Saturday 15 March 

We had driven from the Hotel Crabun in Pont St Martin to an appointment at Kalamass at 09.30 near lake Viverone on the Sella d’Ivrea (the huge terminal moraine created over eight different ice ages) and then found a very fine lunch – by accident – in A Cà Mia in Cigliano. 

We  drove on to Roggero near Albugnano for 15.00 and finally reached Alba soon after dusk, and plumbed the depths of the Hotel Calissaro’s unpleasant underground car park, unpacked our things in room 506 before beers in the bar and a simple supper in the hotel, accompanied by a disappointing bottle of Nascetta.

I was asleep by 22.00….

Sunday 16 March 

David attempted some writing up while I traipsed around the local streets trying to fathom the one-way system and various routes to and from the hotel, which occupies an unprepossessing site alongside the unused railway line, and an empty dilapidated factory at the back of a large complex housing the Society of San Paolo, founded in Alba in the early twentieth century by a local priest born in Fossano who served in Narzole parish. He aimed to use contemporary media (including film) to spread the Gospel; he died in 1971 and achieved Blessedness (Beatified) in the 1990s. (One miracle short of Sainthood) 

Lunch was very strange at the Tiger Sushi bar where we failed to fathom the ordering system, and even when we had, the food arrived very slowly. Hardly fast food… 

David listened to Chelsea playing football in the afternoon while I watched a presentation on line by Sarah Llewellyn of the National Gallery’s exhibition on Siena’s Art : 1300 -1350. Later we walked to Osteria del Vicoletto (open on Sundays) for a lovely supper (prawns, artichoke, squash soup; bacalà and faraona) with a delicious 2021 Prugnotto Langhe Nebbiolo, and a chance meeting with a 21 year old single diner, here in Alba all the way from Florence to meet her chef boyfriend for a Monday day off.

Monday 17 March

David worked until 10.30 when we set off driving south on the most beautiful of early spring days via the back road (as I call the old SP3) with me driving to our meeting with Roberto Conterno at 11.00, in Monforte. The views of the snow-clad Alps were spectacular.

The meeting was a tense, self conscious affair. Both his young women lieutenants (Stephanie and Erin) were in attendance. Roberto spoke rapidly and concisely making note-taking difficult; he refuted most hypotheses or conclusions David offered, or any content with generalities or popular views. He is particularly exercised by people’s negative attitudes to ‘chemicals’; as anyone knows, we’re all made up of chemicals…. and so on. He is a meticulous person, as his bottling machine indicates..

The visitor is left in no doubt that he is the expert. So much so, that when I asked about the impact of his buying Nervi on Gattinara, he almost lost his very evident control and fulminated about how the growers there should ‘open their minds’ – at least to his ways of operating. Clearly I inadvertently  touched a nerve; that was not my intention. 

We dawdled over an excellent lunch in Grappolo D’Oro In Monforte itself, served by a loquacious waiter, only to discover we were in fact late for our next visit at Brovia when Alex Sánchez phoned us at 14.30. We hurried to the winery arriving at 14.45, and as he warmed up, spent a useful two hours in his handsome first floor tasting room, with its fine views to the east, just alongside the back road to Monprivato vineyard. 

Alex offered David sight of this mock-up T shirt label in response to his question about his wine ‘philosophy’ (not a word we would choose over ‘approach’). Climate, soil, vine, heart…

We later enjoyed an excellent supper in the Osteria del Arco, which is open on Mondays! 

Tuesday 18 March 

A morning in while D wrote up Conterno and Brovia, while I listened to Ben England in part two (Renaissance music) of the Around Sound series, followed by lunch in the Gastronomia Urbana, a very convenient eatery and takeaway on the edge of Piazza Michele Ferrero.

I then drove us to Coppo in Canelli to meet Erika and its new owner, who has thrown herself into the refurbishment of its tasting rooms and a relaunch of this historic winery with its ‘cathedral’ cellars noted by UNESCO. Erika (communications) has recently joined her and explained some of the recent events to us, which include the sudden unexpected death of the purchaser, whose widow is now bravely and efficiently pursuing his aims.   

On returning to Alba, we headed for the new enoteca DiVina  which has replaced Gustibus, only to find that it closes on Tuesdays, so we defaulted to Al Dente for an elaborate artichoke and prawn starter, followed by leek and potato soup for me, and another tajarin for David, accompanied by a glass of tired Arneis and a glass each of an Alta Langa

Wednesday 19 March 

Our meeting at 09.30 with Manuel Marinacci near Tre Stelle at San Roco di Seno D’Elvia began well; a bright fresh spring morning in a quiet southwest corner of the Alba part of the Barbaresco area. The drive from the hotel along the old SP3 is a delight; windy, yes but quiet and very picturesque. 

Manuel’s story is touching; having spent a couple of years working these vineyards for their elderly owner (who had no immediate family to take them over), he was gifted the rights to continue there for the whole of his own life span, after which the land will revert to the previous owner’s heirs. Manuel has no children of his own, and is therefore more than content with the arrangement. Giove, a massive mastiff with a very soppy nature, is his great companion. 

