Touring the Langhe – one perfect day!

Well hello lovie!

What a perfect day!  I really wanted to explore a wine region I wasn’t familiar with so I’ve based myself in a fairy tale village called Alba.  Fortunately I was referred to Matteo from Langaround for a private wine tour of the area and it was more than I hoped for!  Matteo was the perfect host.  He was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about wine and food and tailored my tour as the day went on based on my tastes.

I started the day with Matteo picking me up from my accommodation, then driving out of Alba up to a lookout so I could get an overview of the area.  Here’s a little video (still figuring out my camera so start is a bit dodgy) I took which gives you an idea of the landscape.  FYI – those aren’t white clouds in the distance, they’re the snow capped Italian Alps!

After this we headed to the beautiful Marchesi di Gresy Winery where I got a full tour by Anna which covered the history of the family, the wine region and the wine making process.  We finished with a tasting of their wines (they specialise in Barbaresco) and needless to say I purchased a few.

After driving around a bit more, Matteo took me to lunch at Osteria More e Macine, La Morra.  You probably won’t find this place in the guidebooks!  It’s nothing special to look at but it’s apparently the go-to place for locals and people who work in hospitality.  This was my first try at eating the raw veal dish which is a speciality in the area and I was absolutely sold!  All the food and wine was exceptional but the highlight for me was being taken down to their cellar where I got to choose wine to buy (with Matteo’s help!) and was given a very hefty discount.  There didn’t seem to be any system to his storage – boxes everywhere!

We then headed to the Massolino Winery, Serralunga D’Alba where again I was given a private tour of the whole winery and finishing with tastings – this is Barolo country! The views around the winery were spectacular and of course I walked away with MORE wine.

The day wasn’t over yet, Matteo took me to a famous church in the area that is no longer in use but owned by the Ceretto family who love art and they had it painted (see my post here for La Piola restaurant review, also owned by Ceretto) .  Apparently it’s the thing to do to go here and check it out – very cute!

So now as we are weaving our way through the beautiful vineyards and sights of the region and I realise I have a problem, 12 bottles of wine to somehow get back to Australia – Matteo to the rescue!  He takes me to the local shipping office and translates what I want and before you know it I’m told my wine will be home in 3-5 days!  Fingers crossed they get home safe as I’ll treasure these wines and relive the memories of my day with every sip.

Be fabulous xx