Well we’ve made it back home. Home in Italia that is. We are staying in a different agriturismo this time. The road to get here is most interesting. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Very poorly paved single lane road, with step drop offs and many totally blind tight switchbacks. I guess that I had better watch the vino consumption. Once up on the top, the Langhe Valley spreads out below with miles of vineyards, in their beautiful array of fall colors! The vineyards literally come up to the back door!
When we checked in on Saturday, our host, Carmen, greeted us with an incredible assortment of cheeses, salami, vino, grappa and dolce (sweets, cake). I would never have expected such a welcome! Since our lodging here is a full apartment, complete with kitchen, we did need to stock up on groceries. But after the imbibing upon our arrival, coupled with the treacherous road, that task had to wait until Sunday.
We took a different route to the mercato on Sunday in hopes of avoiding the worst of the roads. Fail! But we did encounter several hunters out looking to bag a wild boar-Cinghiale (ching-GUAL-ay). Apparently, every Sunday in October is open season on them. I have long had a desire to hunt Cinghiale in Italy, but I guess that I’ll have to settle for eating them in the local ristorante.
After stocking up on groceries, we drove to Barbaresco to partake of Piacere Barbaresco (we like Barbaresco), a festa where the local wine producers present their wines for tastings. We happened upon this event three years ago and were looking forward to attending, again. It did not disappoint. Although, it was much more crowded this time around. This is the 11th year, for this festival and I guess the word has gotten out! For around $25 you can taste up to 50 Barbarescos. The wine can only be called Barbaresco if it is from here and made with the Nebbiolo grape. We managed to find some wine to purchase!
Monday we drove to Alto Piemonte, for a scheduled tour, at the Proprieta Sperino winery, in Lessona. This is a region that we have not visited in the past. It is about 2 hours north of Alba. At one time it was a thriving agricultural and viticultural region. After WWII, the majority of the farmers abandoned the area and moved to the cities to work. It was much less demanding of their time and effort and they made more money. There was virtually little to no farming until the 1960’s. A few people came back to reclaim and rediscover the wine making traditions of the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Thanks to our friend, Renato, we were able to meet with Luca De Marchi and his wife Francesca, who now are rebuilding the winery. Luca is the grandson of the Sperinos. We received a tour of the historic family estate (which is currently undergoing a restoration). The family estate centers upon what is the town castle, although much of the castle no longer remains. Our tour included the original wine cellar and production room of the castle, and the “hell room” containing bottles from the early 1800’s-that are still drinkable!! The Sperino family is imbued with a passion for making the best Piemontese wines. Of course Nebbiolo is the foundation of the wines they make (it is called Spanna in Alto Piemonte), along with Vespolina and Croatina for blending. They, also, make a rose and grappa. It was a truly meaningful visit to be able to learn so much about the area, the wines, and one families’ passion!!
View From Our Agriturismo
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