I would definitely try Brovia - several vineyards to taste through, very hopsitable, great wines.
Produttori and Gaja are close together. Gaja is by appointment only but I was able to drop in using my unique form of bumbling charm. Not a big fan of their wines however, I was in town for the Produtorri (where I left my cell phone, but that’s another story).
@Ian_Sutton and @Barry_L_i_p_t_o_n - awesome, thanks so much - adding them to the list!
p.s. if you are booking any appointments yourself, the website of the excellent Langhe/Roero tourist office langheroero.it has extensive listings for wineries, including contact details, and they even started a booking service a few years ago (I’m assuming that’s still going). I liked the way they did that, with no charge, except for no shows.
Plenty of other stuff on that site, useful for anyone spending any time in the Langhe & Roero area.
Hi, I can only add a little to the amazing responses from Ian. First, I don’t know if you saw my long follow up new post to my original post here, in which I set out our dining experiences, including in Piemonte. It might be helpful. Also, I’ll add that we had fantastic visits at Luigi Oddero and Vietti. Ceretto was very nice, and the wines were great, but the tasting set up is a bit high end Napa-esque. Anyway, have a great time!
@An_drew_Gelb - Indeed I did see your follow-up post - thank you so much as well! I have already updated my Trip Advisor plan with all of your findings - so very exciting!
@Ian_Sutton - thanks for the link to langheroero.it. FYI, this site it is no longer being updated and is being replaced by Homepage | Turismo in Langhe Monferrato Roero and http://www.piemonteonwine.it. The www.piemonteonwine.it does facilitate booking, unfotunately neither Trediberri or Ferrando Vini are bookable via the site as of yet.
Thanks again for all the great support!
I’ve been inspired to do a Trip Report from my trip to Piedmont last year, so I’m going to do that now. But As Ian says, I agree. If you’re doing Oddero, Burzi is right there along with a good restaurant for lunch. I really enjoyed our visit with them. Caterina speaks English very well and they have vines right there that they’re doing some interesting stuff with that she’ll take you to see.
and thanks to you for letting me know about that change. Nice to see them encompassing the Monferrato area as well, which is a natural fit.
and that’s just the sort of under the radar gamble that’s invariably rewarding. Indeed it’s a name I’ve not heard of before and despite a number of visits to the region, it’s not that unusual to come across new names. I think there’s also a likelihood that the visits are more engaging at such places, as the big names invariably have received visitors so often, that it either starts to lose interest, or that they’re employing someone specifically for that task.
@JohnCummings Your post inspired me to recap my trip to Piedmonte last year. It’s a long recap, but you may find it at least a little useful.
We will be headed to Italy next fall. We plan on staying at la Morra. I have numerous wine tasting places noted but can you also name a few other activities? Thank you.
The walking is excellent, directly through the vineyards we revere on the labels (yay! for shared ownership, requiring open access). There’s a good cheap walking map in the tourist office (maybe €15 or less now). If you do La Morra to Barolo walk, it’s not a big detour to take in the colourful chapel that you might see pics of online.
A day trip into Alba is worthwhile, and market day is a good option for this. Some fine food shops, plus other stuff, plus plenty of historic interest there. Likewise Asti, which IMO has the better market, but I prefer the feel of Alba.
The Langhe, roero and Monferrato tourist board are excellent, and have plenty of listings for activities, including balloon flights. There may be opportunity to visit the castles in the area for instance. It’s a website that is invaluable for planning
Ian is doling out excellent advice. Every visit for me was for work so practically no time for casual wanderings but it’s a gorgeous area to stroll and the hills/vineyards good for a small workout. Over the years the area has become more congested, more touristy. I do remember liking Alba but I barely spent time in town.
I fully concur that smaller wineries are the way to go depending on what you want. The bigger, more famous properties will often be less personal and chances are you will not see much and may not even meet the grower. The problem with the smaller houses is they may not even really be open to tours/tastings or they may not speak much English in case that is a concern. I get that some may want to visit the top properties. Nothing wrong with that. However, there are so many that aren’t that much of a level down in terms of quality. Brezza, Alessandria, Guido Porro, the list is long.
That site is amazing. I found a link www.piemonteonfood.it I have been looking for hazelnut and cheese visits. I found numerous and so much more. Thank you!!!
My non-wine highlight of my 2015 trip was truffle hunting (with a guide).
It didn’t include the truffles you found, but they were available for purchase at a far more reasonable price than anywhere anywhere else else. And there are restaurants that are BYOT, bring your own truffle.
I have never been, but I’m also going to La Morra this fall. In addition to wine visits and vineyard hikes, we were going to visit this former Savoy hunting lodge in the outskirts of Turin—seems like a nice way to spend a morning.
Do you know where you are tasting? I’m overwhelmed by the options.
IIRC the grounds are very good at Stupinigi (we’ve not been, as generally big fancy houses aren’t out thing, but the grounds sounded very appealing for flora and fauna).
As for wineries, I often find the best starting point is wherever you’re staying. Look for nearby wineries on google maps and then have a look at website to see whether the wines sound appealing. In that way, you might find 1-2 (or more) wineries you can visit on foot. These can be ideal to give the designated driver a bit of a break, and allow them to taste freely without worry. Walking can also give you a better sense of place, especially if you get to the winery via the multitude of vineyard paths.
In general, I also advise people to mix in roughly equal numbers of wineries you know of, with those you don’t. It gives a better balance of experience than merely targeting the best known names (who see lots of visitors). In doing so I’ve found some lovely under the radar gems, but still satisfied my desire to eventually see where a favourite wine is made, and meet the people involved in making it.
One year in La Morra, we made a conscious effort to taste across the spectrum of traditionalist vs. modernist, at a point where the division was significant. It (and particularly taking in the hamlet of Annunziata) was perhaps the area where there were the most striking differences, from the arch-modernists of Altare and his disciples, to Accomasso, who is so wonderfully traditional (bemoaning the fancy suits and cars that had appeared, where once they thought of themselves as farmers). Whilst the attitudes have generally softened, if looking for direction, that might be a fun and informative approach to replicate, consciously tasting across the spectrum of styles.
If you are there at the right time, there are a couple events in Asti that are a lot of fun: the Palio d’Asti and the Festival delle Sagre. Loads of local colour and a chance to see examples of traditional arts/crafts/foods otherwise hard to find. There is also the Douja d’Or wine festival. All happening around the same time.
and indeed festivals large and small are a joy in Italy, and the smaller ones can get you very much engaging with local people, plus a few Italians on holiday, and they are typically very hospitable to foreigners away from the mass tourist trail / bigger events.
September can keep you very busy. Two more worth noting are the Slow Food Terra Madre Salone del Gusto (Torino) and Cheese (Bra) events. Both are largely free and open to all, tickets/reservations only needed for special tastings/events/talks.
This.
Spent 4 nights 2 weeks ago. Enjoyed the Italian-Austrian ambiance, the food and the local wines. Used as day-trip base to lovely Ortesei for a cool 6-mile Dolomites hike.