Cascina Cà Rossa
Località Cascina Cà Rossa 56
Canale (CN)
Tel 0173 983 48
http://www.langhe.net/cascinacarossa/

Azienda Agricola Cornarea
Via Valentino 105
Canale (CN)
http://www.cornarea.com/

Cornarea Roero DOC 2004
Almandine with black reflections and garnet rim. The bouquet is moderately rich, with smoky red berry fruit supported by some green leather and slight eucalyptus-laced vegetal accents. On the palate it's medium bodied, with fairly rich cherry fruit supported by clean sour acidity and tannins that have a slight youthful burr, and flow into a clean berry fruit finish with bitter accents. It's quite young, but pleasant in a slightly traditional key, and will drink well with succulent red meats or hearty stews.
2 stars

Matteo Correggia
Via Case Sparse Garbinetto 124
Canale
http://www.matteocorreggia.com/

Malabaila
Piazza Castello 1
Canale
http://www.malabaila.com/


Malvirà Azienda Agricola dei F.lli Damonte
Case Sparse Canova 144
Canale
http://www.malvira.com/

Monchiero Carbone
Via S. Stefano Roero 2
Canale
http://www.monchierocarbone.com

Pace Di Negro
Pietro E Bernardino
Fraz. Madonna di Loreto
Cascina Pace 52
12043 Canale
Tel 017 3979544

Massucco F.lli
Via Serra 15
Castagnito
http://www.cosebuonedicampagna.it/

Cascina Chicco
Via Valentino, 144
12043 Canale
http://www.cascinachicco.com/

Azienda Agricola Marsaglia
Via Mussone, 2
Castellinaldo 12050
http://www.cantinamarsaglia.it/

Stefanino Morra
Via Castagnito, 50
12050 Castellinaldo
Tel 0173 213489

Bel Colle
Frazione Castagni 56
Verduno
http://www.belcolle.it

Maurizio Ponchione
Via R. Sacco 9/A
Govone
Tel 0173 58149

Renato Buganza
Cascina Garbianotto 4
Piobesi D'Alba
http://www.renatobuganza.it/

Giovanni Almondo
Via San Rocco 26
Montà
http://www.giovannialmondo.com/

Michele Taliano
C.so Manzoni 24
12046 Montà d'Alba
Tel. 0173 976512

Gian Paolo Viglione
Borgata Tucci, 4 3
12064 Montà
Tel. 0173 976142

Negro e Figli
Frazione Sant'Anna
Monteu Roero
http://www.negroangelo.it/

Cascina Val Del Prete di Roagna Mario
Via Santuario, 2
12040 Priocca
Tel. 0173 616534

Deltetto Azienda Agricola
Corso Alba 43
Canale
http://www.deltetto.com

Cantina del Nebbiolo
Via Torino 17
Vezza D'Alba
Tel 0173 65040
http://www.cantinadelnebbiolo.com

Giacomo Vico
Via Torino 80
Canale
Tel 0173 979 126
http://www.giacomovico.it

...Piedmont, Italy

Three of my favorite wineries are going to be showcasing their wines in my old home town of Portland Oregon on January 27 from 3:00 - 5:00 at Pastaworks on Hawthorne.

Produttori del Barbaresco, Renato Ratti and Cantina del Pino are about as good as it gets for tasting wines that are representative of this region.

These guys are all very popular in Portland so be prepared for a crowd.

...Italy, Piedmont, Oregon, Barbaresco

The Centro Nazionale Studi Tartufi is housed in the same building as the Alba Bra Langhe Roero tourist office. I never really knew what these guys did until this year when they started offering truffle classes. The smell of a good truffle is one of those things that once you get embedded in your brain, you know it. It's like for most of my adult life I am sure I drank more than my share of corked wine, but once I had someone point out what that really means, I can pick out a corked wine with the best of them.


With truffles, there is a smell that (because of the nature of smell) is hard to describe, once those synapses fired in my brain, I would describe as earthy, hay, slightly garlic with maybe a hint of honey. At least for the variety here in Alba When I smelled a too ripe specimen a slightly ammonia smell prevailed. A fresh truffle should be firm and a too ripe truffles will have a little give when pinched. Too young, you might as well be eating dirt, so we won't go there.

So what does this have to do with truffles in America?

