In this series, I want to share my experiences of travelling in wine regions. Wine tourism is a massive industry and I’m often asked about my favourite trips so I thought I’d cut out Thomas Cook and give you a rough itinerary with useful tit bits on where to stay, what to drink and where to eat. I’m no travel agent but I love trips that include wine so let’s kick things off with a region close to my heart, Piedmont.
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Piedmont is home to Barolo and Barbaresco, two of Italy’s greatest wines so you know you’ll be drinking well if you visit but there’s so much more to discover. If you’re thinking of visiting the area, Turin is the best airport to fly into due to its proximity to Alba (the hub of this area) but Milan Malpensa has more flight options. You have to hire a car to travel to Piedmont but it’s an easy, two hour drive. You’ll laugh but Italian service stations serve proper sandwiches that will keep you going on the drive. Shout out to Autogrill, who are serving Mortadella, Stracciatella and Pistachio paninis. Your pitstop is a lot less depressing than in the UK!
My favourite place to visit first is Barbaresco. You wind your way up the hill and enter a very small village with great views and a few spots to have a glass of wine. Ever since my visit to Barbaresco, I’ve been reminiscing about the Tajarin Ragu from Antica Torre. You have to go here! Antica Torre’s outside terrace is always buzzing and the food is sublime. Booking is essential though. Barbaresco is the home of Gaja so if you’re feeling flush, treat yourself to a glass of one of their many different cuvees. Other excellent producers to look out for are: Luigi Giordano, Produttori del Barbaresco and Roagna.
Suggested route, starting in Barbaresco in the top right hand corner.
Next up on the route is Bra, which isn’t the most famous place but I find it very charming. Bra is small but full of students so when I visited there was a great atmosphere in the central area’s bars. We visited the winery of Ascheri and stayed in their hotel, which is above the winery. Modern but homely. Ascheri is a medium sized producer, making all wines from Langhe Nebbiolo to Barolo and also an IGA (Italian grape ale; a bit funky for my liking). Ascheri is a great place to book in for a visit as Bra is less touristy than other villages in the area. Also, it’s worth the trip just to go to Osteria del Boccondivino. Even on a Monday night the place was packed. They serve delicious Agnolotti (little pillows of heaven), which paired brilliantly with a bottle of 2014 Barolo Brunate, Marcarini from their wine list.
Agnolotti al plin @ Osteria del Boccondivino
You can drink so well in wine regions. I couldn’t get over the prices on restaurant wine lists compared to London. I recommend going in a group so you can share lots of different dishes and wines.
Next up, you want to head into the village of Barolo, which is a name you’ll all recognise. Barolo is a very famous name in the world of wine so you’d be forgiven for doing a double take when you arrive in Barolo itself. It’s tiny!
We had a wander around the village, peering in at expensive wine shops and popping into the castle before a visit with the charismatic Chiara Boschis. She regaled us with stories about ‘The Barolo Boys’, and it’s clear that she was and still is an influential woman in the region. When she was first starting out it was very much a man’s world so her role in ‘The Barolo Boys’ film was a statement. She is harder to visit than Ascheri due to her limited production but you can always try and ring for an appointment.
La Morra is a great village to visit not least because it is home to a roster of top producers: Marcarini, Guiseppe Mascarello, Trediberri but also it has a great lunch spot, Morre e Machina. This is a place where the winemakers hang out and the food is amazing (lots of truffles). Corte Gondina is a cosy hotel but book well in advance as it’s one of the few nice places to stay. When the weather is bright and sunny, the views from La Morra are out of this world. There really isn’t a more beautiful place than looking out from this hilltop village. The whole region is laid out before you in a patchwork quilt.
From La Morra, we drove to Serralunga d’Alba, which is my favourite village. Perched up on a hill, the village consists of a couple of restaurants, a few houses and some wineries. It’s one of the smallest and most easterly of the Barolo communes. Cerretto make amazing wine here as does Giovanni Rosso and Massolino. Another shoutout has to be Centro Storico, which is a tiny restaurant perched within the city walls. Incredible antipasti with a hefty wine list that doesn’t just focus on local wines. They have a curated list of Grower Champagne and other sought-after European producers. If you’re looking for something local, the producer Trediberri makes a special cuvee just for them. This is the spot for a long lunch!
After Serralunga, it is worth popping into Alba. This town is the hub of both wine and chocolate (it is the home of Nutella). Many visitors will stay in Alba and use it as their base. I didn’t love Alba, just because it’s quite busy but there are some serious restaurants there. A lot of Michelin star places that aren’t really my thing but I bet the food is amazing. If you are looking for Michelin star but you don’t fancy hanging out in Alba, Guido is the place to go. Situated in the grounds of Fontanafreda (a behemoth of a producer), Guido serves up an exquisite tasting menu in a beautiful old building.
When to go to Piedmont?
View from La Morra in May.
Go in October if you’re a truffle head and you’re into Autumn. The colours are incredible as the leaves transform to orange, red and yellow but be warned, the weather can be miserable. It’s usually much busier too due to the truffle season. I’ve been to Piedmont in October and we were surrounded by fog, rain and wind. Not fun.
I recommend visiting in May. The weather will be warmer (nothing worse than visiting wineries in the cold, as they are already freezing.) and the contrast between vivid green vineyards and bright blue sky is phenomenal. I’d prefer to have apperitivo outside than eat truffles but each to their own!
Wines to look out for:
Reds:
Dolcetto d’Alba
Barbera d’Alba
Nebbiolo d’Alba or Langhe Nebbiolo. Langhe is the umbrella region that Barolo sits within.
Barolo
Barbaresco
Single vineyard vines, which will have Barolo on the label followed by the vineyard, eg. Brunate, Cannubi and Rocche dell’Annunziata.
Whites:
Arneis
Chardonnay (Pio Cesare make a delicious Chardonnay)
Timorasso (making a comeback since near extinction. Walter Massa make a great one).
All my recommendations can be found on my google maps list here
It's in my free time that I research interesting grape varieties, taste new wines and travel to wine regions. My mission is to keep sharing these adventures and discoveries with you for as long as possible through this newsletter. If you’d like to support me, you can donate any amount via the button below. I’d be forever grateful.
