The Three B’s: Barbera, Barolo, and Barbaresco

 

Although the wines in the North of Italy are well known and prized, the Piedmont (meaning foot of the mountain) area is uncrowded and a joy to visit. The hills are covered with vineyards, and in the distance the alps appear almost as an apparition.

Two grapes dominate the vineyards here:  Nebbiolo and Barbera. The Italian word Nebbia means fog, and that is the beauty of the terroir here: the grapes ripen late in the year, when a thick fog covers the vineyards, giving the skin of the grape a powdery coating.  Nebbiolo is the grape that is made into Barolo and Barbaresco wines. Barolo is grown only in approved areas near the town of Barolo and in vineyard sites that must be on hillsides. Barolo wines are always made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes, which are never irrigated. The crop must be limited, and the finished product must be aged 38 months for the Barolo and 62 months for Riserva, of which 18 months must be in oak.

Barbaresco is named after the town of Barbaresco. Made only in approved areas in the region of Piedmont and only in approved vineyard sites that must be on hillsides. Barbaresco is always 100% Nebbiolo grape.

Barbera is grown in this area, and is either Barbera d’ Asti, Barbera d’Alba or Barbera di Monferrato. Barbera is known as an everyday table wine, with softer tannins than the Nebbiolo; it has a shorter aging process and produces a wine that can be paired well with many foods. In the late 1980’s, there was a terrible scandal involving Barbera and large producers of bulk wines. It has taken 25 years for the small producers to regain traction in the wine market. Barberas are affordable and drinkable now.

For our tasting tour, we stayed in La Morra at ArborinaRelais, a boutique hotel perched above the vineyards. La Morra is a small town surrounded by vineyards and beautiful restaurants. Our first wine tasting was on our way from the Castello di Montalero to La Morra. I visited Villa Giada several years ago, and it was one of the best wine tasting experiences we’d had in the region. This visit did not disappoint. Located in the Asti region, perched over the vineyards, our sommelier Constantine took us through the cellars and then led us on a tasting of their red wines.

Our next vineyard visit was arranged by our Angelini family in Spello, at Giovanni Rocca. This is a small family-run winery, and our tasting was Barbera, Barbaresco and Barolo. After a lovely time with the family, we needed some food—one cannot live by wine alone, although we try! 

Looking through recommendations, we settled upon Locanda en Canubi for lunch, a beautiful restaurant on the side of a hill overlooking vineyards. The views in this part of Italy are spectacular.

The amuse bouche was a macaron filled with gorgonzola dolce (no words!)

 

Lamb with crispy potato

Our next visit was to Produttori Barbaresco, a cooperative producing Barbaresco wines. Grown in four municipalities, Barbaresco, Neive, Treiso and San Rocco, on about 800 hectares cultivated with Nebbiolo. The saying goes, “Just one grape: Nebbiolo. Just one wine: Barbaresco. Excellence in simplicity.”  Located in the town of Barbaresco, we toured the wine museum and shopped the pop-up cheese and farmers market in town.

Our final winery visit was to Cascina Sciulun Franco Conterno winery. There are several Conterno wineries in this area; this one is unique. A small family winery and agriturismo. We did the bubbles to Barolo tasting and were not disappointed. We loved how each wine depended on the area it was grown in for its complexity. The same grape, but the differences in the vintage were distinctive given where they are grown.

On our last day in La Morra, we had reservations at a lovelyrestaurant, again perched over vineyards. We arrived and then realized that a Ferrari club was also dining at the restaurant. A great way to end our days of wine and food here in the Langhe.

Amuse bouche

Braised short rib

Zucchini flan

Plin, a distinctive dish in this part of Italy, tiny, thin ravioli

Butter

Brulee dessert

I highly recommend the Langhe for a visit; you'll need at least 4 days but you could occupy yourself for a week without any problem.  We did 1-2 wine tastings per day and that worked well with lunch between each tasting.  There are around 16 Michelin-starred restaurants in this area as well as many well-regarded family-style restaurants.  You won't be hungry or thirsty here!  Ciao for now.