Timorasso is a white grape of southeast Piedmont, grown mainly in the Colli Tortonesi hills around Tortona, in the province of Alessandria. It makes dry, full-bodied whites with pear, citrus, honey and a strong mineral character, and is one of the few Italian whites that clearly improves with years in bottle.
Timorasso was once widely planted between Piedmont, Liguria and Lombardy, and was used both for wine and as a table grape. After phylloxera and the Second World War it was largely replaced by Cortese and Barbera, which were easier to grow and gave higher yields. By the 1980s only a few rows were left. Walter Massa, a grower in Monleale, began bottling it as a varietal wine in the late 1980s, and other local producers followed. Today Timorasso from the Colli Tortonesi is often sold under the name Derthona, the Latin name of Tortona.
Young Timorasso can seem closed and austere. After three to five years it opens up and gains honey and mineral complexity; the best wines can age for ten years or more. Many producers hold the wine back and release it later than most Italian whites.
Start with a Colli Tortonesi Timorasso (Derthona) from a grower in the Tortona hills, and try an older vintage if you can find one. Producers worth knowing include Vigneti Massa, Vigne Marina Coppi, I Carpini, Vigneti Repetto, Luigi Boveri, La Colombera, Claudio Mariotto and Daniele Ricci. Langhe houses such as Borgogno and Vietti also make Timorasso.
Timorasso shares the Tortona hills with Barbera and Cortese, and is often compared with Riesling for its acidity and ageing. Read our best Piedmont wines, the Italian white wine guide, or browse the grape varieties index.