Langhe in Autumn: colours and scents
An idea of the colours can be seen in photography ,whilst unfortunately for now, the scents can not be appreciated , even if the smell of the truffle ( in piedmont dialect ‘ trIfula’ ) is very strong.
Colours like aromas are ‘sensory experiences’ and only experienced live…
Who looks for/ finds the truffles? An inseparable duo, ‘ il trabuj’ ( Piedmont dialect for the dog trained to find the truffles) and il ‘Trifulau’ ( Piedmont dialect for the dog owner and searcher of the truffles).

This is the right time, the hills are coloured in all shades of yellow and red, there are the truffles (le trifule) and for part of the autumn there is the ‘International Alba fair of white truffles’ until 27 November’.
People from all continents visit , looking to understand something from the ‘Trifulau’ (truffle hunter) and the future ‘trabuj’ (dog searcher of the truffles).

Giovanna

The Trifulau, or truffle hunter

In my fathers times, almost only peasants went hunting for truffles. They did it in Autumn, when grapes had been harvested and wheat had been sown, to earn a little more money and, possibly, to make up for a bad year.

You couldnt improvise yourself a trufle hunter: you needed good stamina, for the long and tiring walks after a hard days work, but also courage, to walk alone at night through valleys and hills with the danger of bad encounters.

Trifulau & dogs

Hunting truffles is a way to live moments in complete freedom, deep in the silence of nature, in a time of year when the colours and smells of autumn are enveloping; it’s gratifying to see the dog “at work”, admiring his skilful way of moving about sniffing the ground, selecring every scent and readily answering orders. Its a precious thing, being able to share all this with an inseparable friend!

The Trifulau is a lonely and very reserved figure, who shares a very close bond with his dog and with nature. He becomes one with his dog while hunting, and every time they re-enact an ancient ritual made of looks, signals and incitements that culminates in the irrepressible and liberating outburst of joy when a truffle is found.

Trifulau & dogs

The Trifulau usually moves by night, for various reasons: the weather conditions are better for hunting, the dog is less distracted, and the darkness and fog help hide from prying eyes. When the ground is covered in snow, he takes long detours to his secret places, leaving misleading trails in other directions for other hunters to follow and sometimes even simulating a find near trees that don’t hear truffles at all!

He walks with great agility and skill, overcoming every kind of obstacle; he knows every ditch and slope by heart. He knows when truffles grow, and the trees that bear them; how to tram his dog and how to reward it and, finally, he knows that a good truffle is worth a fortune!

Natale Romagnolo

Trifulau & dogs

Vermouth is a typical product of Piedmont. It is consumed in several different ways in this region, depending on the particular variety in question. The red version is often enjoyed on its own as an aperitif, and white vermouth is taken as a pleasant drink at all hours. Dry Vermouth is known the world over, particularly in the USA where, with the inclusion of a green olive and ice, it becomes the famous Dry Martini. All varieties of Vermouth are used in the preparation of fashionable cocktails. Vermouth isn’t particularly well known to the young people of today, but what about those of us who are a little more mature? Let’s try to answer the basic questions:

What is Vermouth and where / when was it born?
How is it produced?

Below, I offer a quick “gallop” through some of the answers to these basic questions, while for further information, you can read the links of the producers that I provide.

What is Vermouth, where and when was it born

Vermouth is a type of flavoured wine. Such aromatised wines have very ancient origins. Four centuries before Christ, the Greeks who worshiped Dionysus would fill skins with trimma, a wine flavoured with herbs, the recipe for which has unfortunately been lost.

Pliny the Elder, a Latin naturalist born in 23 A.D. left us a long list of wines that were flavoured for curative purposes, while his contemporary, Marco Gavio Apicius, wrote of Conditum Paradoxum, a cooked wine flavoured with honey and spices, and of Absinthium Romanum, which contained absinthe, dates, Nardo leaves, Saffron and Mastic resin.

