Wineries to Seek Out in Italy’s Piedmont Region
When most Italians talk about the best wine regions (of the 20 Italian regions), Piedmont is inevitably named along with Tuscany. The most esteemed Piemontese wine is the pricey Barolo, but there are many other well-known wines to sample throughout Piedmont: Barbaresco, Barbera, Dolcetto d’Alba, and Moscato d’Asti. And if you’re a red wine connoisseur or aficionado, the lesser-known Grignolino may entice your palate like it did mine.
Whether you’re in the vicinity during fall’s truffle season, or exploring at another time of year, Piedmont is a great area to go for a day (or several) of wine tasting, because there are so many different types of grapes and wineries in fairly close proximity. And there are many excellent restaurants both at wineries and nearby.
Here are some wineries worth seeking out during your time in the Piedmont region, organized alphabetically by town:
Asti
Reservations: Recommended
Tasting: Typically organized as a group tour and tasting, for a fee
Varietals: Millesimato, Moscato, and other (mostly) sparkling wines
Even if you’ve toured many wineries before, this winery tour is different because of Contratto’s focus on sparkling wines and the different treatment they receive during the maturation process. While they sell many varieties of the typically sweet Moscato d’Asti, don’t be deterred. Many of the sparkling wines, including some Moscato, are quite fresh and well-balanced, and quite pleasurable to drink (even for those of us who usually shy away from sweet wines).
Barbaresco
Enoteca Regionale del Barbaresco
Reservations: Not needed
Tasting: 3 selections available daily for a small fee
Varietals: Barbaresco!
Housed in a former church, this enoteca in the middle of town has a vast selection of local wines. You are only able to taste the ones selected by the Enoteca on a given day, but can get advice and purchase from many local wineries all in one spot.
Reservations: Not needed
Tasting: Free
Varietals: Barbaresco mainly, and excellent grappa
A short walk from the regional enoteca listed above, this winery has an inviting tasting room also central in the town of Barbaresco with no reservations needed. It’s a great spot to taste the differences in the flavor of this varietal from different years and treatments. And even if you don’t typically like digestifs or don’t think you like grappa, be sure to try the grappa here – after three years living in Italy, it’s the smoothest I’ve sampled.
Barolo
Reservations: Not needed
Tasting: Free
Varietals: Barbera, Barolo, Dolcetto, and also a nice Langhe white
This winery is the perfect combination of excellent production, and a conveniently located tasting room in the town of Barolo. As it was for me, it’s an easy stop if you have some extra time late in the afternoon or happening to be staying nearby and want to pop in for a tasting.
Dogliani
Reservations: Required
Tasting: Typically organized as a group tour and tasting, for a fee
Varietals: Barbera, Barolo, Dogliani, Langhe Rosso, Moscato and Nebbiolo
There are quite a few very delicious single-grape wines from the various vineyards this winery has acquired throughout the Piedmont region, including Barbera, Barolo, Dogliani, and Nebbiolo. Poderi Luigi Einaudi also does an excellent red blend, their Langhe Rosso.
Langhe
PaitinReservations: Recommended
Tasting: Typically along with a tour, there is a dedicated tasting area
Varietals: Barbaresco, Barbera, Dolcetto, Langhe white and red, Nebbiolo
This is an incredibly scenic winery, with both vineyards and hazelnut trees on the property (the Piedmont region is know for its hazelnuts, and I was told that this winery grows hazelnuts that are used in Nutella on my visit!). Their wines are also excellent examples of the different Piemontese varietals, and I left with quite a few bottles in my trunk.
As you can tell, my wine preferences are quite eclectic, and there are a large number of wine varietals (white, red, and sparkling) represented by the wineries listed above. Certainly if there is one particular wine that you are seeking out on your trip, use this list as a starting point to explore more wineries growing a particular grape. Take the time to visit each winery’s website – many wineries are in one region but have vineyards in several places, so produce many different regional varietals.
Still have questions? Hit me up about the region and its wines in the Comments below.