He was warm friendly and helpful, explaining the longevity of his mother (packing boxes alongside us) and his grandmother, who died recently. There are only 53 years between him and his great grandmother, who had her first child at 14. Le donne sono piu robuste! he tells us. I know! The modest house and cantina are home to cats as well as large soppy dogs

Manuel took us to Lunch at Osteria Italiana in San Rocco; a very beautiful quiet spot in March. The Osteria has ambitions – the food was excellent. San Rocco is idyllic; tiny and off the beaten track.

There followed an unscheduled visit to Ca’ del Baio in Tre Stelle to taste the Chardonnays – David has mentioned them in his Decanter article on the increase in Piemonte of white grape production. There are three different Chardonnays now that Valentina’s burgundy styled version is on the market. We spent two hours gossiping with Paola Grassi and her parents and husband Carlo (of Del Tetto) who arrived on his new BMW motorbike wearing an elaborate helmet and air-bag vest. Below is a photo of their winery, no doubt courtesy of a drone.

This evening we had arranged to meet Sarah and Fabrizio Matteodo at 100vini just off piazza Michele Ferrero for aperitivi. They were held up in traffic coming into Alba from Cherasco, having left Leonardo (16)  and Lucia (14)  in charge of Filippo (9) but we had a happy hour and a half catching up, and talking about Nebbia e Luce, and the trials of leading groups. We ate pinse in a very quiet Divina, finally open for business. 

Thursday 20 March 

On another beautiful day, crisp to start with and later sunny, Roberto of Cascina Luisin met us at 09.30 at his family home overlooking Rabajà vineyard, where a gigantic and brand new excavator was gouging out the edge of the house to create garaging for farm vehicles. Once completed, the terrace will continue for the length of the cascina, itself built in 1913.

We traipsed across the huge mound of newly disturbed soil (clayey silt) to reach the vineyards with 180 degree views from Serra Lunga to the south, west right across to La Morra, then of Verduno, San Vittoria (across the Tanaro), Guarene, and on towards Asti in the north, while in the immediate foreground lies Barbaresco and its beautiful vineyards facing the river. 

After half an hour we scrambled back to the Cascina, avoiding the terrifying digger (no risk assessments going on here!) and toured the cellars with their beautiful Stockinger botti and the 65 year old cementi for fermentation of the Nebbioli. A family business with the laudable ambition to represent and honour the traditions of Barbaresco, and not to speculate by inflating prices, though we noticed these wines were not cheap in local wine lists. 

Roberto’s father joined us during the tasting. He is 90 in May; a contemporary of many of the great and founding names of the region. The lightweight clogs (made from poplar) were worn by him – particularly useful in snow apparently, insulating; light weight, and sitting well on the snow. 

Lunch in Barbaresco was in Antica Torre. The town was quiet though there was a small procession up towards the tower of those planning to eat well. We arrived in an empty upper room, which quickly filled up with groups, largely made up of men. ….. of the cantina … was away, visiting Scandinavia according to the young waiter, implying that he would normally be in attendance.

We returned to the hotel for more writing up and an uphill walk for D and more Around Sound History of Classical Music ( part three : the Baroque) and a shower for me before supper at APE in pursuit of a particular Timorasso that David will be tasting on a zoom in June.

The meal itself was very good though the staff were too zealous – and worst crime of all – spoke to us in English. It is a very popular place for exactly that reason! We enjoyed a very reasonable Val Maggiore, sold as Nebbiolo d’Alba

Friday 21 March 

Our final visit this cloudy morning was to Paitin high up above Treiso. Luca was travelling in the USA so his father Giovanni hosted this tasting. At first painfully shy, he slowly warmed up over the tasting itself. The soils of their vineyards are made up of both dominant types in Barbaresco, Sant’Agata Marls, and also Lequio formation which produce very different results. Nebbia e Luce have bought vintages of all their MGAs and we tasted them all, with our host relaxing as we went on as the photo shows. Luca will return a week tomorrow. 

We had booked lunch at Visione for a final culinary fling and to celebrate Chelsea Women winning some silver (I forget which!) The weather is changing, and rain is forecast for later today and tomorrow.

This afternoon we have various practical jobs to complete: paying a motorway toll on line; (in the night David had suddenly remembered a brief moment from two weeks earlier, seeing the toll requirement on the motorway signage, as we drove to Gattinara); printing boarding passes, paying the hotel bill, and booking flights to Verona for VinItaly, finding another (Thursday) night there, packing, buying rail tickets for tomorrow from Gatwick as well as David following England’s game against Albania (probably the most important).

We ate some takeaway vegetables from Gastronomia Urbana (open til 22.00 on Friday and Saturday) and D finished off Christoff’s (of Boca’s Le Piane) Erbaluce rescued from lunch while I went for hotel Birra.

Saturday 22 March 

We left the hotel at 08.00 to drive to the airport, with me doing the slow stuff until Carmagnola, where we joined the motorway north. Following the signs for Caselle along the Tangienzale David achieved both the airport and its petrol station easily, and we had surrendered the car by 09.50, joining the sizeable queues for London bound planes. Security went smoothly, and we went to the gate at 11.00 after coffee and purchasing Poke to eat on the plane. 

I couldn’t believe the advertising bill board in the airport: two coats, both dog tooth, cut in styles I well remember from the 60s and 70s… I will find the evidence shortly

The flight was on time if very full. We arrived in Gatwick fortunately – Heathrow was completely out of action after a fire in an electrical sub-station and we were home by 16.00. Hurray!