She was in foal (pregnant) to Yellow God at the time and the colt foal who would be named Nebbiolo was delivered the following spring. Schibbye sent Nebbiolo to the sales as a yearling in October 1975, but he failed to reach his reserve price of 3,000 guineas. He then turned down a private offer when he learned that the colt's prospective owners intended to have him gelded and trained for a National Hunt career. Schibbye instead decided to race the colt in his own colours and sent him to be trained in Ireland by Kevin Prendergast.