Having had a very drawn-out day on Saturday 4 November, (only leaving for Gatwick on the 17.38, and staying overnight in BLOC after a surprisingly good vegetarian meal in the Garden restaurant of the Hilton) we checked in our luggage at 06.00 on Sunday 5 November and breakfasted in Wagamamas before a very easy spacious Easyjet flight to Turin airport. 

We were joined there by Jens Priewe who arrived at 12.30 from Munich, when Signor Rosario Martelli rounded us up and drove us for an hour and a half to the Relais Villa d’Amelia, south of Alba, on the edge of the smart Benevello village, with beautiful views to the north west. 

Cristina Torrengo of Vite Colte (where we were exactly two years ago – see Piemonte 7) welcomed us, and after a pranzo veloce and a bottle of their young and newly planted Timorasso with Jens, we walked around the village in the final hour of bright sunshine, with fantastic views. 

Our ground floor room let on to the inner courtyard of what looks like a traditional cascina with its very own small chapel – still recognisable as such with a blue starlit ceiling and an altar table, but also serving as a chair store for the outdoor tables.

Dinner was tabled for 19.30, though the drinks lasted at least an hour, and then we sat down in groups of seven to what appeared a modest menu but turned into a surprisingly heavy meal. We ate with Cristina, Daniele Erbele, Canadian Michaela Morris from Decanter and Gurvinder Bhatia from Quench.

Tomorrow will bring input from Profs Vincenzo Gerbi, Attilio Scienza; Piero Quadrumolo, Bruno Cordero and Daniele Ebele; two tastings, a visit to Vite Colte and a Gala Dinner. Plenty of sartorial challenge! 

Monday 6 November 

After a really good night’s sleep we enjoyed a relatively modest breakfast and half an hour’s walk around the frazione Marena with spectacular views of the Alps including Monviso.

The conference proper began in the meeting room beneath the building – perhaps the cellar of former times. Perhaps 40 people, at tables of three, with a platform of six white middle-aged to elderly men, and a range of informative slides. David concentrated hard; I followed the general drift and enjoyed the slides even though the technical detail in Italian was beyond me; Prof Gerbi is very fond of Barbera…

At 12.30 we began tasting an eight* wine flight of Alta Langa pas dosè (*the first two were vino base from 2023 of which I thought the Pinot Nero was distinctly fruitier than the Chardonnay) which was a great pre-lunch treat (if hard work for those with a sweet tooth). It seemed to me that various spats broke out between the experts (Attilio was very vocal) but I was ploughing my own furrow. Can there be any doubt that Pinot Nero is better? Well yes, if you’re from Trentino as Rubin Larentis is… 

A buffet lunch followed, of which we ate the very sophisticated antipasti but bailed out before the pasta and drank our coffee in the delightful enclosed courtyard, before setting out for another half hour walk, returning in time to join the bus. We had a delightful, spell-binding 40 minute drive in a bus through the relatively unspoiled Alta Langa to Vite Colte in Barolo, via Monforte. 

The light was fantastic; the winery, as we traipsed round, was as striking as two years ago, (see Friday 29 October in Piemonte 7 blog) and the grass roof was astonishing – and very thirsty in the summer. The tasting of Barbaras and Barolos was slightly chaotic, presented by Luciano Rappo from Bolsano who described himself as a wine lover and an amateur (not true, of course, but like Ruben he was out of region). See the quality of the turf on top of the winery roof, below.

Tuesday 7 November : Old Vines Conference with Sarah Abbott MW at Vinchio Vaglio

An early start – breakfast on the dot of 07.30, and then at 07.45 in the car of Silvio, i/c sales at Vinchio Vaglio Serra who drove us to the winery in Monferrato for a gathering at 09.00, and a small coach to take us to the vineyards with the proud President of the soci, within the Unesco hills. 

The weather wasn’t as clear as yesterday, but the views across these very steep slopes were striking, and the walk in the vineyards, and the visit to one of the nidi (a word – nest – which echoes the work of Davide Lajolo – journalist, politician, author; 1912 – 1987, born nearby in Vinchio) were welcome.

The congregation was very mixed! They had assembled last evening and seemed open and friendly – as we got on the bus, David was welcomed as the author of the book which Tessa had imaginatively decided to give all attendees and at Christmas, their major clients! A good moment!

The company caused me much amusement: two vain early middle-aged men musing on ‘being the best’; several women of indeterminate age who (like the chaotic, flitting Veronica) asked questions slightly askance and a tad ill-informed; and Mike and Jo who are growing 4000 vines near Axminster.