A dozen centuries later, Arnaldo da Villanova, a Spanish doctor born in Valencia in 1240, advisor to kings and popes, detailed a long list of very curious flavoured wines in a book entitled Liber de Vinis. Villanova describes Cordial wine, made with borage, melissa and spices, which cleaned the blood and dragged away bad ideas; Buglossa wine, which healed a brain ailed by melancholy; Issop wine, which opened the airways and was suitable for treating sick children; and Absinthe wine, the beneficial effects of which on the body and spirit fill a whole page and end with the following words:

We must consider that, according to the tradition that comes to us from Macrobius, there was a time when wormwood plants were held in such high regard that their juice was given to the leaders of armies before battle. A good omen that ensured health and victory. May God grant them to his Majesty the King, and to us.

In addition to this, Arnaldo da Villanova clarifies a fundamental point that must be underlined: to make a good flavored wine you need to start with a good base wine. No rinsing of barrels, no production waste – good wine.

Later again, in 1786 in Turin, Antonio Benedetto Carpano baptized this illustrious drink as “Vermouth”, deriving its name from the German Wermut (Artemisia), thus making Piedmont the birthplace of this drink.

The Vermouth of Turin

Landscape Piemonte Torino Turin Architecture Mole

Since 2019, the European Union recognizes the Vermouth of Turin (or Vermut di Torino) through a real certificate of authenticity that can be downloaded from the eAmbrosia website (the register of European geographical indications, where you can find the anchovy sauce of Cetara, the Melacotòn de Calanda and the Vermouth of Turin). This outlines that Artemisia (which must be present at least in 0.5g per litre of finished product) must necessarily come from Piedmont, and that at least 50% of the wine used must come from the same region in order to mention the word “superior” on the label.

How it is produced

  • A mixture of herbs and spices is left to soften in wine or in a hydroalcoholic solution. Distilled ingredients are also sometimes used.
  • The softening spices and herbs are pressed to extract as much as possible from the raw material.
  • A sweetener is added (only sugar, honey or caramel, according to the specification).
  • Wine and alcohol are added for fortification, and to prevent further fermentation.
  • It is filtered and left to rest.

Vermouth is therefore the end result of a recipe with a thousand variables: the base wine used, the spices and herbs, the quantity and type of sugar, the level of fortification. In my opinion, the only way to understand something of it is to taste as many different ones as possible! The list of all vermouth producers would be too long to mention here, but I try to point out some labels that I like.

