Fine, Wine

Quick and Dirty – no story time here. just what you need to know.

When to go – Fall: October/November/December is the best time of year for truffles + wine, Summer is brutally hot so if you do go make sure your airbnb has a pool, or bring a handheld fan

How to get there/around – Flying into Milan is usually cheapest/most direct. You can take a train from there, or rent a car (giving you the most freedom and flexibility)

What to do – drink wine. eat pasta (preferably with truffles). hike (if you’re into that). not necessarily in that order.

• Wineries to visit (that you can actually get an appointment at)
  • Cantina Mascarello
  • Chionetti
  • Fratelli Serio & Battista Borgogno
  • Margherita Otto
  • Sandrone
  • Clerico
  • Produttori
  • Michele Chiarlo
• Little towns and Big(ger) cities
  • La Morra
  • Alba
  • Asti
  • Barolo
  • Cuneo
  • Turin
• Restaurants to eat at
  • Bottega del Gusto
  • Osteria More e Macine
  • Casa Giuseppe Gabetti

Want More? Stick around…

Intro to Piedmont

Piedmont is in Northwestern Italy, nestled between the French and Swiss border, giving it a unique history as well as a very different style of wine and cuisine from the rest of Italy. Turin, previously the capital city of the Kingdom of Italy, is still the capital of this region.

Piedmont is known primarily for Nebbiolo. Big, brooding, king of Nebbiolo – Barolo, and elegant, legs-for-days, queen of Nebbiolo – Barbaresco, are what the region is acclaimed for. However this makes up less than 10% of total production in the region. If you love Nebbiolo but not at the Barolo price point, check out Nebbiolo d’ Langhe, Langhe Rosso, Gattinara, Alta Langhe, and many more. I would argue the real gems of Piedmont are Dolcetto and Barbera. For whites, you can get a delightful Roero Arneis, Cortese or Gavi, and to my surprise, some tasty Chardonnay’s. Also some lovely Rosato’s coming from this region.

If you need a break from wine tasting:

• Go for a hike – the day I wanted to go for a hike it was over 100 degrees and the nice woman at the tourism office gently suggested that I did not go for a hike. Here are a few websites I used to plan hikes (these might require a car)
• Go truffle hunting – through Airbnb experiences, I met Michele who is a 3rd generation truffle hunter. He and his (adorable) Portuguese Water Dog, Fulmine, will take you through the woods and show you why those little mushrooms can cost a fortune. The experience includes local wine, cheese, meat, and products from the farm, with a generous amount of truffles shaved on top, of course! Note that depending on the time of year, you will get a different type of truffle – white truffles are only found November – January (roughly).
• Enjoy the little towns or the big cities – Alba, Asti, and Barolo all offer a variety of chapels, cathedrals, gelaterias and osterias. Turin is about an hour away, and Genoa is about 2 hours. Both cities have a lot of history, museums and shopping.
• Barolo Chapel – Just outside of La Morra is a Chapel-turned-Masterpiece by Sol LeWitt. The brightly colored exterior makes it hard to miss. Depending on the time of year it may be closed, because it is privately owned by the Ceretto family. But at anytime, anyone can stop by and marvel at this piece of contemporary art set in gorgeous vineyards.

Logistics

• When to go? I went in August because that is when the wedding of two close friends was scheduled for. Let me say I would not recommend this region in August it is molto caldo, very hot, and a lot of places are closed because Italians take their vacation in August. A lot of people I spoke to said the best time is October or November, and I do plan to come back and test that theory.
• Getting there – to save a little (read: $400) cash, I flew from Chicago to Milan through Istanbul (ORD – IST – MXP). The extra few hours of travel was worth it for Turkish Airline’s better economy class (more legroom, better in flight food and service) and the lounge access in Istanbul’s new airport (thanks to Priority Pass, which I got through Amex Platinum).
• How I got around – This was a 3-week trip through Italy that began in Piedmont for exactly one reason – two of my friends were getting married (thanks Max and Ramon!). Because I was moving around a lot + knew I’d be buying wine, I rented a car. I stayed in the Moxy Malpensa Airport Hotel for the first night since I got in at 1am, and then I rented a car the next day, and spent the day in Lake Como before driving down to Piedmont.

Personally, I love the freedom that comes with driving yourself around, but I understand a lot of people are uncomfortable with it. For those who want to drink and not worry about driving, you could hire a driver, but the public transit in this region is actually quite good, so you would likely be ok relying on it for a week. It is also more expensive if you are renting an automatic vs a manual.

• Other ways to get around – there are plenty of bike routes and hiking routes that take you through vineyards. Beware of biking, the hills are not to be trifled with. I’d only recommend this if you are an avid biker already. Hiking would have been lovely had it not been close to 40C/100F most days.
• Cost of tastings Often the tastings are between 20 and 60 euro, depending on the amount + designation of wines, as well as what else is included (private producer tour of the vineyard, picnic in a UNESCO world heritage site, etc). Some wineries will waive the tasting fee with purchase of a bottle (or two).

