PIEDMONT BY THE GLASS

Toast the delights of Piedmont on this full-day grape escape to the countryside from Turin. Wine lovers will be introduced to the King of Italian Wines, His Majesty Barolo, and his younger brother, Prince Barbaresco, on visits to three highly esteemed cantine.

Meet your private guide and driver at your accommodation and relax on the ride through the gently rolling vineyards of the UNESCO-listed landscape of Langhe, to Barolo. Here you will drop in at a well-established wine cellar, priding itself on using strictly traditional wine-making techniques and producing some of the most revered expressions of Barolo. Austere, complex and powerfully structured, these wines have been conceived as “monuments” to tradition, true works of art painstakingly crafted by talented oenologists and, most of all, by the expert hands of time. Extended maceration and long ageing in large Slavonian oak casks are indeed largely responsible for the high quality of these masterpieces. As you savour some of the estate’s wines, your guide will explain why it is only in Piedmont that Nebbiolo grapes reach such outstanding results. You will also get to know the mission and philosophy of this producer, committed to sustainable farming and upholding a firm belief in the wisdom of experience handed down from generation to generation.

Later, together with your guide, explore the quaint town of Barolo, dominated by the 16th century Falletti Castle and replete with wine shops and cellars. Here you will be treated to a second wine tasting at the cantina of one of the region’s oldest Barolo producers. Founded in 1761, this winery prides itself on having pleased the palates of kings and tsars through the ages and was selected as the national beverage supplier for major cultural and political events. In 1861 the estate won the honour of providing the wines for the official dinner celebration for Italy’s unification. Since 2008 the winery has been run by a prominent, forward-thinking family, well aware that its strength relies on a quasi-religious observance of traditions and respect for local wine-producing methods. Over 250 years of devoted effort have gone into producing the glass of Barolo you will sip here. A round of applause for the monarch!

After some free time for lunch, set off for an estate located near Barbaresco. The property has belonged to a noble dynasty since 1797 though it wasn’t until rather later that the winery itself was established. For almost two hundred years the family produced and sold its grapes in the Alba market each autumn. One of its owners, who began supervising the agricultural operations of the family estates in the 1960s, grew weary of seeing others benefit from transforming the fruits of their labours into wine. He decided that rather than just supplying top quality grapes to the best wine producers in the area he would produce the finest wine himself. In 1973 he began creating his first distinctive wines, labelled with the family’s coat of arms. Today, thanks to his dedication to the terroir and adoption of the highest standards of cellar practices, this estate’s wines enjoy recognition from Barbaresco lovers worldwide. On a tour of the cellar, led by a qualified member of staff, you will find out about wine production and ageing methods and discover the characteristics of the soil and climate that make wines produced here so exquisite. Top off your afternoon with a guided tasting of four of the estate’s wines, including a Barbaresco, before riding in comfort, through the gorgeous Piedmontese landscape, back to your hotel in Turin.