Beautiful Scenery, Crisp Weather, World Class Wines AND the greatest White Truffles. Alba, Langhe, Italy.(blog)

[david parreco]

Autumn is a magical time to visit Alba Piemonte. This it land of Italy’s greatest wines: Barolos and Barbarescos, called the King and Queen of wines and the epicenter of the white truffle harvest. It’s the time of crisp evenings and fall colors. The beginning of the season for the superlative White Truffle, the Tartufo Bianco.
Alba is the center of distribution for the Tartufo Bianco, where prices are at their lowest and they find their way into so many delicious dishes. Alba is a beautiful provincial town with a charming town center, lovely pedestrian shopping streets and a couple of excellent wine bars on the town square.

Hotel Savona. My favorite place to stay is Hotel Savona. Situated in the center of town, it has just the right balance between the slight correctness and formality of the north and at the same time being charming, affordable and friendly. There are plenty of bigger chain hotels on the town periphery, but give me the Hotel Savona every time. For details visit:

http://www.hotelsavona.com

Pizzeria Cincilla. One of my favorite places for an excellent meal in a warm, friendly environment it the Pizzeria Cincilla. I know that whenever I land in Milan and arrive late in Alba there is a warm welcome and a great meal waiting at the Cincilla.

Only a few Blocks from Hotel Savona, Pizzeria Cincilla won an award for the best Pizza in Italy sometime during the 70’s. A family operation, the son works the dining room and loves to make personalized recommendations from the wine list based on your preferences. Papa mans the Pizza oven and Mama is in the back. One dish not to be missed is the mixed grill: The spiral-grilled sausages are the highlight and are hand made my Mama on the premises. And in season, they can be had embedded with truffles. Check out the beautiful wood paneling of the booths. Although it looks like burled maple. it's actually olive-tree root!

Pizzeria Cincilla, Via Giacosa 2, Alba, phone [phone]

Brisk air and beautiful surroundings enhance of the cuisine of the Langhe

The eleven communes of Barolo surround Alba. They can all be reached by car in under 30 minutes. Most have hilltop Churches or Castles. All are picturesque and most feature a regional enoteca, often combined with a small museum. These are amazing wines, as are the Barbarescos, but don’t miss the other local varietals that give so much pleasure.

A Vinyard in the incomparable Langhe

For every day Cena, a casual lunch or a glass of wine at happy hour, Piemonte has other outstanding choices. This post isn’t intended to be a wine guide, because to do justice even to a single wine could be an article in itself. These are simply hints about other good options to explore in addition the superstars. Here are some brief recommendations:

Roero: For excellent nebbiolo based wines, similar in style to a Barolo but at a lower price point, check out the Roero appellation. From the other side of the Tanaro river, these are great values in Nebbiolo. Masculine, dry, full and somewhat austere when young, expect to find the elegance and balance as it ages. Typical characteristics are tar, violets, flint and occasionally, roses. Like Barolo and Barberesco it’s a wine that evolves rapidly in color from garnet to brick red so don’t expect to see the deep purples and pigmentation of cabernet or merlot.

Barbera. Despite the fact that in most parts of Italy, Barbara is a utility grape used for table wines, it the hands of better producers the result can be very enjoyable and impressive. A somewhat rustic, dry red, it pairs well with the local cuisine. The better ones tend to list the appellation on the label (Barbara di Asti, Barbara di Alba). I especially like the wines of Prunotto, and Paolo Scavino, and Renato Ratti. The single vineyard La Monella is a favorite.

Gattinara. This nebbiolo based wine is has good availability in the states when it come to big producers but it’s still worth checking out the ones not available here. It’s generally a distinguished but lesser wine in the Barolo mold: masculine, backwards, tannic as well as spicy, elegant with aromas of tar and flint. May be drunk younger than a Barolo.

I particularly mention it because of the excellent Enoteca Regionale Gattinara. It’ several hours by car from Alba but it is an excellent facility. Our charming and knowledgeable hostess picked up on our enthusiasm and (hopefully) intelligent questions and generously opened bottle after bottle vintage or limited production Gattinaras. If you’re a fan of nebbiolos and like a wine where you can enjoy the style without intense concentration required to do justice to a great Barolo, these wines are great choices.
http://www.enotecaregionaledigattinara.it/


Dolcetto. More than the Italian answer to Beaujolais, Dolcetto it soft and rich, fruity and somewhat chocolately red wine. Don’t underestimate this wine, always delicious, they can be outstanding.

Verduno. I can’t leave this one off the list. It would be easy to do a full wine tour of Piemonte without ever being offered a Verduno. I find it to be delicious. Think of a great wine for lunch or a picnic. Soft and with good body, and not without structure. To be drunk young it has a particular brambly quality I love and that goes very well with local cheese and salumi.

