Dreamy Alba
A perfectly charming (and very tasty) town in the Piedmont
Alba, Italy is a very lovely, sweet town in the Piedmont, in the Province of Cuneo; one of the main cities in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato. Alba is also considered the White Truffle capital of the world and has an immensely popular and expansive White Truffle Fair that takes place from October through December each year.
When I decided to make Turin my home for 2 months this year, a visit to Alba and the Langhe region was top of my list of things to do.
Since my “day job” has been in the wine business since 2007, and in wine and food since 1998, I am always excited to explore incredible winemaking and food regions and learn more (there is never knowing it all - not even close for me). Alba and the Piedmont were calling to me.
While tiny, Alba is also known for its excellent restaurants, coffee, and confections. I imagined I might stay for a few days, in a hotel or Airbnb, and visit some wineries as well as enjoy the town’s many culinary and historic delights.
However, that wasn’t meant to be. I would not be renting a car on this trip and I had a very hard time trying to find a tour that included transportation from Alba to explore wineries. There was one I tried to book several times, through Airbnb Experiences, but it didn’t work out as they required me to join another group and said that all their groups wanted to be “private”. I must admit, slightly frustrating communication, which I find time to time out traveling in the world but rarely with Airbnb Experiences hosts. The other obstacle I found was that it was very busy due to the White Truffle Festival and the other wine tours I tried to book were full, which made perfect sense to me.
But I wasn’t deterred. I merely pivoted my plan to make my visit to Alba a day trip and soak up all I could.
Alba is an easy train ride, about an hour and a half, with many options throughout a day back and forth from Turin. I found I could leave Turin around 9:30 a.m. and arrive in Alba before noon. I read a few posts from some of my go-to experts on the region, [including Livugine who I have mentioned before as being an excellent resource] and made some notes on how to structure my day for wine tasting, eating, and exploring.
I decided to go on a Friday in early November. This is peak autumn and peak White Truffle Festival so a busy time! My thoughts were going on a Friday would help avoid the big weekend crowds and I hoped (fingers crossed) that I would be able to eat at least one of the top 3 restaurants on my list and have a good wine tasting.
The train ride itself is a joy. The landscape is stunning. I made sure to stay off my phone and fully enjoy seeing the city quickly turn into gorgeous countryside, including snow-capped mountains and “out of a movie” hilly villages with churches, castle-like homes, and charming farms.
An easy walk to the town “center” from the train station (more like a stop), I landed at my first saved spot in less than 15 minutes: Moniviso Italian Coffee Factory.
Coffee in Italy is life. I love the ritual of stopping for coffee, even if it is a quick stop for an espresso or macchiato while standing at the bar. I typically settle in for my coffee, taking a seat and taking my time, but have been known to stand at the bar for a quick macchiato in the afternoons.
Monivoso, close to the Piazza Duomo in Alba, is a stylish spot with excellent coffee. I ended up chatting with the owner, Alessandro, and he was such a wealth of information and so kind. After telling him about my goals for the day he gave me his top 2 places he thought I should go for an authentic Piedmont wine tasting. I also shared my proposed lunch spots and he agreed they were all good and what he would recommend for delicious regional dishes and white truffles. I was getting hungry already just talking about it.
For lunch, I was optimistic that I would be able to get a table at La Piola - which is part of the 3-Michelin star Ceretto Family restaurant group, even though I had no reservation. Located below Piazza Duomo (the 3-Michelin Star), the La Piola chalkboard menu features classics from the Piedmont and Langhe and an excellent wine list. However, it wasn’t meant to be as I was told there was no way to dine there that day. While sad, I had several backups and also asked Alessandro for his input as well. Luckily, my backups were also his recommendations and I felt confident I was going to be perfectly happy with my meal. Just a note: I may go back to Alba for an afternoon later this winter just to dine at La Piola. Stay tuned.
After being fortified with coffee at Monoviso and chatting with the staff at La Piola, I took a quick walk to my backup restaurant and was able to make a reservation for later in the afternoon. Success!
I spent time in the Duomo itself, a lovely church with a simple ceiling that was so beautiful to me. The churches in Italy are always worth going into if you love art. Sitting in the quiet and taking in the beauty and artistry of these spaces reminds me to be patient. That mastery and making things of beauty take time and effort.
