Freisa: Piedmont's Wild Strawberry Red, and Nebbiolo's Rustic Cousin

Freisa is pronounced FRAY-zah.

Freisa is what happens when a grape has Nebbiolo's family tree but none of Nebbiolo's fame or price. It grows in the same corner of Piedmont, shares a documented bloodline with the grape behind Barolo, and pours out pale and perfumed with wild strawberry and rose. Then it does something Barolo never does: it stays cheap, and sometimes it fizzes.

If you drink Pinot Noir for the aromatics and the lightness, Freisa is worth your attention. Just know it comes with sharper edges.

What it tastes like

Pour it and the color gives the game away: pale ruby, translucent, closer to a Pinot Noir than to anything you'd expect from Piedmont's tannic reds. The nose leads with wild strawberry and raspberry, then dried rose petal and a dusting of white pepper.

The palate is where Freisa parts ways with easy, fruity reds. Acidity runs high, which keeps it lively at the table. Tannins are firmer than the pale color suggests, and there's often a faintly bitter twist on the finish, a savory tug that Piedmont locals prize and newcomers sometimes need a meal to appreciate. Most Freisa is dry (secco); some is made lightly off-dry (amabile) or as a frizzante, faintly sparkling and easygoing. Read the label, because the two styles drink very differently.

DNA studies have confirmed what growers long suspected: Freisa and Nebbiolo are close relatives, sharing a parent-offspring link. You can taste the kinship in the perfume and the grip, minus Nebbiolo's power and its Barolo tariff.

Why nobody talks about it

Freisa has spent a century as a local secret. It's grown across the hills of Asti, Chieri, and the Langhe, with its own denominations (Freisa d'Asti, Freisa di Chieri, Langhe Freisa), yet it rarely leaves Piedmont's own tables. Part of the reason is that name-brand grapes crowded it out: growers who could plant Barbera or Nebbiolo and sell it easily had little reason to bet on a wine most importers had never heard of.

The other part is the wine's own difficulty. That bitter, tannic edge made older-style Freisa a hard sell to drinkers raised on soft fruit. The frizzante and amabile versions, meanwhile, got dismissed as rustic country wine. It took a handful of serious producers to show what Freisa does when it's taken seriously rather than made as an afterthought.

Bottles to look for

The name to know is G.D. Vajra, whose "Kye" Langhe Freisa is the reference bottle for what the grape can be when a top Barolo house puts its full attention on it. It's the wine that changed a lot of minds about Freisa, this one included. Beyond Vajra, look to established Piedmont producers making a dry Freisa d'Asti or Langhe Freisa; the grape shows best from growers who already have a reputation to protect on Nebbiolo and Barbera.

Here's the honest caveat: Freisa carries more tannic grip and a bitter finish than Pinot Noir ever does, and the cheaper, sloppier bottles can taste austere or plain rustic. This is not a smooth, crowd-pleasing pour, and I won't pretend it is. Buy from a serious producer, give it food, and it rewards you. Grab the bargain-bin bottle and you may wonder what the fuss is about. The underdog grape doesn't owe you an easy first date.

Where to buy

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Freisa is a genuine rarity on US shelves, but it's more findable than it used to be, largely thanks to the Vajra "Kye" bottling, which several US retailers carry. Search by name and buy the best producer you can find rather than the cheapest.

browse Freisa on Wine.com →

— Chris Berry

If you're switching from a famous grape

Freisa is the swap for the Pinot Noir drinker who wants the same pale color and red-berry perfume but is tired of paying up for it. Both are light, aromatic, high-acid reds that flatter food more than they flatter a spec sheet. The difference is Freisa's firmer tannin and savory bite, which give it more spine at the table, so treat it as Pinot Noir with the edges left on. Read Wines Like Pinot Noir, then let us help you Order This Instead.

Part of Lesser-Known Wines: 17 Obscure Grapes Worth Switching To — the full underdog-swap guide.