Giuseppe Mascarello

Guiseppe Mascarello is one of the most traditional producers of Barolo. Their topwines Monprivato & Monprivato Riserva Ca' d' Morissio take AGES to evolve. Not for the fainthearted.

Note - Brovia actually leased a part of the Monprivato vineyard until the 1990 vintage.

Mascarello webpage

Piazza Duomo (Alba)

Located at the Piazza del Duomo. We have not come around to this...yet. But have heard good rumours about it.

This is apparently a modern styled kitchen, so if you are getting tired of traditional Piedmontese food (not sure how you could :) ). But anyways...will get back with a more thorugh rec. when we go next time.

For now, please visit their website:

http://www.piazzaduomoalba.it/

Vincafe (Alba)

In the middle of the main pedestrian area (Via Vittorio Emanuele) you wil find Vincafe. It's a young, buzzing, place with groups of young people in the weekends. The service is good, and the food is really good and you can sit down and have a snack with your glass of wine or go with a full lunch/ dinner. The platter of cheese is worth saving room for. Depending on your appetite, you can choose to have a selction of 6-13 pieces.

http://www.vincafe.com

Eating in Piedmont

It's no surprise that Piedmont is my (and quite a few others) favorite spot for eating & drinking. The food is top notch and for wine geeks it is heaven. That is, if you like Piedmontese wines.

The pricing on most wines in restaurants are pretty much the same as you would encounter in stores in Denmark. During our last visit to Enoclub we had Aldo Conterno's Cicala 2001, which is such a great wine and almost irresistible now. At the restaurant is was €70/DKR 525 which is about €30 below market price in Denmark. It was hard for me not to order two bottles.

Trattoria della Posta (Monforte)

http://www.trattoriadellaposta.it/

Luciano Sandrone

Even though Mr. Sandrone and his wines are highly regarded among Barolo afficionadas, he is still a humble man and seems satisfied to make great wines and make people happy. When visiting you are almost overwhelmed by the hospitality. Luciano has been assisted by his daughter, Barbara for some years now.

Sandrones homepage

Locanda del Centro (Castiglione Falletto)

A great tavern/restaurant in the heart of Castiglione Falletto. Food is excellent and low-key, the wine list is short, but has some very good names on it. And the prices are very reasonable.

http://www.locandadelcentro.it/

Renato Corino

A young la Morra producer, Renato has plots in the famous Barolo vineyard Rocche dell'Annunziata and the top plot for Barbera, Pozzo.

Giovanni Corino

A young producer, Giuliano Corino and his brother, Renato, divided their fathers estates and vineyards in 2006.

A great la Morra producer.

Bruno Giacosa

Well, where to start? Bruno Giacosa (a.k.a. God) is probably at the top of his game these years - and have been for decades. Probably the number 1 producer in Piedmont closely followed by Giacomo Conterno

Giacosa's wines are very traditional in style and usually needs a lot of time to come around.

Bruno Giacosa's homepage

Ken Vastola's great winepage about Giacosa

Aldo Conterno

One of the most traditional producers in Monforte. Aldo Conterno is brother of Giovanni Conterno (of Giacomo Conterno).

Aldo Conterno's homepage

Brovia

Elena and Cristina is in charge of this traditional Piedmont producer.

Brovia's homepage

Producers

A completely subjective list of Barolo producers. This is NOT a comprehensive list of producers, but just some of my favorites.

Brovia
Aldo Conterno
Bruno Giacosa
Giovanni Corino
Renato Corino
Luciano Sandrone
Guiseppe Mascarello

Enoclub (Alba)

Great

La Libera (Alba)

Great restaurant...this have in no time become our favorite restaurant in Alba. The service is great, the food is excellent and the wine list is a joy for Barolo-freaks.

Raviolone alla "Nino Bergese" con tartufo bianco d'Alba

The cheese cabinet at la Libera

Piccione disossato all'aglio e rosmarino

Marco (owner/chef) and Flavia (owner/director) are a great at making the guests feel welcome. The food is classic Piedmontese with a twist.

Sandrone Barolo, Le Vigne 2003

Really loves this wine. For a 2003 this is really a great showing.

Castello di Neive, Barbareseco Santo Stefano Riserve 1999

Had this baby Saturday evening. Was popped and poured. It started out a bit muted but after about half an hour it started to show really well.

The colour was brick-red with some orange tones around the edges.

In the nose it was classic Nebbiolo with tobacco, dried fruit and some balsamic notes.

The taste was very balanced and finishing with a nice dryness to it. The tobacco notes was followed by fresh red berries and cherries. This is not a blockbuster wine, but just a very nice drink.