Walking through the small center of Alba is really lovely and quick. I walked through several small piazzas that were very charming on my way to the wine bar,
I really want to thank Alessandro because I honestly had the best wine tasting here. While I had been sad not to visit wineries, I had one of the best tastings I’ve ever had anywhere with Carmine, the owner of Petricore Enoteca and Cucina. Not just a wine bar but a full-service restaurant, I wish I had more time to also enjoy a meal here. Next time.
What started out as a tasting of 5 wines for $30 (a bargain) turned into a very lively discussion and me tasting 2 additional exciting, small-production wines that Carmine brought out for me. I absolutely love spending time with someone who is so passionate about what they do (Carmine is co-owner, with his wife, who is the chef as well). My tasting took about 1 hour and 15 minutes but could have stretched longer had I not had a lunch reservation elsewhere.
Below are the wines I tasted. Most of these are very small producers that don’t get out of Italy much, or even the region, especially the Naschetta white wine which I loved. This experience was very special and I really recommend visiting. I loved every single thing he poured me.
N.S. Della Neve Metodo Classico Extra Brut Rosé Bubbles - an exciting bubbly made from Nebbiolo - yum
Valfaccenda Arneis 2022 - a yummy, rich white wine of the region
Spirito Agricolo Ballarin Nascetta 2022 - a unique white wine that has a definitive ‘farm yard’ nose, very earthy but a bright, salty taste. This grape doesn’t get out of the area much, as I’ve tried to get it in Turin and Florence with no luck, making it even more special. I loved it.
Cascina Corte Reisling 2022 - very tiny production and a stellar riesling. A special share that was not part of the original line up.
Spirito Agricolo Ballarin Amorvincil Rosso 2021 - a red blend that was super tasty. A bit cloudy and I liked that component a lot.
Cascina Fontana Vendemmia Vino Rosso 2021 - another tasty red blend of the region
THIS WINE BELOW: so special!
Pora Riserva Barbaresco 2017 - this wine was unbelievably delicious. It was so elegant and wonderful. I absolutely loved it.
Even though my Italian is un po (little) and Carmine was much better at English than I was at Italian, he was admittedly limited and at first our conversation was a little stilted but we made it work and we got into a very lively flow. I could have spent double the time with him but I had a lunch reservation to keep.
My lunch at Osteria Era Nuova was exactly what I wanted from an afternoon in the Italian countryside: noisy, comfortable, and very, very tasty.
White Truffles, naturally, were going to be enjoyed. The chalkboard showed the pricing by gram for truffles and a minimum 5 grams per order. Um, no problem.
I went with a very traditional lunch: Vitello Tonotto (thinly sliced veal with a sauce made from tuna, capers, and lemon - so good) and Agnolotti del plan (pasta stuffed with 3 meats) with fresh shaved white truffles. What could be better?
I had an Arneis that blew me away and I honestly could drink every day. It was 5 euro for the glass. And I also had a glass of Barbera that was beautiful and 5 euro. Insane and incredible coming from the United States.
Lunch is a long affair in Italy and I wish that we approached meals this way more in the US. I had brought a book but I was just happy people-watching in this intimate cozy space and slowly enjoying my food. No one is in a hurry for you to leave and you will need to request the check when you are ready to go. This has been my experience everywhere in Italy and is very standard. Perfection.
Post-lunch I strolled through the charming streets of Alba to the Duomo Caffe for a macchiato and some cookies for dessert. The late afternoon sun was glowing on the piazza and it was comfortably cool/warm in one of those perfect autumnal climates.
I walked back to the train station to jump on an early evening train back to Turin. As I watched the charming villages go by from my seat, I was treated to one of the most gorgeous sunsets over the valley.
By 7:00 pm I was back in my flat, full and tired, after a lovely walk
If you are going to visit Turin, I highly recommend at least a day trip to Alba. It is so easy to get there by train and worth the visit.
Are you going? Have you been? Let me know your favorite places or any intel you might have on winery visits. I would love to hear.
If you are planning a trip and have questions I can help with, please send me an email. I would love to help and if I don’t know the answer I feel like I can connect you with someone who does.
Thank you, as always, for reading.
Ciao for now.
Possibly the most welcoming words on menus anywhere: "Dolcetto della casa." (Or whatever wine, but Dolcetto specifically = yum). I love Arneis, generally, and I've never heard of Nascetta but I want to try it now. Your description is delicious.
This is such a special area! We had our first truffle experience here and later named our second dog, a fluffy white Samoyed, Alba (the first dog's name is Truffle! 😂) I'd love to return.