On the wine trail
Piedmont's soil offers rich black cherry reds, lighter-bodied reds, and some of the most refreshing whites in both still and sparkling. The region is amazing in both its variety and quality of wines. It is definitely one of the best regions in which to base yourself if you want to tour beautiful wine areas. Moving around in the protective inner ring created by the Alps and the Apennine mountains, wine tours can encompass many different terrains. For example perhaps start or finish your tour in Aosta, an Alpine region dominated by Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc). Here you can try some of the highest produced wines in Europe, or visit the beautiful Italian Lake area around Lago Maggiore, and then from Arona you can experience the lesser known areas of the Gattinara and Ghemme wine zones. We recommend you spend at least one day in Turin, the capital of the region. This city is famous for gourmet restaurants, fine chocolate, and of course Fiat cars. Nearby it is possible to visit the Cinzano and Martini estates, possibly Italy's most famous appertifs. If sun and sea appeal to you, then the Italian Riviera is just south of Piedmont, with famous resorts such as San Remo and Portofino, favourite haunts of the rich and famous.
Of course no wine tour in Piedmont would be complete without driving and or walking through the venerable vineyards of the Langhe and Monferatto. Here you will find the increasingly sought after big ‘Bs’ of Piedmont wine, Barolo, Barbaresco and Barbera. The Langhe and the area around Alba are famous for white truffles (tartuffo bianco), Barolo and Barbaresco wines, and there are lots of famous estates to visit here. From the nearby city of Asti you can easily explore the upper and lower Monferatto, regions with the highest number of DOC wines.
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31-01-07, 02:14 PM
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