Manufacturers, Labels and Features

  • Chazalettes, Extra Dry, Cocconato d’Asti
    White, nose of bergamot, lemon balm and alpine herbs, dry, citrusy, very elegant. It leaves the mouth clean and fresh. Served alone and without ice it is a great aperitif.
  • Chazalettes, the Queen’s Red Vermouth
    Beautiful ruby ​​red. Cherry and plum are the background, along with bitter herbs and cinchona, then cloves, liquorice, and balsamic notes of mint and black cherry. Elegant mouthfeel, balanced, persuasive, with a light pungent note of pepper and liquorice on the finish.
  • La Canellese, White Vermouth. Calamandrana
    Made exclusively with Cortese wine. Sweet nose reminiscent of rosolio – floral and delicate. In the mouth it is graceful, feminine. There is only a hint of bitterness. Back in the day, this type of Vermouth was intended for girls.
  • Cocchi, Historian. Asti
    Muscat grape wine. Amber. Characteristic nose of rhubarb and cinchona with hints of silk road spices – bitter orange, mace and cinnamon. Warm and enveloping in the mouth, with a good consistency.
  • Quaglia Distillery, Berto Superiore Rosso. Castelnuovo Don Bosco:
    From Barbera (mostly) and Moscato. Definitely bitter nose, of cinchona and rhubarb with a touch of liquorice and a contrasting mouth, slightly sweet, with a decisive structure and finally ends on light red fruits that recall Barbera. Classic.
  • Carpano, Ancient Formula. Milan (today Branca group):
    Today, the manufacturers are in Milan, but this is the same recipe that Antonio Benedetto Carpano invented in 1786 in Turin. Bitter herbs, coffee, and rhubarb suggest a late 18th century pharmacy. In the mouth, it compensates for this bitterness with a share of caramel to balance it out. Full-bodied and warm, it would hardly go unnoticed in a cocktail.
  • Martini, Special Reserve: Amber. Pessione:
    From Moscato d’Asti. Amber colored, floral of chamomile and slightly bitter. It contains four different types of absinthe. In the mouth, it is rather light and consistent. It does not excel in anything but with the tonic made available for tasting it turned out to be one of the best. For cocktails.
  • Gancia, Red Vermouth. Canelli:
    From a 19th century recipe, a Vermouth with a classic aroma of bitter orange and cinchona. Definitely played more on herbs than on spices, it is also pleasant, enveloping and round in the mouth. It ends citrusy. Also good on its own.
  • Tosti, Taurinorum Superiore Reserve. Canelli:
    This Vermouth stands out clearly from all the others. A scent of oriental sweet spices, very reminiscent of Christmas tea. Star anise, vanilla, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, orange zest and lots of honey. In the mouth, it almost feels like a passito Moscato. Not to be missed for those who love spices and Christmas.
  • Calissano, Vermouth di Torino Rosso Superiore. Alice Bel Colle:
    From Nebbiolo and Cortese di Gavi grapes. Intense nose of bitter herbs, liquorice, grapefruit, and red fruits. Nebbiolo gives it structure and length with a sweet and aromatic entry into the mouth that fades into liquorice and citrus peel.
  • Vergnano, Vermouth di Torino Superiore. Moncalieri:
    Not too intense, and plays more on herbaceous than spicy notes. It is not particularly sweet and not bitter. It has balance and good quality. It flows lightly and the taste lasts briefly on the tongue.
  • Del Professore, Red Vermouth. Piedmont:
    This Vermouth ages for a variable period (a few months) in wooden barrels before being bottled. Its scent is reminiscent of those wooden shelves where medicinal herbs, gentian flowers, wormwood, citrus fruits and vanilla were stored, all refreshed by a beautiful balsamic note of mint. A prolonged, perfect, bitter-sweet balance; it leaves the mouth fresh and pleasantly bitter. Very elegant. I would not mix it with anything other than an ice cube in hot weather.

Enjoy the discovery or re-discovery of the Vermouth of Turin! Good drinking is CONSCIOUS i.e. small quantities tasted slowly.

Giovanna

Fragments of Life and Recipes of the Past

Langhetta cuisine is well known throughout the world by professionals and food enthusiasts alike, and is greatly appreciated by all those who are lucky enough to experience it.

Our cuisine is characterised by seasonal ingredients, a varied bouquet of wild herbs, and fresh produce that reflects the diversity of the land in this territory. All of this has been put to use wisely through the centuries, building a treasury of culinary experience in each family, and introducing the distinct variations in style and technique that make our food unique. As in many kitchens, our cuisine starts with the simplest of local products, including those foraged ingredients that we find in the woods and pastures.  Since these are not cultivated, they cost nothing to gather, but add so much to the food. Just as important as the ingredients in what makes our cuisine unique has been the creativity and thrift – “the art of getting by” – of the women who have had to feed so many people through the years. Sometimes, it must be admitted, luck has also played a part!


In the past, gathering mushrooms and truffles, picking wild fruits, and looking for herbs were common pastimes for both men and women. They all had their own picking sites that they guarded jealously. Often, they would sleep fewer hours at night in order to dedicate more time to this activity. Back then, people very rarely sold the fruits of their foraging, and only did so when they were really abundant. Every “seeker” was very proud of the results of his passion, and reserved them for his own family. Because of this, in our kitchens there are many recipes based on porcini mushrooms and ovas. This is also why exquisite jams of seasonal wild fruits and truffles are common as a unique complement to the dishes of the season. In such a context, rivalry and savvies flourished, and I have asked Marinella Bera to tell us not only about the old recipes, but also about the hilarious situations that she remembers. At the moment we have: Mushroom sauce, Minestrone, and Mixed fry.

Marinella Bera has a passion for seeking out and preserving the testimonies that detail our history – a minor history, perhaps, but one that concerns all of us and our families. To lose it would deprive us of our roots. So thanks, Marinella!

