acrosstheregionareonboardwith
theSlowFoodethos.ITHASONEOFTHEWORLD’S
GREATWINES
Barolo,a big,chewyredthatneeds
yearsofageingbeforeyoucandip
intoit,is a worldclassic– butit’s
“stilla bargain”,accordingto
garrulousFedericoCerettoofthe
family-affairCerettowinery.
“Agoodbarolocosts€50buta
premiercruburgundycosts€300,”
hepointsout.If youhavesomewhere
coolanddarktostorethem(anda
bitofsparecash),a coupleofbottles
area goodbettotakehome.At
CerettoWinery(ceretto.com),
whichhasputa lotofeffortintoits
visitorexperience,yougettotaste
thebrilliantwineswithviewsover
thevineyardsfroma roomcarved
intothehillside,completewith
futuristic-lookingglassdome.THEREAREOTHERGREAT
(LESSEXPENSIVE)WINESTOO
Piedmontisn’tjustforrichRussians
swiggingpriceynot-ready-yetbarolo
sotheycanputselfiesonInstagram- therearelotsofothergreat,if less
exalted,winestotry.Thisis also
thehomeofbarbaresco,barbera,
dolcetto,astispumanteandgreat
whitessuchasarneisand(oneof
myfavourites)gavi.InBottega
LocalrestaurantinBra(bottegalocal.
org)theysella deliciouswhitemade
withnascetta,a long-forgotten
grapethat’sbeenpickedupbyyoung
winemakersandis onetowatch.
Anddon’tforgetback-in-fashion
(dark chocolate 'kisses' with
a hazelnut filling). The shop is
worth visiting for its beautiful
vintage fittings alone.THERE’S A QUIRKY MUSEUM
...and it’s run by a German, so
things run like clockwork in the
idiosyncratic Corkscrew Museum
(museodeicavatappi.it/en) in Barolo,
the most touristy of the hilltop
villages (why so touristy? The clue’s
in the name). When you’ve admired
the 500 corkscrews(including
essentialnoveltyoneswithcan-can
legs)youcantrya glassofoneof
eightbarolowinesthatareavailable
everydayfromthespecialEnomatic
winepreservationmachine.THEREARESOMESERIOUS
RESTAURANTS
Noneis moreseriousthanthe
three-Michelin-starPiazzaDuomo
(piazzaduomoalba.it/en)inAlba,
whereintenseEnricoCrippa(typical
quote:“Achefisn’t‘complete’until
he’sworkedfor 40 years”)makes
light,beautiful,Japanese-influenced
dishesusingproducefromhis
extensivekitchengardens.You’ve
morechanceofhappeningona
2kgwhitetrufflethangettinga table
here,though.Thereare,remarkably,
44 otherrestaurantswithoneor
twostars.Trytheone-starDa
Francesco(ristorantedafrancesco.
com/en),inCherasco.Its
surroundingsarevalue-added
opulentandthefoodis great.The
snailrisottoandcaviar(Cherasco
is famousforitssnails)is wondrous,
thesushi-styleBrasausagea
revelationandthesilkypannacotta
a thingoftear-inducingjoy.ONEWORD:CHEESE
Despiteitsfancywines,trufflesand
Michelinstars,Piedmontis atheart
a farmingculture,andit hassome
superbtraditionallymadecheeses.
Anexcellentplacetobuythemis
GiolitoFormaggiinBra
(giolitocheese.it),whichstocksevery
decentvarietyfromtheregion,
mostmadewithraw(unpasteurised)vermouth: the region is home to top
producers including Cocchi, which
is based in Cocconato.YOU CAN GO TRUFFLE HUNTING
A white truffle, like a mogwai, must
be kept dry, whereas less rare black
truffles are fine to rinse before
using. That’s one of the many
nuggets of truffle lore you’ll learn
on an afternoon with brothers
Natale and Giorgio Romagnolo,
fifth-generation truffle hunters
who’velivedinthesamefarmhouse
alltheirlives.Intruth,anytruffles
theirhoundfindsonyourwalkin
thewoodswillprobablyhavebeen
plantedbythebrothers(it’spartof
thedogs’training)butthey’rean
entertainingduo.You’lllearna lot
aboutthesestrangeunderground
fungi,whichgrowsymbiotically
bytherootsofcertaintrees.
Whitetruffles,whichmustbe
eatenfreshandaremoreprized
andexpensivethanblackones,are
onlyfoundbetweenSeptemberand
January– getovertoPiedmontnow
if youwanttotrythem.Tobuy
preservedblacktrufflestotake
home,dropintoTartufi&Co
(tartufico.com),intheheartofAlba.
Booka trufflehuntfrom£55ppat
piedmont-foodandwine.comIT’SWHERENUTELLA
COMESFROM
InPiedmont,it’sallvineyards,peach
trees(thepeachesarecelebratedall
overItaly),risottoricefieldsand,
crucially,hazelnuttrees.Beforethe
war,thiswasoneofthepoorest
regionsofItaly,butwhenPietro
Ferrerostartedhisbusinessin1946,
inventinga certainchocolate
hazelnutspreadusingwhatare
regardedasthebesthazelnutsin
theworld,thingsbegantochange.
Beforelong,Piedmont’sversion
ofWillyWonkawasemploying
20 percentofthelocalpopulation.
Ferreroisn’ttheonlychocolate
produceraroundtheseparts,either.
Barbero(barberocioccolato.it/en),
anancientemporiuminCherasco,
longagoinventedbacideCherasco PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY/iSTOCK, LES DUNNBARRELS OF FUN
Barolo must be
aged in oak for
at least two
years and in
the bottle for
one year, but
it’s often aged
for longer