Breathtaking Views

A simple truffle lunch with our truffle hunter

Vineyards of Piemonte

Cellars at Ascheri

Piemonte Wine & Truffles Vineyard Walk

7 - 13 October 2012

Enjoy the full spectrum of Piemontese wines on this vineyard walk, ranging from the frothy Moscato d’Asti, to the serious wines from the Nebbiolo grape; the powerful Barolo and the elegant Barbaresco. Piemonte is a beautiful region of rolling countryside nestling at the foot of the Alps in the North West of Italy. It proudly carries its reputation as the most premium of all Italian wine regions. Internationally, Piemonte can be compared best to Burgundy, due to the individual vineyard plots. Also the Nebbiolo grape, due to its ethereal qualities and ability to display ‘terroir’, is referred to a ‘holy grail’ variety, like Pinot Noir.

This walk takes us through beautiful vineyards, with stunning views over the hills at the “foot of the mountains”, to the stunning bowl of the Alps which hug the region on three sides. On a clear day you can see Mont Blanc and even the Matterhorn, seemingly so close that you can reach out and touch them. We’ll stroll through hazelnut groves and cherry orchards and into some of the delightful hilltop towns that give their names to many of the most famous wines of Italy. The walk is totally pioneering and though on some days we may come across other walkers, we believe that for much of the way we will be alone – since the paths we have designed for you deviate from the maps (which are largely speaking wrong!). This tour is based in the Langhe, with the backdrop of the Alps.

For the first part of the walk we are based in a welcoming, private wine estate in the hills outside Alba. We take over the whole property for our exclusive use. The ten rooms have been decorated to a very comfortable 3* standard. There are excellent restaurants and wine-bars in Alba including a Slow Food restaurant.

On our first day we head to the woods to meet up with our truffle hunter and his dog. Black truffles are found in the area as well but it is the white truffle which is the most appreciated – and the prices reflect this – reaching stratospheric levels at the annual Truffle Fair in Alba. Unlike in France where they use pigs, here in Piemonte, the trifolau use dogs as their hunting companion – and it is fascinating to see them at work together. The dogs are highly valued – and a trained dog changes hands for more than a BMW! We enjoy a stroll through the woods before enjoying a light lunch of salami and cheese with grated truffles at the truffle hunters home – naturally including truffles! This afternoon we enjoy a tasting at La Spinetta, who produce outstanding Barbera.

On our second day walking in Barbaresco, we taste with the Produttori del Barbaresco and lunch at Marchesi de Gresy, the only estate in the Barbaresco DOCG to have sole ownership of a top cru of Barbaresco. We then enjoy free time in Alba for the afternoon and evening to explore its restaurants and shops.

We start the third day from Diano, a hill town just outside the Barolo region (known for the quaffable Dolcetto wine). From here we walk into the north part of Barolo. We’ll stop briefly at the castle of Grinzane Cavour, former home of the great 19th century statesman Count Cavour, and now the regional enoteca. We then continue to the Fontanafredda estate, former hunting lodge of King Victor Emmanuel II where we have lunch with a range of their wines. We finish the day in the vineyards of the dynamic Ascheri family for a tasting of their superb Barolos.

From our second base in the heart of the Barolo vineyards in La Morra, we explore the Barolo countryside and villages such as Serralunga, Castiglione-Monfalletto and La Morra and walk past many of the famed ‘cru’ vineyards, including a visit to the Riondo-Massolino estate.

We will taste stunning wines at the likes of G. D. Vajra, owned by the inspiring Aldo Vajra. His Barbera and Nebbiolo based wines are outstanding as is his excellent Freisa made in the traditional style of a complex red wine.

We also visit Aldo Conterno, one of the most influential wine estates in the region, and enjoy lunch at Cordero di Montezemolo. The historical estate of Monfaletto – Cordero di Montezemolo has some outstanding vineyard sites resulting in their wines such as the impressive Enrico VI. These are all some of the greatest estates in Barolo – they are also some of the greatest estates in the world!

On the last day, there will be a transfer to the centre of Turin (arrival time approx 11:00) where we will drop off at both the two main train stations of Turin. We strongly recommend that you extend staying in this delightful and historical city, with its fascinating architecture, history, museums as well as cafe society and wonderful restaurants.

British Airways currently do not fly on this date but they do have a return flight to London on the Sunday. Please note the return airport transfer is not included. Do call us for our recommendations of hotels in Turin.

Piemonte

The great wine region of Piemonte to the south of Turin is divided by the Tanaro river. North of this is the Roero, where both the soils and the wines, largely from Barbera, Nebbiolo and Dolcetto varieties, tend to be lighter. Though good, they tend to lack the ‘impact’ of the wines further south in the ‘Langhe’, which we explore. The Langhe hills, so called because they resemble tongues rising above the mists, are situated at about 300 to 600 metres above sea level. They date from the late Tertiary era (Miocene period) and the soils are marl on limestone with some sandy patches and compact clay. The famous wines from the Langhe are Barolo and Barbaresco, but as we will see there are other good wines to enjoy too. The slightly lighter Nebbiolos, delightful Barberas with crunchy fruit and a mineral tang, easy drinking Dolcettos, the white Arneis, which can be very special and Moscatos in many guises.

The countryside is beautiful, dotted with hilltop villages and castles with vineyards planted precariously on the slopes, (the names of many of these villages and hamlets will be recognisable as communes within the Barolo and Barbaresco classifications).

The team at A&C count as passionate admirers of this Italian region and its wines and cuisine. We can’t think of a better way to get to love the area than walking through the vineyards, dining well and enjoying fabulous wine tasting at the top domaines!