I am struck by the sheer natural beauty of this place. Green, lush hills contrast with the red terracotta tiled roofs. The crisp mountain air makes it feel very pristine; cool in the shade and very warm in the direct bright sun. Everywhere one looks there are grapes being grown. It is the season for “veraison” when the grapes start to ripen and turn red. I am completely surrounded by immaculate vineyards. There is a good reason for this, too. The international popularity of wines from this region have made the area very wealthy. One hectare (just over 2 acres of land) of planted vines would cost around $3 million. It is, however, a moot point as there are no prime vineyards for sale and the majority of landholdings have been in the families for generations.

Typical Barolo Street

The best place to see the region is from the town of La Morra at the very top of the hill. Looking down one can see a line of small villages within the valley that have become famous for the wines they produce: Verduno, Serralunga, Diano, Castiglione Falletto, Grinzane Cavour, Barolo, Monforte and so on.

View from La Morra

If you get caught up in the world of tasting wines from the Barolo and Barbaresco regions, beware. Nebbiolo can become a very expensive lifelong habit. It is fascinating to see the subtle differences that a wine from one town has from its neighbor. Of course, there is a lot of variation that stems from the winemaking techniques themselves from different producers, but I found there are distinctive differences between some of the villages too. La Morra seems to produces lighter wines with a zingy nervousness (almost similar to a fine Burgundy) whereas the wines from Serralunga have much more power and intensity of expression. Soil, aspect, vine age, vintage, etc. all make up for these subtle differences.

More to come…

Cheers,
Patrick