I don’t come here to argue.
Just some random additional comments:
Piazza Duomo. A fantastic meal and experience and my wife has never asked how much we spent. 
Marchesi Di Gresy. Jeff Chilcott is an absolutely great guy. He wasn’t doing our afternoon tasting but he wandered in to join us, told the gal doing the tasting that she could go home and he sat pouring for us for almost another hour. He also responded very positively to my wife’s standard question, “What do you have that isn’t sold in the United States?” We ended up taking home a very nice bottle of Merlot from them.
One not mentioned so far that we visited was Podere Ruggeri Corsini, a mom and pop operation in Monforte d’Alba. The wife was more than generous with her pours. She even went to the cellar to get a bottle that her daughter and boyfriend were bottling that day, which had never had a cork in it. (Of course, I had to write in my tasting notes, “Needs more time in the bottle.”) My family still chuckles about how mom very clearly did not trust the boyfriend with her teenage daughter.
We hired a driver to take us to the wineries so we never had to worry about being lost or late. Didn’t feel I had to spit, either. Well worth it, in my opinion.
Bobby??
FYI, Barbaresco is less than 40% of the size and production of Barolo, so there are many more producers in Barolo and more towns. With only three days, it may not matter that much. You can easily fill your schedule with two days in Barbaresco, and the Barbaresco zone is more compact and easier to navigate quickly. Barolo has higher hills and deeper valleys, so going from town to town takes more time. But there is more to offer there. Just be aware of that.
I add a vote for Rizzi. Enrico Dellapiano is making very good wines there, and he and his family are welcoming, and he and his sister and father speak very good English.
Guys, I have been reading through the threads created by John, Daniel Moritz, Alan Rath, etc. for a trip I am planning to the Piedmont region this fall. There is so much helpful information. Thanks to all of you. I have a few more questions.
When emailing the wineries to set up appointments, is it generally better to ask for a specific day and time, or ask what they may have available over a couple day period?
Can anyone recommend a good lunch spot in or close to Neive? I don’t recall seeing any recommendations for restaurants in Neive.
Am I likely to be able to set up winery visits on Sunday in Barbaresco? Giuseppe Cortese’s website says they are only open Monday through Friday. Is that typical?
First, beware that the fall is a very busy time for winemakers. The white grapes are picked at the end of August, and the reds between early September and mid-October. A lot of work in the cellar follows the harvest. Many places, you are more likely to be hosted by a greeter than a winemaker in that period. On top of the harvest activity, truffle season runs from October to December, so the area is a madhouse with tourists. Rooms can be in short supply and you will want to make reservations ahead if the there are particular restaurants you have singled out.
As for appointments, yes, offer them a window. Most places are quite accommodating, but between the harvest, fermentations and the truffle/wine tourists, they have a lot of visitors at that time of year.
I think Sunday visits would be an exception. Almost without exception, these are family-run wineries and they deserve their days off, particularly at that time of year. I don’t think Saturday appointments should be such a problem, but don’t assume it’s possible.
I have a lunch set up at L’Aromatario in Neive based on a recommendation from Riccardo at Cascina delle Rose where we are staying next week. I have no first hand knowledge however.
Most don’t do Sun visits. In Neive try Donna Selvatica. Amazing view from the terrace.
http://info47755.wixsite.com/borgovecchioneive?fb_ref=Default
Thanks guys. John, It looks like we will be going October 26 through November 4. Not ideal, but just the way it works with our kid’s schedules, and our our traveling companions. This started out with just my wife and I, but it looks like there may be eight of us now. Would that present additional problems at the wineries, or just at restaurants?
I have not booked anything yet, but sounds like I should get started.
I think eight might be a bit much at many places. You’ll definitely need to tell them how many of you there are. Some have tasting rooms with big tables (e.g., Cortese in Barbaresco, Oddero in La Morra, Vajra in Barolo), but some have more cramped quarters.
For coming to a date / time, I don’t suppose there is a perfect way to do it.
FWIW I will:
- tend to book wineries very close to each other for that day, giving me flexibility when booking to shuffle the order around
- If aiming for 3 producers in the day, I’ll have in mind maybe 5 producers in a similar location. The one I’m most interested in I’ll just say when we’re there and ask them if it’s possible to visit on one of those days. Once one is booked, I’ll go to 2 of the others, ask if it’s possible to visit on that day, say when I can’t make, and see what comes back. Then if I need to fall back on the last two, then I’ll do the same with them. I try to avoid lunchtime appointment, but have done 9am before. Some are happy to have reasonably late tastings (e.g 5 or 6 pm)
- The langheroero.it site can be useful for ‘likely opening days/times’ and also for those that speak English (though again this can change as children join the operation or leave to go to college). Personally I’ll try to write in Italian and speak Italian when there, but for those that are confident in English I’ll often speak in Italian and they’ll speak in English which tends to work well. My Italian is still much worse than most winemaker’s English. Maybe only 10-20% would have no English speakers / so little English it would be difficult.