Well, December 8, 2007 was the first International Fiera del Tartufi symposium where they invited people to represent the countries where truffles grow. Hungary, China, France and America. For various reasons (not the least of which was the people they really wanted were busy and I live here) they invited me to represent America.
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...Truffles, Piedmont, Piemonte, 45th parallel, Italy, Italian

The A10 autostrada around Genoa is about the scariest piece of highway I have ever experienced. Any day of the week or time of day it is the closest thing most of us will come to experiencing driving in the Monaco Grand Prix. Curving lanes through tunnels and vistas with cars traveling way over the posted speed limit and the beautiful Mediterranean sea flashing by at warp speed. Tailgating takes on new meaning when the car behind you is so close that you can not see their headlights in your rear view mirror, but you can see the driver smoking a cigarette and talking on his cell phone. The flip side of this experience is bumper to bumper traffic that can seize this highway that will allow you to alternately enjoy the views and want to blow your brains out.

This view of Genoa from the Autostrada is one of the less attractive sides of the city. Tattered sun shades and laundry drying along the balconies from the canyon of apartment buildings that line the highway

TIP FOR DRIVERS: Stay in the direction of A12 Livorno, there are a few places where the left lane exits into Genoa with very little warning.

Surviving the drive and exiting the Autostrada at Rapallo allows you to pry your fingers from the steering wheel long enough to begin saying a new set of prayers as you swerve back and forth on the road into Santa Margherita.

TIP FOR DRIVERS: You will be greeted with one of those confusing moments that gives you the town name Santa Margherita Liguria BOTH to the left and the right. The left takes you the shorter less attractive way through Rapallo with some small streets and tight turns. The right takes you down the aforementioned swerving road, it is longer but more beautiful and breathtaking, especially if you encounter a city bus coming in the opposite direction.

Santa Margherita is a beautiful village on the Golf of Tigullio on section of the Italian Riviera called Riviera di Levante. A 40 minute train ride away from the beautiful if now tourist driven Cinque Terra. Santa Margherita is far more enjoyable outside of the summer season of July and August unless crowds, heat, noise and high prices are what you are looking for. If you are there in those summer months it is best to stay in a hotel that has their own beach. If you have never witnessed an Italian beach in August, the people watching alone is worth the trip.

...liguria, santa margharita, Italy, genoa, Driving In Italy

There are 10 D.O.C.G. wines in the Piedmont and about 40 with D.O.C. designation.

D.O.C. - Denominazione di Origine Controllata - Means that the wine is made from grapes grown in a recognized and unique wine growing zone.

D.O.C.G. - Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita - The "G" means that the quantity of wine production is controlled. Ever notice those pink labels wrapped around the neck of a bottle, they hand those out to wineries based on the acreage (hectars) of grapes grown.

The best source of information on the local wines for a particular area is the Enoteca Regionale of the region where you are going. Remember the D.O.C/D.O.C.G. name does not necessarily tell you the name of the grape, but the name of where the wine was grown. Think Barbaresco and Barolo... both are made with 100% Nebbiolo grapes but because they are grown in different areas (only 12 km apart), the wine that is produced from each region is truly unique enough to have its own name.

D.O.C.G.
Asti,Barbaresco,Barolo,Brachetto d'Acqui,Gattinara,Gavi,Ghemme,Moscato d’ Asti, Roero, Roero Arneis

D.O.C.
Barbera (d'Alba, d'Asti & del Monferrato, Piemonte)
Dolcetto (Langhe, d'Acqui, d'Alba, d'Asti, di Ovada, di Diano d'Alba, di Dogliani, Dolcetto delle Langhe Monregalesi)
Grignolino (d'Asti, del Monferrato, Piemonte)
Nebbiolo (Langhe, d'Alba,

Albugnano, Alta Langa, Boca, Bonarda, Brachetto, Bramaterra, Carema, Cisterna d'Asti, Collina Torinese, Colli Tortonesi, Colline Saluzzes, Cortese dell'Alto Monferrat, , Erbaluce di Caluso o Caluso, Fara, Freisa d'Asti, Freisa di Chieri, Gabiano, Grignolino d'Asti, Casalese, Langhe Rosso, Langhe Chardonnay, Langhe Favorita, Langhe Bianco, Langhe Freisa, Lessona, Loazzolo, Malvasia di Casorzo d'Asti, Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco, Pelaverga, Piemonte Cortese, Pinerolese, Rubino di Cantavenna, Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato, Sizzano, Valsusa, Verduno

...D.O.C.G. , D.O.C., Italy, Italian, Barbaresco , Barolo