Piemont Wine Tours
There are so many options on our Piemont wine tours that you could be forgiven for being very confused as to what to choose! The Piemonte region is rich in history and gastronomy, so will constantly delight your palate and mind. Let us help you decided what you can fit in with our overview of some of the experiences below. Things you can do in addition to extensive wine tasting and touring include historical or cultural visits, plus culinary adventures such as truffle hunting.
When you talk to us we can prioritize activities from your list. Remember everything we do is custom-designed for you so you just tell us what you like the sound of and let us put it all together for you in a logistically sound schedule. We can arrange everything and anything you might need or want, transfers, hotels, meals, and tours plus your flights or trains if required.
En-route visit to the Monferrato wine region
Before we get into the business of world-famous wines in Piemont we will show you an obscure but very interesting grape whose home is the lovely village of Castagnole Monferrato. After we pick you up in either Turin or Milan we will drive you to the home of the “Ruche” grape, the aforementioned Castagnole Monferrato. If we pick you up in Turin it will be just an hour to the village, from Milan it may take around 2 hours, depending on slightly crazy Italian traffic of course!
Whether we can visit one or two Monferrato wineries, have lunch in the village, and have a wander around will all depend on your arrival time. But for the purposes of this program lets assume we picked you up mid-morning from Turin. In such a case we can offer you a winery tour and tasting upon arrival so you can get to know Ruche, then leave you in the village to wander and grab some lunch. Then mid-afternoon we can visit another winery before we drop you at your hotel.
Where you stay on our Piemont wine tours is entirely up to you, but please ask for our local advice of course (if you need it?). The region is quite compact and driving distances are very manageable hence you can stay in any number of locations. If you stay in the Asti area, for example, you would not have more than 30 minutes or so driving in any direction to start your tours, hence we can fit even more visits in.
Barolo and Barbaresco | Bubbles and Truffles
Probably the most famous wine from Piemonte is Barolo, the wine of Kings. Right next door you have the wine of Queens, Barbaresco. Our Piemont wine tours will show you both of these prestigious wine regions, which if you are pushed for time we could do in one day with a visit to one winery in both DOCGs, but why rush? Why not make visits to two or three wineries in both Barolo and Barbaresco and see and taste much more. As you know everything we do is custom-designed but if we are left to suggest a program for you we will generally suggest a blend of activities each day.
Enjoy an explosion of Barolo on one of our private Piemont wine tours
Unless you have a transfer for a specific service that requires you to get up early, a train journey for example, then we try not to rush you at any point in your tour. A leisurely breakfast is a lovely and relaxed way to start your day so we aim to pick you up around 10 am.
A standard day would generally consist of two, or even three winery visits (visiting times would have to be shorter for three rather than two of course), lunch either at a winery or in a picturesque village, usually followed by some time to wander around and stretch your legs. We would also sometimes try to fit in a cultural or historic visit, or maybe a gastronomic adventure. Or maybe you would like to try an active excursion such as a short hike or bike ride. There are lots of options.
Asti Bubbles
Think of Italian sparkling wine and you think of Prosecco and Asti, right? The DOCG of Asti is the one we will get to know here, a bubbly which is produced by a method that very few others use, so few in fact that the process is called the “Asti Method“. We will show you an Asti winery (or three) as we tour the region, maybe we will show you contrasting operations so you can a range of methodology and philosophy? For example, we might compare a boutique-style Asti winery with a limited release and range of offerings with a larger concern offering high tech, large scale production. Tastings at any and all of the wineries are a given of course, and if we have lunch in Asti country we will crack a bottle open while we eat.
Fantastic Piemonte wine map by Wine Folly – we can take you all over this region
Wineries | Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera and more!
Whichever of the 3 Bs you want to taste we can arrange any number of days touring wineries, walking the vineyards, and enjoying tastings. At the smaller, boutique, or family-run places where we have close relationships, we will arrange a tour with the winemakers and owners to give you extra insight. At larger, more famous wineries engaging with owners and winemakers is more difficult but not out of the question.
