Alta Langa: Hazelnuts, Grappa, Donkeys, Moscato - Piedmont Wine Tours

Thanks to #ReDolce Blog Tour and its organizers, an awesome group of bloggers and I got to discover the gateway to Alta Langa (Mango), an often unexplored region of Langhe. Here is an example day itinerary that we actually got to experience ourselves!

BREAKFAST IN THE ENOTECA COMMUNALE OF MANGO

The Enoteca Communale of Mango organizes a ton of fun events and always offers up Moscato D’Asti tastings in this old castle. We were lucky to fill our tummies with local hazelnuts, cakes, spreads and of course Moscato!

DISTILLERIA BECCARIS : Costigliole D’Asti

Nothing like tasting grappa at 10 o’clock in the morning. Luckily we had the owner show us around for a good hour, explaining all we needed to know about the different types of stills they used and all the kinds of grappas they produce. I took Claudio along just for this activity! It was incredible to see all the pomace getting brought in during this harvest period. Even more incredible was tasting Beccaris’ grappas which I have actually learned to appreciate (especially the grappa di Barolo:)).

MOMENT FOR REFLECTION – TRAILS OF BEPPE FENOGLIO

We had to “earn” our “light” lunch which was next up on the agenda, so we walked up to a tiny chapel in San Donato di Mango where we were greeted by an actor who recited this famous author’s work. Fenoglio was a writer born in Alba and wrote his most famous novel called Johnny the Partisan. He often cited local villages in his works and dealt with the themes of the rural world of Langhe and the Partisan war. It was a nice reflective break from eating and drinking.

“LIGHT” LUNCH

After our plentiful breakfast, a light lunch was the perfect idea. I guess in Langhe light means: 4-5 antipasti, i plin ravioli with butter and sage sauce, tajarin with a porcini ragu, dessert and of course lots of Dolcetto! We walked to Agriturismo Cascina Anrì which seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere and found such a charming homey agriturismo, welcomed by the family with homemade food and wine.

AZIENDA AGRICOLA PAVAGLIONE – SAN BOVO DI CASTINO

What else would you NOT expect than visiting a donkey farm in Alta Langa! With the cloudy cold weather and plugged ears, it really seemed like we were up in the Alps. Samantha, the donkey farm owner, asked for any volunteers to milk the donkey! Guess who was quick to jump in? This was definitely a first, as was tasting the filtered unpasteurized milk straight from the utters. They say it tastes like mother’s milk and is the easiest to digest but I would rather use it for the high end cosmetics they make from it;)

DINNER AT AGRITURISMO BRUSALINO – MANGO

It had been too long since we last ate (about 4 hours) so it was time to sit back down at the table and enjoy the beautiful view overlooking the vines and then of course enjoying their local wines. We also tasted Cà ed Balos’ wines which were fantastic. Renata, the winemaker and her husband also joined us for this multiple course meal. I loved my dinner and had some great options as a vegetarian too. Sadly, we had to say goodbye and miss out on the second day of the blog tour but I am so glad I was able to share in these wonderful experiences in Alta Langa.

Thank you to Anna (Cucina Precaria), Alessandra (Ricette di Cultura), Valeria (Due Cuori e Una Forchetta), Enoteca di Mango, and Cà ed Balos, and all the others who participated!

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