If you love the wines of this region and you live in the US, the amount you’ll save by buying them direct from the producer is more than the cost of the plane ticket in some cases. Most places take credit card, some prefer cash and will provide cash discounts.

• Resources I used for planning – Wine Bible, Jancis Robinson, Eric Asimov + industry friends. Here’s a link to the map I made (restaurants, hikes, etc)

Wineries

• These are the wineries I visited – there are many many many more, and I’ve included a list of the most famous + others that I wanted to get to but couldn’t (on this trip).
  • Cantina Mascarello
    • The first producer I visited was in the town of La Morra, right across from where I stayed (a lovely Airbnb – here’s the link). I actually didn’t have a reservation, I tagged along with a friend who had one, but it is recommended. Do not confuse this with Mascarello Bartolo! Different family, different wines and different price point.
    • This is a great experience if you are looking for an introduction to Piedmont. Alessandro gave us a wonderful tour of the cellar, explained the rules and regulations of Barolo (Barolo has to be aged for a minimum of 3 years, Barlolo Riserva 5 years, Barbaresco only 2). They also produce some whites and sparkling wines, something I didn’t know they produced in the region.
    • Tasting – we tasted 11 wines (even typing it that sounds ridiculous, but that’s why I take notes!) Won’t bore you with them here, if you’re interested head to the Tasting Notes Page
    • TL;DR: good introduction to the region, expect to be there for 2 hours if you do the full tasting. Tasting was $35, includes regional meat and cheese. Tasting fee was not waived with purchase, but was reduced. Limited parking (only 3 real spaces) because it’s in town, you can park in one of the lots and then walk ~5 min.
  • Chionetti Martina and her brother are absolutely fantastic – I really cannot recommend Chionetti enough. She took me through the vineyards showing off the land that has been in her family for 4 generations, one of the oldest in the area. She showed me the differences in soil types, vineyard slopes, and exposure, and shared with me the challenges and opportunities that come from being in Barolo’s shadow (figuratively, not literally – the region has fantastic sun exposure)
    • I tasted 7 wines, and walked out with a 6 pack and no regrets. Click here for tasting notes. Highlights for me were the Riesling, Briccolero and the Barolo Roncaglie
    • TL;DR: drink more dolcetto, drink Chionetti’s dolcetto. tasting fee waived with purchase (I think 2 or more), wines range from $8-50, parking on site
  • Margherita Otto I found Allen at Margherita Otto through one of my favorite wine shops, Flatiron in NYC. He learned from the best, and now makes the type of wine he likes to drink. Low intervention, elegant, and excuse my french, but fucking delicious wines. He makes 24,000 bottles total, 12,000 Barolo and 12,000 Langhe Nebbiolo. I feel lucky to have 2 of each (one may go to a friend, if he’s lucky). He also makes some Vino Chinato (can’t be called Barolo Chinato because it’s required to have a separate production facility and that must be in the commune of Barolo). I could have listened to him talk about the wines of this region, or tell stories about all the giants of the region all day. Alas, he had work to do.
    • He makes 3 wines, so that is all you’ll taste. Click here for tasting notes.
    • TL;DR: appointment necessary because it’s a one man show, no tasting fee, wines range from $30-60
  • Fratelli Serio & Battista Borgogno This was the biggest producer I visited (by a long shot). Still a family operation, but they hold a few hectares of land on the Cannubi plot – one of the most prized cru’s of Barolo. They are one of the oldest producers in the region- so old in fact that they are grandfathered in to being able to produce Barbaresco even though their cellar is not in Barbaresco. The grapes still come from the land, but the DOCG laws state for it to be called Barbaresco, all of the vinification has to be done in the commune as well. They have been operating since before the Italians created the DOC, so they are exempt from that rule. However, they have to produce it every year (good year, bad year, etc) otherwise that exemption will disappear. They have a few different tour options I did the tasting that included 4 DOC and 2 DOCG wines, but the table next to me did the 3 DOC and DOCG so I got to taste the third DOCG wine due to kindness of strangers.
  • TL;DR: Nice tour, beautiful walk through the vineyards (unsupervised) and very good wines. Very traditional, not looking to reinvent the wheel (if it ain’t broke…). Tasting fee not waived with purchase.
• Famous Producers (read: good luck getting in unless you know someone, but try the wines if you get the chance)
  • Gaia, Oddero, Bartolo Mascarello, Borgogno (different one)
• Wishlist producers (places i would go if I come back)
  • Sandrone, Clerico, Produttori, Michele Chiarlo