Piedmont Autumn 2019

Piedmont Autumn 2019

There really is no better way of spending two days than in Piedmont in the Autumn. We were guests of Boutinot Wines and our hosts were Araldica, Il Cascinone, Poderi Colla and La Battistina. We tasted some amazing wines including Barbera, Barberesco and Barolo and equally amazing foods as white truffle and porcini mushrooms were both in season.
On our first day we travelled to the Poderi Colla estate where Tinto Colla and his niece Federica proudly showed us their vineyard and cellars. The history of the Colla family goes back centuries, and is always intertwined with major events in the history of wine in Piedmont. Pietro Colla, born in 1894, was the first Italian winemaker to introduce sparkling wines having learnt the methode champenoise: the procedure of refermentation in the bottle. We were privileged to be shown actual footage, albeit grainy, of Pietro demonstrating the technique on television.
Tino and Federica continue the Colla family’s three centuries of winemaking heritage in Northern Italy. Tino and Federica believe in a non-interventionist approach to winemaking to give each wine a unique expression of site and vintage, and they take sustainability and the environment as seriously as their wines.
We will be showing some of their balanced, rich complex wines at our Annual tasting on November 8th. Tickets are now available from the shop.
Unfortunately the road to Gavi were impassable due to weeks of rain but we were able to taste the selection at Il Cascinone. Araldica acquired La Battistina in 2002 establishing their reputation as a Gavi specialist and renowned as among the best sites in Gavi. The estate is divided into distinct areas producing very different wines. The majority of grapes go to produce the unoaked ‘La Battistina’, while ‘Nuevo Quadro’ comes from a small plot at the foot of the Battistina hill lying in the Comune di Gavi sub-zone. Again these will be on taste on the 8th.
The pictures do not do justice to the rich colour and scenery of Piedmont. The depth of warmth and hospitality shown to us reflects in the richness and history of the wines and vineyards. Piedmont we will return.