Culinary Piedmont - Alba articles

Rias Baixas Albarino Grand Tasting

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alba

Published June 11, 2010 at 3:20 p.m.

Photo by Iñaki Vinaixa ... New wine drinkers many not know about Albarino wines, so here's a short study. It's said but not proven that the Albarino grape was brought to Spain in the form of Riesling cuttings during the middle ages by German monks on pilgrimage to the Camino de Santiago. It's the finest variety grown in the Rias Baixas of the Galicia region in northwest Spain. The Albarino and Riesling grape share minerality as one of their similarities ... Last week I got the chance to sample

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Canelli's Wine Cathedrals

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acqui, alba, alessandria, asti, canelli, canelli's, monferrato, torino, turin

Published June 24, 2010 at 2:41 a.m.

The 'Wine Cathedrals' of Canelli are hidden masterpieces of engineering and architecture. These underground cellars were dug out from the clay soil in the sixteenth century and extend for many kilometres beneath the town and surrounding hills ... They were then considerably lengthened in the nineteenth century and offer perfect thermal insulation and a constant temperature of 12-14 degrees Celsius, ideal for refining the wine's characteristics. Today they house over a million bottles of

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In Touch With Nature

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acqui, alba, barbera, canelli, dolcetto, langa, piedmont, piemonte, turin, white truffle

Published Aug. 1, 2010 at 2:23 a.m.

It's great to make new friends here in Piedmont, so it was good to meet up again with Maria Pia Lottini of Agriturismo Tenuta Antica who we met recently at a neighbours wine tasting. Last night we enjoyed a lovely meal in her restaurant which featured a sensational seasonal risotto, made by Maria Pia's mother, as well as a beautiful rabbit roll roasted with a filling of omelette and pepperoni, all washed down with their excellent 2009 Dolcetto d'Asti, Daniele, named after one of Maria Pia's

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Not Good Enough For Tripadvisor Readers?

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alba's, piedmont's, turin's, white truffle

Published May 27, 2010 at 12:30 a.m.

In this, the third post on the subject of the 2010 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards, we come to the thorny subject of "Food & Wine" ... TripAdvisor readers have decided Piedmont's ... food and wine regions are ... not ... in the Top 10 destinations in their Travelers' Choice 2010 Best Destinations category of "Top 10 Food & Wine Destinations in Europe" . ... The Top 10 did include six Italian destinations such as Florence , Siena, Montepulciano, Sam Gimignano, Bologna, and Rome? ...

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Hazelnut Cake

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alba, piemonte

Published Nov. 25, 2009 at 5:37 a.m.

Hazelnut Cake, or Torta di Nocciole: Hazelnuts are astonishingly delicate, and make for delightful cakes. Though I tend to associate them with Piemonte, thanks to the stands of hazelnut trees around Alba, they're popular throughout the North ...

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Relax in Piedmont

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acqui, alba, asti, canelli, carlo, dolcetto, piedmont, torino, white truffle

Published Nov. 16, 2009 at 8:27 a.m.

It is always nice to make new friends via the blogosphere so it was good to meet up with Natascha Di Mario of Agriturismo Verdita earlier this month via Twitter and yesterday in person with Nicolas at Cantina Maranzana ... for a wine tasting, cantina tour and lunch! ... Casa Dolcetto is very happy to recommend this lovely Agriturismo which is immersed in beautiful countryside overlooking rolling hills. The lavender farm at Agriturismo Verdita is an ideal spot if you are visiting the region of

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Truffle update!

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alba, grinzane cavour, grinzane cavour', piedmont, tartufo, white truffle

Published Nov. 10, 2009 at 10:21 a.m.

Truffle Update: ... A follow up to our post last month "Truly Truffle Town" about Alba in Piedmont ... The 79th White Truffle Festival of Alba ended last Sunday with a 750 gram "tartufo bianco" (white truffle) being sold for a 'trufflific' 100,000 euro at Grinzane Cavour. The buyer, a Hong Kong restaurant owner, took part in the auction via satellite transmission and will now be wondering how much he dare charge his customers for a grating or a slice ... Image via Wikipedia ...

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An Italian Meal For The Week, and Barolo

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alba, langa, nebbiolo, piemonte's

Published Oct. 23, 2009 at 2:16 a.m.

I have spent much of the past week working on my tasting notes from Alba Wines, the annual presentation of the wines from Piemonte's Langa region. Specifically, the 2005 Barolo. It was a difficult vintage, but I found a number of wines that I liked, and you will find them listed here ... What to enjoy a Barolo with? Barolo is a full bodied, tannic wine, and here are a few ideas: ... Risotto ai Funghi Porcini: We've certainly had enough rain for Porcini to sprout of late, and they are richly

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Truly Truffle Town

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alba, cesare, langhe, piedmont, piedmont', tartufo, white truffle

Published Oct. 16, 2009 at 1:45 a.m.

At this time of year the "Fiera del Tartufo Bianco d'Alba" (The annual White Truffle Festival) takes place each weekend during October in Alba. A great chance to taste rich fare in this charming town in Southern Piedmont ... "During the festival, the town takes on a different hue and scent as the distinct musky flavour of the famous 'Tartufo d'Alba' permeates the streets." ... So now is a good time to share some of the town's history and some of my favourite things to do in this charming town

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