- Timing is difficult to predict, but generally between 60-90 mins. Allowing 90 mins to include getting to the next place within easy walking distance seems to work well for us.
Sort of related: just went to La Repubblica di Perno, which is between Serralunga and Monforte, and loved it. Very decent list, exceptional food.
[quote=“Jeff Vaughan”]
Can anyone recommend a good lunch spot in or close to Neive? I don’t recall seeing any recommendations for restaurants in Neive.
quote]
Recommend tasting at Castello di Neive…they have a nice little restaurant affiliated with the winery that we found to be quite good when we visited.
Thank you to everyone participating on these Piemonte threads. There is a wealth of information and it has been invaluable in helping me plan my trip. I leave in two weeks and will do 4 nights in Serralunga D’Alba and 4 nights in Bellagio on Como. Flying into Milan on a Saturday morning and driving to Barolo regio and staying a t Il Boscareto.
Saturday I have Vietti so far and still looking for and early afternoon appointment (dinner Centric Storico)
Sunday (Dinner Pranzo Il Tornavento)
Monday I have Mascarello, Conterno Fantino and Scavino (Dinner Trattoria Della Posta)
Tuesday I have Elio Grasso and looking for a few more (dinner at hotel)
I’m still waiting to hear back from G Rinaldi, L Sandrone, Clerico.
A coupe of questions; I can’t seem to find anyone open on Sunday. What would you do in the area besides lounge at the pool that day? Any wineries I should try to fill in on my few openings? Any great lunch places that you would recommend? For Belaggio I am staying at Villa Serbelloni. Any recs for that leg of the trip.
Much appreciated and will report back.
Consider some side trips on the Sunday.
I had a wonderful excursion to Cuneo, the provincial capital, two years ago. (I posted here.) It has both a 19th Century quarter with boulevards and a grand piazza, and a medeival area with narrow streets and deep arcades. Far off the tourist beaten path. It’s an hour from the village of Barolo and 90 minutes from Alba.
Or drive up into the Alta Langhe – the hills to the south of Barolo and Barbaresco – for lunch. It’s quite a different world up there. More hazelnuts than vines, and quite off the beaten track. I haven’t been to La Coccinella in some years, but it still has a good reputation. I also enjoyed several good meals at Da Maurizio back in the 90s.
Or you could drive to Asti, which is a bit bigger than Alba.
Alba is pretty lively on Sundays, so you could probably occupy yourself there quite easily if you just want to chill out.
I am struggling with the same thing on Sunday. I’ll look into Cuneo. I am also considering Torino.
Peter, to get three producers in in a day, what times are your appointments?
Four at most, I’d say. The Italians generally take their lunch hours seriously. In the summer, some businesses are closed from 12:30/1 until 3:30 or later. My experience is that wineries will usually schedule visits that stretch to 1 or so, and will schedule afternoon appointments starting around 2:30 or 3, and they will see people as late as 5:30 or 6 because they generally eat late. So, as a practical matter, you can get in one or two appointments in the morning and two in the afternoon.
Be aware that the terrain is quite hilly, and the routes are often not at all as the crow flies, so you need to allow 20-30 minutes between visits if you’re going from, say, La Morra to Serralunga, or longer between Barolo and Barbaresco. If you can work out back-to-back appointments in the same village, or adjacent ones, it makes things easier.
Her name is Mariuccia Roggero and she is lovely, as is her husband (he doesn’t speak much English) and the sommelier whose name I am currently forgetting. She has had 1 Micheliln Star for ages and ages, with no interest in trying to make the food fancier or “more” than what it is. My husband has been going there for something like 15 years (??), and I have gone with him now for the last 6. We love it. Is there better food in Piemonte? Yes. Is there a better experience? Maybe, but San Marco is tough to beat for a long leisurely lunch. In truffle season, the husband personally hunts most if not all of the truffles they use, and the price is better than many other restaurants. Mariuccia also makes the best nocciola nougat I’ve ever had. The wine list is solid. Once, we asked Mariuccia to recommend a local butcher, as we had a house rented and were wanting to find good quality meat. She took us there herself, and insisted on helping with the choices.
Canelli isn’t on everyone’s path, but it’s worth a detour.
Regarding Sundays:
Centro Storico (Serralunga) and More e Macine (La Morra) are open on Sundays both for lunch and dinner. I recommend both as they have excellent local food and a great winelist.
Campamac in Barbaresco is also worth checking out but I do not know if they’re open on Sundays.
Thanks for the recs. Martin I was hoping to do some wine tours on Sunday but that looks to be a challenge. Perhaps Massolino tasting room in Barolo will be open. I will probably drive around and spend some time in Alba and some time at the hotel.
My tastings start as early as 10 am and as late as 4pm. I am aggressive like John and often try for 4 a day. At least 3. Will look into Cuneo.