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The Langhe: Wine, Truffles and the Landscape of Piedmont
The Langhe Is a Dream
The Langhe is a dream. I seriously long for it whenever I think about it. There is something magical about the region. It feels human, but it can also feel quite remote. Life in some of these areas has never been particularly easy, yet there is something powerful about the simplicity of it. The landscape, the vineyards and the produce all seem to belong together. You see this even in the names of the wines. Bussia is the name of a hill in Barolo, but it also appears on wine labels because of the quality of the wines produced there. That level of attention to the land says a lot about Piedmont. It is not simply Barolo. There are many different wines and local products, each connected to a particular part of the region.
Learning Wine Around a Dinner Table
Some of my best wine education did not happen in a tasting room. Lukas Hagen, the first violinist of the Hagen Quartet, would come to Pinerolo several days a month when he was visiting. We became very close, and our dinners became something of an ongoing experiment. I would cook several courses and Lukas would bring several wines. He would explain the vintages, the houses, the grapes and the different ways the wines were produced. We compared them throughout the evening and matched them with the food.
That is how I began to understand wine differently. It was not just about whether I liked a bottle. There was a whole story behind it. We had a thirty-year-old Barolo that was still a beast. Barolo and Barbaresco both come from the Nebbiolo grape, yet their character can be quite different because of where the grapes are grown. That is what I want guests to experience in the Langhe. Not simply knowing that Barolo is famous and is a great wine, but understanding that the wine comes from somewhere very specific.
Truffles, Cheese and Local Festivals
The same applies to truffles.
I love the idea of the white truffle in Piedmont, but I am particularly interested in the local festivals. I have visited the famous festival in Alba, but I prefer the smaller ones where local people come to celebrate their own produce.
There is something very simple about seeing people drinking wine from a plastic cup for a euro while fresh truffle is being shaved. You can meet the people who actually produce and source the food rather than only encountering the polished side of the industry.
There are cheeses, meats, chocolates, liqueurs and other local products alongside the truffles. You talk to people. You taste things together.
For our journey, we will actually go truffle hunting, meet the dogs, taste the truffles and have wine with them. It will be my first hunt, too, which makes the experience particularly enjoyable for me.
The Food Belongs to the Family
Food in Piedmont is not something separate from everyday life. It brings people together. I remember being invited to Christmas lunch by friends because their grandmother had said that nobody should be alone at Christmas. We were very touched by the invitation. The meal lasted for hours. There were long conversations about Italy, cultural differences, music and everything else that comes up when people sit around a table together. Then the main course arrived.
Their grandmother had been a famous pasta maker in Tuscany, so before anything could reach the table, she had to taste each dish. She took a taste and simply said, “Oggi buono.” That became a saying for me. I had also been making pasta with an old wine bottle as a rolling pin. She was not impressed by my inventiveness. The next day I bought a proper Italian rolling pin, sent her a picture and received her approval. Those are some of my favourite memories of living there.
This is what I hope guests experience in the Langhe. Not just the famous wines or the white truffle, but the respect people have for the ingredients and the pleasure they take in sharing them.
Discover the wider Piedmont journey
- Piedmont, Italy: A DeSalvio Private Journey Through Music, Art, Wine and Savoy History
- A Different Way to Experience Piedmont: Music, Food, Culture and Time to Enjoy It
- Why Travel Through Piedmont Slowly? Art, Music and the Pleasure of Staying Longer
See the cultural side of the region
- The Art of Piedmont: Museums, Palaces and Hidden Collections
- Turin and the House of Savoy: Experiencing the Royal Side of Piedmont
Discover the Piedmont that inspired the journey
Experience it as part of a private journey
Taste the Langhe for Yourself
Join us in the Langhe to experience Piedmont through the things that make the region distinctive: its vineyards, truffles and local produce. We will meet producers, taste the wines, experience a truffle hunt and sit down for lunch. The aim is not simply to know what Piedmont is famous for, but to taste the region where it is made and understand the care behind it.
Robert Poortinga
Travel Booking Assistant
River cruise & Europe destination expert
Culinary and art travel specialist
Concert Pianist
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