It’s wine tasting day! We have an appointment later this morning to meet with an independent wine producer in the hilltop village of La Morra. It’s not far from Alba, so after breakfast at the hotel, we’ll get in the car, plug the address into the GPS, and go do some wine tasting in La Morra.
The Langhe
We’re in the region in Italy known as the “Langhe,” (“long-geh”). The word comes from an old word that means “hills.” That’s appropriate, because the Langhe is all hills – good for growing grapes for vino.
Some of the larger hills have towns on top. Eight areas in the Langhe, each with a hilltop town of its own, are designated as the only places where nebbiolo grapes can be grown and turned into the two most well-known Langhe wines: Barolo and Barbaresco.
The Langhe is to Italy what Napa Valley is to California – it’s where most people believe the best Italian wines are produced. Lots of grape varieties are grown here, but the undisputed superstar grape is nebbiolo.
Nebbiolo grapes are notoriously difficult to deal with. In fact, the Langhe is just about the only place in the world where they’ll grow. There must something unique about this little corner of the world. It’s the only place where white truffles are found, and it’s the only place where nebbiolo grape vines are happy.
Be glad you’re not a nebbiolo grape grower, though. Nebbiolo vines flower early, but the grapes ripen late, exposing them to whatever nasty weather comes along. But people here have been growing nebbiolo grapes for at least 700 years, so they’ve managed to get pretty good at it.
Barolo, Barbaresco, and Dolcetto
Barolo and Barbaresco are widely reported to be among the greatest wines in the world. Both are made from 100% nebbiolo grapes. They’re both big, tannic reds that need time to mellow out before they come into their own. Both are special, but Barolo is king of the hill(s).
Italian law doesn’t permit Barolo to be sold unless it’s at least three years old. (They can sell it. They just can’t call it Barolo). But Barolo doesn’t start to get really good until it’s been sitting around for ten years or so. And that’s just when it STARTS to get really good.
Yes, it’s expensive. Barbaresco is pricey, too, but it’s more accessible than Barolo. The third most prevalent grape variety grown here is Dolcetto. It’s a different animal from the Big Boys we’ve been talking about. Vino made from Dolcetto grapes is delicious when it’s young, making it more affordable.
People see the name, “Dolcetto,” and think it must be sweet like a dessert wine. “Dolce” means “sweet” in italiano, but wine made from Dolcetto grapes is typically on the dry side.
Wine Tasting in La Morra
La Morra is a village on top of a hill in the Langhe. It’s in the part of the Langhe where Barolo is produced, and it’s one of the few villages sanctioned to make it. Our wine-tasting appointment today is in La Morra.
From Alba, La Morra is just a short drive through the green, hilly Piedmontese countryside. The address where we had our appointment turned out to be a residence in the village.
We knocked on the door and waited. Nothing. We knocked again. Still no answer. It appeared that no one was home except for a cat looking down at us from the second floor.
Pretty soon a young lad who looked to be about eighteen years old, at most, came hustling up the road. His dad, who was supposed to meet us, was tied up with a wine expo that was being held in town. We’d be wine-tasting with junior instead.
Our apologetic host was nice enough, but he was very shy and spoke no english that he’d admit to, so tasting wines with him just standing there was awkward. We made quick work of it and decided to go, at his suggestion, to check out the local wine expo.
Switch to Plan B – The Local Wine Expo
The wine expo turned out to be the place to be. It was held in a small community center in the village. Eight or ten local producers were there, showing off their vino. Most of the people working there spoke some english, and were more than happy to tell us all about Barolo. It was a fun and educational stop.
The thing about tasting wine, though, is that it gets your appetite going. Besides, it was time for lunch. Someone recommended a place that was only a few blocks away, so we walked “across town” to check it out.
It was a beautiful restaurant. A bit pricey for our taste, but we were there, it was there, and by this time, our inhibitions had been loosened up a bit. Might as well go for it, eh? We’re on vacation, after all.
We were shown to a table outside, under the shade of big, white umbrellas, near some trees. From our hilltop vantage point we could look out over the green rolling hills of the Langhe region. This would do just fine.
To be continued…
The photo of La Morra at the top of the post is by Andrea Marchisio Frukko/Wikimedia Commons
