Road Trip…Piedmont

Piedmont is a region that stole my heart when I first visited six years ago. Usually when I visit I take the 90-minute flight from London to Turin, but this time I started my road trip in Milan. Heading south into rural Piedmont, known for its wines (Barolo and Barbera), the picturesque drive meanders south past rolling hillside vineyards. I soon found myself in the center of some of the best grape-growing terroir in the world. With the hubbub of harvest and the annual  International Alba White Truffle Fair  taking place, autumn is my favorite season to take a trip to this beautiful part of northern Italy.

Just an hour south of Milan, I took the chance to visit  La Giustiniana winery, a beautiful producer that is one of the foremost makers of white wines from the Gavi region. Using mostly Cortese grapes, which create crisp and nutty wines, their vines grow in the shadow of a neoclassical style lemon-hued mansion. Typically Italian and dating to the 10th century, it comes complete with a pocket-sized chapel. The estate was preparing for a wedding the following day, but they were good enough to let me in anyway.

I continued my drive to hotel  Nordelaia, just 30 minutes west, further into the Unesco-listed Montferrato wine region. With just 12 rooms, this 800-year-old farmhouse encourages guests to enjoy  il dolce far niente  (“the sweetness of doing nothing”) with a focus firmly on flavor (and two infinity pools that overlook the vineyards). The premise for my visit was a collaboration between the hotel’s restaurant  LORTO  and one of my favorite chefs, London-based Ivan Tisdall-Downes from the nomadic Native restaurant. A pioneer of sustainable and locally foraged ingredients, the menu reflected this in the sea bass with fish bone dashi and pickled radish. In November, they’ll be hosting a collaboration with Jacob Kennedy of Bocca di Lupo fame, which is truffle-based and just might tempt me back again.

Revived, the next day I continued my journey towards an historic house with a winery, but first it was time for lunch. I found myself passing through Canelli, a small town famed for its subterranean cellars (locally known as “cathedrals”), where sparkling wine is aged. I stumbled across  Ristorantino ‘n Ca’d Basan  in one of the town’s squares. After a quick plate of  vitello tonnato, a local dish of thinly sliced veal and a tuna sauce, and  tajarin, a skinny local pasta made with 30 egg yolks and mountain butter, I popped into Contratto, a local wine producer, to taste a selection of their bottles.

I carried on towards the small hamlet of San Martino Alfieri, home to the resplendent  Marchesi Alfieri, a Baroque castle that dates to 1696. The estate sits on the border between Langhe, Monferrato and the Roero hills and is home to the Alfieri family, who’ve been instrumental in creating Piedmont’s historical, cultural and wine making heritage. The estate offers a number of humble rooms in the surrounding buildings, which also allows access to their landscaped grounds, which have stunning views, a fascinating wine cellar and bags of personality.

The village has one main restaurant, but the gem is a vintage bar, called  Concordia, well worth a visit for their interiors of original mid-century furniture, terrazzo flooring and dusty bottled backbar. Check out the Chiesa di S. Anna miniature pink chapel in the middle of the town, too.

Barolo and Barbaresco

The next day was entirely focused on wine, kicked off by a tasting of Marchesi Alfieri’s own bottles from their local vineyards, with head winemaker Mario Olivero. Unusually for this region, they produce a pinot noir which is light and supple, and utterly delicious.

Next up I headed to the town of Barbaresco, to meet with the legendary producer  Gaja. I was greeted by family member Giovanni Gaja, whose father Angelo is credited with revolutionizing winemaking in the area. I had the chance to try a 1996 Sorì San Lorenzo label, which showcased exactly why this house is so highly sought after.

From there I headed over for a quick visit to the town of Barolo itself, to see the castle and the  Borgogno winery. Borgogno have the reputation for being the rebels within the region, creating unusual labels and wines designed for long aging in bottle, at a reasonable price. I picked up a couple of their current vintages to try in a decade’s time.

Turin

With bottles clinking in the back of my car, I headed northwest to Turin, the first capital of Italy, and checked into  Casa del Pingone, a hotel with just seven apartment-style rooms. The property itself is part Marrakech riad, part Condesa townhouse, yet outside the scene is unmistakably Italian. Views from room 33’s balcony are of the imposing bell tower of Duomo di Torino, which rings out for aperitivo hour in the autumnal afternoon warmth. I didn’t need to be told twice, so I headed out on the short walk to  Caffè Torino  for a pre-dinner negroni.

As a city, Turin is a mixture of ochre-coloured residential roofs and magnificent church spires reaching to the sky. Broad avenues and narrow cobbled streets are home to a number of bustling bars and restaurants, and I sit down at one of my favorite spots, the Torino institution that is  Tre Galline. Famed for its truffles in the late autumn and its Piedmontese cheese trolley year-round, it’s a historical hangout for those looking for authentic local food and drink.

On my final day, I took a short train ride 25 minutes east from Turin to Pessione, to  Casa Martini, home of the famous vermouth brand. A fascinating few hours in their visitor center where their archives of incredible advertisements and old bottles are on display was finished off with a cocktail masterclass and more negronis… obviously. Having refined my mixology skills for aperitivo drinks and a bag full of local wine, it was time to head home. I couldn’t wait to get back to London, to serve up some masterful Manhattans, and brilliant Barolo wines for my friends.