Melissa i
Strong

​

 

In the back of my mind, our dream climbing trip to Switzerland included seeing more than just the boulders.  Once I realized how close to Piedmont we were our vacation from our vacation began to blossom.  From our apartment in Claro, Switzerland, the Piedmont region in Northern Italy is about a three-hour drive.  Since we both enjoy red wine and sell several wines from the region at my work, I did not want to pass up visiting the home of some of my preferred red wines, including Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, and in northern Piedmont Gattinara.

 

Going into this completely blind, I learned a lot (yet still have a lot to learn), and we had a fabulous time exploring and relishing in the Italian countryside.  We stayed at Villa Tiboldi located in the Rero region, on the outskirts of Canale, about 20 minutes from Alba.  We knew we were in the right spot as the flat landscape swelled into rolling hills covered with vines and in some cases crowned with a picturesque village or a beautiful estate—which was the case with Villa Tiboldi. The beauty of the Villa greeted us as we turned onto the drive and headed up the hillside that cut a path through part of the Malvaia vineyard. Before we even stepped out of the car, it was evident that great care and attention to detail is a priority at Villa Tiboldi.  After checking into our junior suite–complete with a rubber ducky adorning the claw foot cast iron tub, we headed off to our first wine tasting scheduled in the Barbaresco region at Albino Rocca.

 

A little about Barbaresco & Barolo wines: they are both made with the Nebbiolo grape in the Langhe Valley.  Barbaresco is located north of Barolo and is a bit smaller of a region.  The same grape is nurtured in both areas, but the miles in between geologically result in different soil and microclimates, making the final product extremely different.  Barbaresco tends to have more limestone in the soil rich in nutrients, creating a lighter wine touted as “the wine of Queens.”  The richer Barolo, coming from a sandstone clay soil, is slower to mature and is referred to as “the wine of Kings.”  Both grapes are rich in tannins, but with Barbaresco, the tannins tend to soften quicker, which is why it requires a shorter aging period than Barolo.  Barbaresco can be aged in oak or chestnut for 2 years and 4 for a Riserva, whereas Barolo is aged in oak only for 3 years and 5 years for a Riserva.

 

Barbera wines are made from Barbera grapes and are grown in the hills of Asti and Alba.  Once again, the soils and the microclimates make the difference in the wine, which tends to be low in tannins but higher in acidity.  Barberas are typically lighter and crisper than wines made from the Nebbiolo grapes.  D’Alba must be 85% Barbera and 15% Nebbiolo, as opposed to D’Asti, which must be 85% Barbera, and the other 15% can be a blend of Freisa, Grignolino, and Dolcetto.  Asti tends to be richer in berry flavors, while Alba produces more floral tones.  These wines can be aged but require less aging than Barolo or Barbaresco.

 

Our first wine tour and tasting took us to the vineyards of Albino Rocca in Barbaresco.  The Roccas are a four-generation winemaking family.  They produce Barbaresco, Dolcetto D’Alba, Barbera D’Alba, and a red blend of Rosso Di Rocca, Chardonnay, Moscato, and Cortes. A family member of the great wine-producing heritage, Monica Rocca, greeted us at the top of one of their vineyards in their winery.   They produce about 100,000 bottles per year.  The grapes are hand-picked, macerated, and fermented in a machine, and then the top wines are aged in handmade Austrian & German Oak barrels.  They are known for their Barbaresco Ronchi, which is made from some of their oldest vines planted 50 years ago.  We were able to taste the Ronchi along with several other varietals and did not go home empty-handed.

 

That evening, we were off to our sumptuous, delightful dinner at the Piazzz Duomo in the town of Alba, rated 39 in the top 50 restaurants in the world. Being the off-season, we were able to easily secure a table at the famous Duomo.  It was indeed an experience of a lifetime.  From the service to the food, I was blown away by the flavors and their friendly, approachable professionalism.  It was more than a dinner it was an experience.  The synchronized service was a choreographed dance of suite-donned servers moving elegantly and discretely, helping us enjoy our experience.   The food was amazing, creating flavors and courses that seemed to never stop coming.  The décor is a contemporary art fresco on a bright pink background—you can see its uniqueness in some of the pictures.