Other fun reds. This region abounds with soft, juicy reds. Some sparking, some not. They are great with lunch, pizza, aperitivo or on their own. Great when when you’re not in the mood to make the mental effort required to fully explore a more important wine. I actually find tasting too many important wines in a short period fatiguing! These wines are: Freisa, Gringnolino and Brachetto.

Moscatto di Asti. Do not miss this white wine by any means. I adore it. It is a thing of beauty. A lovely aperitivo or after dinner wine. They are slightly sparking, sweet and have a heavenly bouquet of flowers and tropical fruits. Robert Parker refers to it as a ‘fruit cocktail’ aroma. Only about half the alcohol of an ordinary white wine they are a treasure if this region.

La Morra. If I had to choose from one of the eleven communes to visit, I would stop at La Morra. A beautiful hilltop town with a first rate Bella Vista and an excellent communal Enoteca with an excellent short menu. I remember one particularly happy visit when we were able to order an excellent Bagna Cauda which is difficult to find on demand because only the best selection of fresh seasonal vegetables are used. Our hostess and chef carefully explained the importance of the tiny Ligurian anchovies used in the sauce.

Enoteca Patritio
My Favorite Wine Seller/Educator, Silvano Patrito.My ultimate choice as a charming wine-seller, guide and enthusiast/advocate of the local wines and cuisines is Silvano Patrito. Silvano has a wonderful wine shop/class room in the town of Cherasco. He has an outstanding selection of wines and a real passion for teaching about them. He as an excellent educational facility and classroom behind the retail store. He will also arrange visits to local wineries and coordinate food and wine pairings at nearby restaurants and agriturismo.

For real appreciation of the regional culture and it’s contribution to the evolution of food and wine he provides and absolutely essential service! And he’s a great guy…….. Check out Enoteca Patrito: http://www.enotecapatrito.it/

Silvano Patrito

Tartufi Bianchi. Last but not least we have the white truffles or Tartufi Bianchi. The Piemonte is considered to the greatest source in the world for this most aromatic of fungus. They grow on the roots of Oak, Chestnut, Walnut, Poplar and Willow. It is said that the harder woods produce the most aromatic truffle. The Season is September through January. It aroma is impossible to describe and must be experienced. Alba is the largest truffle market in Piemonte. Saturdays October-December outdoors along Via Maestra or Via Emmanuale. High production, low prices and great cuisine make the Langhe the place to go.

Italian truffle hunters use dogs rather than pigs as in France and guard their hotspots carefully. One can also find black truffles, still very good and much cheaper, but they just don’t have the haunting, ethereal scent of the Bianchi.

A Truffle Hunter and the Prize

Tip on enjoying the Tartufo Bianco. This is a treat of delicacy, of a unique, haunting aroma. In my opinion they are best enjoyed with as little manipulation as possible. When they are used in cooking, one must be careful to capture the aroma within the other ingredients at low temperatures. A high temperature will drive off the bouquet we’re paying so much for. They are outstanding when shaved over top of a dish after cooking after the dish has cooled slightly. It is very easy to vaporize the bouquet with too much heat.

The classic dish is Tartufo Bianco over eggs cooked to a soft consistency. The delicate texture of lightly cooked eggs and the mild, neutral flavors of the eggs are the perfect way to showcase the subtle, complex and unique flavors of the truffle.

I’d like to get into Restaurants of the Langhe, but this post is already getting too long. Keep your eyes open for additional posts for the Restaurants and the Wines of the Langhe.

By way of wrapping it up, if you do plan a trip to the Langhe, there are two more artisanal specialties I’d go out of my way to try:

Formaggio Castelmagno. This is a rare cheese, seldom found outside the region. Castelmagno was declared D.O.C. in 1983 (Denominatzione di Origine Controllata – not only for wines) and is made by only 14 producers. Castelmagno is produced from the milk of a very limited number of cows which are grazed at high altitude pastures. The very best production is said to come from the summer milkings. (This reminds me of my great friend Julio’s experience with the ‘Parmingiano Reggiano della Vacca Rosa – hopefully he’ post something on that.).

Castelmagno is intensely an aromatic crumbly, white cheese. I was introduced to it in a memorable Fonduta di Castelmagno which was served over top of Cardoon. The combination of flavors and the somewhat powdery texture of the cheese and the crunch/fiber of the cardoon worked wonderfully together.

Chinoto to di Barolo. Don’t miss this unique digestivo! Barolo Chinoto was originally formulated around a hundred years ago by a pharmacist, this recipe based on Barolo wine and an intricate combination of bitter herbs and quinine. This intense, aromatic digestivo is intriguingly complex, with a bitter and for me delectable ability to brace the palate and focus the senses. My hands down favorite, confirmed by legendary Barolista Bartolo Mascarello, is that by Cappellano. Don’t quote me, but if memory serves, Cappellano was the originator of this special digestivo.