Some of the winemaking families and companies in this part of Italy are hundreds of years old, and some are relatively modern inceptions. We really like to show contrasts on our tours, providing contrasts in scale production methods and also in history. As we mentioned above we can probably fit in three wineries in one day if you don’t get carried away at a particular winery (which you probably will!), so maybe a better plan would be two, plus a leisurely lunch in a historic village? Everything is decided by you in the planning stage and maybe taking some of our local experts’ advice.
Truffle Hunting
Italian food, especially in Piemont has a great deal to offer but first lets deal with its world-famous truffles. Often called the “diamond of the kitchen”, the Italian white truffle found growing around the town of Alba is among the most expensive foods in the world, often costing up to €500 ($700) for 100 grams of this rare fungi depending on how much has been found and collected that season. Some years where harvests are good the price can drop to a less eye-watering €220 per 100 grams.
It has been reported that only around 200 truffle hunters in Piemonte actually find them, we will arrange for you to go out with one of these hunters and his special tool, the truffle dog. You can see in the photo above that the truffle hunter has a large book where this particular man notes the details of his finds so he can search with a certain pattern and methodology, hence maximizing his chances. You may not actually find any on your excursion, especially if you are out of season (season runs from September to January), but the hunt with the friendly dog is great fun and if you are out of season the truffle hunter will show you how it is done anyway.
Cooking Classes and Foodie Heaven!
You can really indulge your stomach in this corner of the world. The traditional recipes that we can show you in Piedmont cuisine are known for having powerful aromas and tastes to their dishes. Such forceful elements as garlic are popular, plus anchovies in the case of Bagna Cauda. The aforementioned white truffles of the Langhe offer a pungent foil to understated pasta dishes, what a combo. These strong flavors blend well with many of the local wines we will be trying, Barbera d’Asti, Barbaresco, and of course Barolo. A list of dishes and the many delicious ingredients is a long one indeed.
In addition to being well fed along the way, and learning about the wide range of local produce we can go one step further and teach you how to prepare a local dish. Our cooking classes in a Barolo winery for example is a lovely and fun experience. Several of our Barolo wineries will allow us to set this up for you in their very well equipped kitchen. The cooking class will include a tour and tasting also, so you really do get the full monty experience. The menu you will create includes a starter, a pasta course, the main course, and a dessert. During the cooking class, you can start the tasting of a couple of wines to get the creative juices flowing, and enjoy 2 or 3 more during your very own meal.
Where to Stay? Vineyards | Villages | Castles | B&Bs
This area has a long and complicated history, the legacy of which can be seen as you travel along winding lanes, up and down vine-covered hills, and through a myriad of tiny villages. Everywhere you travel you will see picture-perfect vineyard hotels, villas, lodges, castles, rural hotels, and quaint B&Bs, many converted from historic buildings that this rich cultural wealth has left behind. So you are really spoilt for choice of where to stay, whether on the winery itself, in a more urban or village location, or in the middle of nowhere. In truth, the only governing factor is the price as you might imagine, but we have some great connections in the region so allow us to suggest options to you.
Picture postcard Serralunga d’Alba 
The lovely Villa del Borgo in Canelli
The lovely villages and wine meccas of Barolo, Barbaresco, and Serralunga d’Alba are among the most picturesque in the region, but also the mountain villages of Fenestrelle, Vogogna and Bardonecchia are beautiful too. Piedmont, as its name suggests, is an area of Italy that has a close relationship with the mountains, which are a permanent backdrop and presence. In fact, the mountains surround the region on three of its sides. Piedmont holds a strong regional identity and one of which it is very proud. When you travel with us here not only will you feel and enjoy this pride, but will adsorb and consume the fruits of this spectacular place and take them with you always.
Ask us about combining your time in Piemonte with wine tours in Chianti or Veneto perhaps?
