Unser Barolo-Führer
Over Easter, we packed the car, some Lindt chocolate bunnies and our Chief Vineyard Pawtroller (Hildie), and drove the four hours from Geneva to the beautiful region of Piemonte. We spent the long weekend mainly in Barolo, but also managed to sneak in a quick trip to Barbaresco as well as sampling a few glasses of the region's excellent bubbles in Canelli I've listed below some of my favourite wineries to visit and great places to eat - hope you enjoy!
The area of Barolo is made up of 11 villages. Many of them, like La Morra, Serralunga d'Alba and Novello, sit atop hills peering over a vast hazy green patchwork of vines. The key grape variety of the region, Nebbiolo, references this hazy landscape in its name - taken from the Italian word "nebbia", meaning fog. This sturdy grape is responsible for making Barolo, Barbaresco and the declassified Langhe Nebbiolo from outside the DOCG borders.
The villages are charming, as are their inhabitants. The love and care for the local vineyards and wine they produce is immediately clear. Fortunately for visitors, the Piemontese are also super passionate about their food - its quite a challenge to find a bad meal.
Many of the wineries are subtle and unostentatious. They sit behind closed doors, unassumingly, largely family run for generations. For this reason, I highly recommend booking all your winery visits in advance. Guaranteeing a peek behind the large wooden doors hiding extraordinary cellars, Piedmontese family homes, and underground bottling facilities.
Where to eat
I loved that we found variations of traditional Piedmont dishes wherever we turned. The menus are usually small and selective, in keeping with tradition and made from local produce. Here's a roundup of our favourite places.
Osteria Tres Cases, Serralunga
Via Roma, 36, Serralunga d'Alba
This is wonderful little modern restaurant. The team are so attentive (one of our party is lactose intolerant and they couldn't have been more accommodating). These are traditional dishes with fresh twists - try the pork ribs for your secondi and tiramisu gelato for an alternative to the classic dessert. Olive oil and focaccia were abundant throughout, so be careful not to fill up too soon. (Reserve in advance + dog friendly)
Locanda Fontanazza
Strada Fontanazza, 4, La Morra
On the outskirts of La Morra with spectacular views of the sprawling vineyards. It was a little too cold to sit outside but I'm sure over the summer the terrazza is the perfect place for dinner. The team were so welcoming and treated Hildie like a VIP. The food is again, delightful. I love that they list of all their producer partners on the menu - you know everything is fresh and locally sourced. We had venison ragu and gnocchi with a pecorino sauce. (Reserve in advance + dog friendly)
Osteria More e Macine
Via XX Settembre, 18, La Morra
We have been here a few times now for both lunch and dinner. Set over several floors, it's always packed with locals and is completely unfussy. You can often find a table outside where the menu is written on a roaming blackboard. We found the region's best expression of it's famous "Tajarin" pasta dish here (think super thin tagliatelle with ragu). In addition, the Raviolo "Plin" is also awesome - on this trip is was serves with lavender and butter which was a surprise and a delight. "Plin" means to pinch in the local dialect and describes the shape of the tiny stuffed pastas. (Reserve in advance for an indoor table)
Wineries to explore
Massolino
Azienda Agricola Vigna Rionda Piazza Maria Cappellano, 8, Serralunga d'Alba
we went on a tour with Valentina, whose impressive knowledge of the region really helped cement our understanding of Barolo. The tour included a geography lesson on the terrace, a walk through the cellars/production faciility, finishing with a tasting. We were able to try their full range of wines. Being able to compare the Langhe Nebbiolo with their Barolo Classico side by side was the highlight. We also explored their white wines - a Chardonnay and Reisling grown from grapes from the Massolino's highest vineyards in Monteforte d'Alba. were also surprisingly good - a solid Chardonnay and racy Riesling.
Giacomo Fennochio -
Azienda Agricola Giacomo Fennochio Località Bussia 72, Monforte d'Alba
the team are unfailing polite and generous. This is a busy winery where the family themseleves will likely be the ones showing you around. We tried lots of young Barolos and a really lovely floral Freisa from the Langhe. Highly recommend as an alternative for those Nebbiolo'd out.
Contratto
Via Giovanni Battista Giuliani, 56, Canelli
if really Nebbiolo'd out, a short drive north-east takes you to Canelli. This small town is in the province of Asti and is famous for producing classical method bubbles! Contratto is in the middle of town and like walking back in time. The tour itself is great and the range of sparkling wines available to taste is vast. Their base Millesimato is likely the crowd pleaser. But try and get some of their Special Cuvee in your glass - the 2013 vintage is 90% Pinot Noir and aged for nearly 8 years, Contratto only make around 5,000 bottles per year.
Chiara Boschi
Via Vittorio Veneto, 1, Barolo
Barolo used to be produced from grapes across the entire area until a group called the Barolo Boys visited Burgundy and were inspired by their Cru system. They worked for better hygiene in the winery, using French oak barrels and changing winemaking techniques to keep tannins soft to make sure the wine wasn't too extracted. They also introduced green harvesting, cutting the vines in August to encourage focus on growth of the grapes during the final part of the growing season. Chiara was the only "Barolo girl" within this group and is still devoted to the vineyards and creating wines that express their terroir today. The production is small, just over 8 hectaures, from vineyards in Monteforte d'Alba
What to Drink
Barolo - in winery tastings be prepared to taste younger Barolos, perhaps even some that haven't been released yet and are still in the barrel. They'll have very structured tannins and high acidity, which will soften over time. On restaurant wine lists, look out for vintages like 2017 and earlier that should be drinking well. La Cantinetta in the village of Barolo have a great range of older vintages at reasonable prices. For expressions of specific terroirs, you can try Barolos that have "crus" on the label or just simply Barolo Classicos which will have been blended across the area of Barolo.
Langhe Nebbiolo - this is a wine made with the same grape variety as Barolo - Nebbiolo - it'll be more affordable than the Barolo wines and is definitely more accessible as it doesn't have to be aged for so long.
Barbera d'Alba - in many tastings, you will hear that locals drinks Barbera d'Alba as their table wine. Deep in colour and less tanninc than the Nebbiolo's you'll try. I get lots of cherry and blueberries. It's easy drinking and as many of the piedmontese will say, "goes well with a pizza"!
Dolcetto d'Alba - made from Dolcetto grape, it's a juicy style with lots of fruit and medium tannins. I get lots of floral notes and cherries on the nose, with a drier palate. Love this with Tajarin, my favourite local pasta dish.
Alta Langa Sparkling Wines - we took time during this trip to explore the sparkling wines that the Alta Langhe has a lot to offer. They make sparkling wine in the "metodo classico", the same way as champagne, with a second fermentation happeningin the bottle. Many restaurants have an impressive array of back vintages (Fontanazza in particular, stood out as having a great list!). While many producers will stick to classic sparkling varietals such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, you may find some white sparkling wines made with Nebbiolo, similar to a blanc de noir found in France - they have onthe whole, more structure and depth, with bright red fruits, and is really perfect with the lighter lots of bright red fruits and is really very good.
Roero Arneis - finally, if the bubbles and tannins have got too much, I recommend a visit to Ceretto to try their white wine made from Arneis. Fresh and full of minerality, with zesty notes and great acidity.
So there's my roundup! If you'd like any more advice on planning a Barolo trip, I'd love to help - just get in touch! Look out for a piece on the Caves Ouvertes in Geneva in May!