 

One of the glitches we experienced was locating the vineyards where I had scheduled appointments.  We had a GPS but experienced that frustrating moment several times when Siri informed us, “You have arrived at your destination,” and it was nowhere in sight.  Unfortunately, my Italian is more limited than my knowledge of wines, so we were unable to be directed when we called.  We missed that wine tasting but were happy to see some estates had “open” signs by their name, and thanks to this, we drove up to Fratelli Serio & Battista Borgogno, and we met again a great, great-granddaughter of the man who started the vines growing at.  Here, we tasted the Barolos they are known for from the Cannubi hillside.  Cannubi has been said to be “a vineyard kissed by God,” creating the most renowned crus.  The wine lived up to the reputation and was deliciously intense and rich while still graceful.

 

That evening, we were able to acquaint ourselves with some of the Malvira wines grown around Villa Tiboldi while we dined at their restaurant.  There, we had delicious courses, including homemade pasta, pork fillet cooked with honey and cumin, and homemade cinnamon gelato with pares cooked with red wine.  The Malvira wine we enjoyed was made from the Nebbiolo grape in the Roero region; we had their Roero Riserva Mombeltramo, which was outstanding and unfortunately, not easy to get in the States.

 

La Spinetta was our final winery to visit for this trip (we were saving Gattinara for a day trip being closer to where we were staying) fortunately, the GPS took us there first try for our 10:00 am wine tasting once again with a great, great-granddaughter, Manuela, of the man who started the vineyard.  This was the largest vineyard, production, and group wine tasting, with seven people in total.  Here, we tasted their Barbaresco Bordini, Barbaresco Gallina, Barbersco Valeinrano, Barbera d’ Asti & d’ Alba, Barolo Garretti, and their Chardonnay and Moscato.  It was a learning experience to taste the different years and crus side by side and see the subtle differences.  They also produce olive oil that is young and light with a slightly bitter taste.   La Spinetta was the largest vineyard we visited, yet it still had a very warm, approachable feeling.  They produce 220,000 bottles per year of just Moscato!

 

Gattinara is also made with the Nebbiolo grape but is located about an hour north of Alba and Barolo.  It is still in the Piedmont region but has a completely different climate with remarkably different soil.  The difference in the air is obvious as you move closer to the Italian Alps and away from the ocean.  The soil is more volcanic, rocky, and arid, completely different from the heavy sandy clay soil of the Langhe Valley.  The soil is more acidic, creating a wine lower in tannins than Barolo, resulting in a rich, robust wine that is a bit lighter and more approachable.  To help balance out the tannins, the Traviglini Gattinara is aged in large barrels first and then moved into the French barriques—small French barrels using what some would call a modernistic approach.  Gattinara must be aged for 2 years in oak and 4 years for a Riserva.

 

We waited a few weeks before taking our day trip to Gattinara, located about an hour and a half from our temporary home in Claro.  For anyone who has asked for my wine recommendation at the Dunraven you will have heard me mention the wine Traviglini Gattinara.  Only going by what I taste and like, I have had many pleased customers who take me up on this recommendation, which was one reason why I was very excited to have the opportunity to visit Travglini.   Alessandro, the export manager at Travglini, was able to keep our appointment, providing us a tour and tasting.   We tasted the Gattinara and the Riserva, their Nebbiolo, and the Cinzia.  It was one of my favorite wine tastings, maybe because I already knew a little about the wine and was able to learn more, or maybe it was just the day.  After the tasting, we stopped for an espresso and some gelato in downtown Gattinara before making the journey home.  The town of Gattinara, being far from the Langhe valley, was more relaxed and modest.

 

Wine tastings and wine country were one of my favorite aspects of our vacation, next to the amazing bouldering, of course. I feel like I learned a good deal and yet just scratched the surface of this great winemaking region. The experience definitely got me very excited to learn more!

Piedmont was a pleasure, and I very much enjoyed it. Someday, I hope to return.