Piemonte
Gourmet Piemonte Wine Holiday for Individuals, Early booking offer
This is an extremely enjoyable short autumn break for “foodies” giving you the chance to visit one of northern Italy’s classic food markets and stock up on some superb ingredients for your festive entertaining or purely for your own enjoyment! We are based deep in the heart of the evocative Langhe countryside at the state-of-the art winery hotel in the town of Bra.
Piemonte in autumn means truffles. Cookery Writer Elizabeth David in her book “French Provincial Cooking” describes truffles as “a variety of parasitic mushroom which grows on the roots of certain oak and hazelnut trees. There are a great number of varieties of truffle, of which the only common characteristics are their interior structure, their mode of growth, the fact that they are edible and a certain similarity of taste, but in dimension, size, colour and shape they differ extremely one from the other. She goes on to call them “the most delicious of all foods anywhere”.
Your personal guide will take you to the market in Alba, the regional capital famous for its truffles, where the streets will literally be perfumed with the heady scent of this precious and expensive white tuber. Amongst the produce here are the region’s cheeses, Bra, Tomme and local Castelmagno, and at this time of year, another speciality too, hazelnuts. The local pasta Tajarin is also a great delicacy. Our local guide will walk you round her favourite food stands, tasting and chatting along the way so that you gain as much appreciation from this colourful fair as possible.
At lunchtime, she’ll point you in the direction of a simple wine bar, or a gourmet restaurant – whatever takes your fancy, and you can either choose to eat alone or invite your guide to join you to help you choose your way through the menu and the wines!
Chocolate, as we know it today, was first created in Turin and this area is still well known in Italy for chocolate. This afternoon our guide will take you to the village of Cherasco to visit a small chocolate maker still upholding these traditions.
Of course as this an Arblaster & Clarke Wine tour you will also visit one of our favourite small wine estates in the area, where we will taste great Barolo, as well as superb examples of Dolcetto d’Alba and Barbara d’Alba.
Outline Itinerary
Day One
Taxi transfer from Turin airport.
Check into your 4* state-of-the art winery
Depending on your arrival time, you will be given a tour of the winery’s impressive cellars and a tasting.(or, if your arrival is scheduled to take place too late, we will plan this for the next evening or last morning).
Free evening – to either dine at the hotel’s excellent osteria or stroll into town to enjoy one of the classic cafes or the Slow Food Movement’s own osteria, all a short walk away.
Day Two
(Saturday, as this is the only day that the Alba truffle market is on).
After your gourmet made to order a-la-carte breakfast at the hotel, your local guide will collect you with the driver to take you to the Alba truffle market, and walk you round the mouthwatering array of stalls, selling local cheeses, sausages, home made pastas and of course truffles.
Lunchtime – Our guide will suggest a restaurant from the many excellent ones in Alba and will join you if you wish, as your guest, to help you choose and order.
After lunch, our guide will take you to the delightful small town of Cherasco, where you will taste at one or two of the small shops and cafes specialising in hand-made chocolates. Return to the hotel late afternoon.
Free evening for you to choose where to dine.
Day Three
Another gourmet home-cooked breakfast from your choice of the extensive made-to-order menu.
Your taxi will collect you to take you back to Turin -either at the airport or your choice of city centre hotel.
Price based on the EXACT itinerary as shown above and pre-booking by no later than 14 weeks before departure:
Price per person based on 8 in twin share, £525 per person.
Price per person based on 6 in twin share, £625 per person.
Price per person based on 4 in twin share, £850 per person.
Price per person based on 2 in twin share, £1425 per person.
Includes:-
Return private taxi transfers to and from Turin airport or central Turin Hotel
Two nights B&B in 4* winery hotel, twin/double share
One day guided day out with local bi-lingua
Tastings at the Alba Market and of chocolates!
Wine visit and tasting.
Wine notes, maps, restaurant suggestions.
Dates for travel: Although autumn is the time to go to experience the main truffle season, there are truffles to be found throughout the year and the market in Alba runs every Saturday for all the other delicious local specialities anyway, so this trip is possible throughout the year, except August.
