DESTINATIONS PIEDMONT ITALY & FRANCE
LEFT: White truffles
RIGHT: Barolo wine
BELOW: Barolo wine region, Langhe
hounds hit the jackpot. The smell, at once oily and earthy, explodes into the air as soon as the truffle is uncovered. Cupping his hand to his nose, Igor takes a huge whiff and smiles. Truffle-hunting has taken place
here since the 1800s and is a huge part of Langhe’s cultural tradition. The University of Truffle Dogs in Roddi has been training keen-nosed pooches for more than 100 years, while the National Centre for the Study of Truffles promotes and protects Piedmont’s truffle heritage. That these types of institutions
exist is a testament to how much the Piedmontese revere their food. Regional menus are packed with complex, rich flavours such
After an hour traipsing through forests of poplar and oak, the hounds hit the jackpot
as truffle, veal, and tagliolini pasta. It’s these tastes that Piedmont’s fine wines have been crafted to complement. Described by local writer Mario
Soldati as ‘the poetry of the land’, wine production in Langhe is more akin to art than drink. And as the birthplace of two legendary
reds – barolo and barbaresco – this romantic outlook seems to return decent results. Our next stop is the Marchesi
di Barolo, where expert Lucrezia Falconieri explains the methods behind Barolo’s oldest winery. Beneath the newly renovated tasting room and restaurant where we sip barolo and peiragal, cavernous cellars house enormous, traditional barrels of Slavonian oak. Here, amid volcanic stones shipped up from Sicily to regulate the humidity, the wine is aged for 36 months. A three-glass tasting menu starts at €18. Barolo is derived from nebbiolo
grapes, which thrive in Piedmont. Although it’s regarded as a
difficult vine to cultivate, the rich soil and unique microclimate of Langhe has allowed the grape to flourish, producing full reds like barbaresco and barolo. Next, we visit Produttori del
Barbaresco, the region’s first wine co-operative. Although it’s not much more than 20 minutes’ drive, barbaresco is completely different in taste. The sandy soil of this area holds more nutrients, so the nebbiolo vines produce less tannin, making the wine softer. It’s also younger. While barolo must be stored for three years before sale, barbaresco is ready after two. A full day’s tasting tour can be arranged through Travel Langhe for €200 per person.
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travelweekly.co.uk 5 April 2018
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