Mike, as an agricultural genetics expert, whose first love is cows, spotted my interest in everything from methane production to horn removal and waxed lyrical for at least ten minutes on genetic modification and the Swiss passion for referenda.

I enjoyed the conversation; I suspect many didn’t. (Margaret Rand had thought I might regret starting it). She was wearing a very striking corduroy onesie picked up in a Red Cross vintage and brands charity shop in Old Church Street, Chelsea (to which I will be taking a slightly too big long suede leather coat shortly, purchased in a sale in Paris in 1999, and barely worn)

Tessa, the newish communications person, is excellent; Maddalene, local employee, made a great sheep dog, herding us into the tasting which began at c 11.30, heavily dependent on a competent translator, Cynthia, as even the chair, head of Gambero Rosso, spoke Italian. 

I suspect the main driver of the VV project is a longing backward look, though I applaud the President’s conviction that learning about the wines should be accompanied by a proper introduction to the wider beauty and ambience of the region, which I really enjoyed. However, they seem squeamish about the problems they face be it alcohol increase, disease in the vineyard, or the challenge of market expansion. 

Late morning saw a tasting of recent Barbaras which badly overran. The presenters used Italian and translating slowed us down but there were a barrage of questions which were not entirely relevant. 

Lunch was in the ‘barrel room’. Once again, traditional examples of raw fassona; russian salad, followed by pasta, and bunèt. Little spats with entrepreneur Leo Austin about olive trees, wine sales in the UK and hobby v profit kept lunch lively. He turns out to be a great supporter of Sarah Abbott. 

At 15.00 we began again with Professor Gerbi filling us in about Barbera before Sarah Abbott led a 10 wine-tasting. It was a long day! The final bus ride carried us and our luggage to Nizza, where they had booked us an apartment in the eccentric Palazzo Centro, just off the main square. Up high on the third floor, these rooms have tiny balconies joined by external sturdy fire-escape type stairs, all leading into the internal courtyard, and the exit via an automatic (of course) set of gates. 

Supper was excellent in the Terzo Tempo in Nizza and we manoeuvred to sit with Sarah, and she and David discussed ways of building on his book. Approaching Tim Atkins seemed a good route; and she will contact him.  This was followed by a sort of lock-in at the close by Cugini di Torino where the now relaxed Sarah, Cynthia, Brad, the OVC ‘engine’ Belinda (the nervous techy Luke had an early night) and various hangers-on enjoyed some Champagne – Sarah is a very  generous bon-viveur…

The young people behind the bar refused to join in, and by 00.30 I decided to be the party-pooper, and called time. I was astonished by everyone’s immediate compliance. 

Wednesday 8 November – Luke’s 10th birthday ! 

The bus collected us from the main Piazza, (the group split between those who had spotted the bus some 100m away, and those waiting patiently at the appointed place) and we arrived at the truffle ground in no time – a small, airy copse, planted perhaps thirty years ago with Linden, Oak, Hornbeam, Poplar, Willow and the odd Hazelnut – all of which keep close company with truffle spores. It was opposite a row of comfortable houses on the very edge of town. 

Leah, a two year old recently trained by her young master ( who instructs skiers in the winter months) did a very good job of nosing out five smallish truffles (total weight 110gms and worth 300 euros) and drew a great deal of devotion from the dog-loving attendees. Having watched the process carefully, I began to surrender my scepticism; the dog did a very good job! (NB: Valentina was adamant that these were planted!)

After a weigh-in and a bit of bargaining, we all hopped back on the bus, to collect luggage from the extraordinary Palazzo Centro (alloggi vacanza) and to leave the keys (and in David’s case, to squeeze in a cup of coffee) and drive to Piazza Crova 3, a ristorante nestling in the centre of Vaglio Serra (the other town of the cooperative) for a fantastic truffle lunch.

It was excellent, as were the wines, and the company – Sarah, Cynthia, Margaret and Belinda, relaxing now the conference was ending. Marco, the managing director, kindly drove us to Alba, arriving at precisely 14.15, as our friends, Joanna, Rob, Sue, Ian, Jason and Jess fell out of  local Zuppa where they’d lunched after a very early flight from Gatwick to Turin.

Thank you to both Vinchio Vaglio and Vite Colte for three delightful days, two excellent seminars, so many wonderful wines, fantastic accommodation and great food and company.