Enjoy!
Giovanna

Marinella’s recipes

Bagna d ‘Tron (Sanguinelli mushroom sauce)

Words written in italics are in dialect Sanguinelli:Lactarius deliciosus(mushroom) Detina liked to collect mushrooms. She knew their particularities, the best days to collect them and the plants under which they

Mixed fry

Words written in italics are in dialect Go to recipe Memories Today Sergio, a nephew of Vigina, is coming for lunch and is bringing his girlfriend (morosa) to introduce her

Minestrone

(The words written in italics are in dialect) Minestrone, how delightful! Vigina, early in the morning, had placed a pot with water on the stove to heat. As the eldest

I recommend experimenting with the recipes. Marinella is available to provide advice. We would love to know the results. Write to us !!

Words written in italics are in dialect

Go to recipe

Memories

Today Sergio, a nephew of Vigina, is coming for lunch and is bringing his girlfriend (morosa) to introduce her to his uncles and cousins. Sergio is the son of Teresina, one of Vigina‘s sisters-in-law.
The two women have lived together for some years with their respective families.

It was a nightmare.

The two sisters-in-law were always quarrelling. Vigina had many children and was constantly exhausted. The doctor had said to her: “Eat lots of fresh eggs. As soon as the hens lay them, go to the hen house and eat them”. But this angered Teresina because, by doing so, the eggs could not be sold. The neighbours, grinning, used to say that the windows in the house of the two sisters-in-law never lasted more than a week.

Sergio is the only son of Teresina, and he grew up with Vigina’s children. He was always well dressed. As a boy, at Christmas, he would receive a bag full of marzipan in the shape of coloured fruits from the Infant Jesus, while his cousins received white and red sugared almonds. On Christmas morning the children traded their sweets, but Sergio demanded two sugared almonds for each marzipan fruit.

An exacting one, like his mother.

However when it comes to lunch, everyone has to be on their best behaviour. And particularly so on today’s occasion, since Sergio’s girlfriend is coming from Vigina’s hometown. For such an occasion, they need to prepare the mixed fry – the best dish of the house. The pig has already been slaughtered in anticipation of the meal – many of the fried dishes of the region are made with pork.

Recipe

The Piedmontese mixed fry has thirty-six components: twelve sweet, twelve savoury, and twelve based on vegetables. However, very few people still make it as rich as this. It is not a particularly difficult dish to make, and perhaps the most challenging component to prepare is the sweet semolina.

This is made from sweetened milk and a pinch of coarse salt which is put on heat to cook.

When the liquid starts to boil, the semolina is slowly poured. After another two minutes of cooking it is removed from the heat, and an egg yolk and grated lemon are added. The semolina is poured into a large, greased serving dish, and this is let to set for a few hours before being cut into rhombuses.

In the mixed fry that Vigina prepares there are veal steaks, breaded pork chops, liver, sausage and sliced lung which is fried without breading. There are also sweetbreads and the brain of the pig, which have both been previously boiled.

The sliced apples are put into a liquid mixture composed of white flour, yolk, milk and sugar. The amaretti are softened by dipping them first in milk before breading them. The night before, Vigina boiled a cauliflower and some fennel which, when later breaded, will be cooked in a pan. Carrots will also be cooked in a saucepan with some oil, salt, sugar, a knob of butter, and a bay leaf.

The only vegetables that are quick to prepare are the lemon slices which are used to degrease.

Among the most difficult components of the mixed dry are the frize, a type of long-prepared meatball. The black liver and white liver (liver and lung), the spleen and the kidneys are cooked in a pot with water flavoured with salt and bay leaves. Once the pot is removed from the heat, the offal is minced and enriched with milk, breadcrumbs, macaroons, sausage paste, and nutmeg. To work them more easily, lard and highly vascularized tissue is wrapped in the rissole (omentum).

Tasting

The hot, tasty, plentiful mixed fry is a success! Vigina knew it would be: it is one of her go-to dishes for special occasions like this.

Sergio’s girlfriend is a beautiful girl. An only child, idolized by her parents. It is said that every morning her father tells her: “Wait before you leave the house. I’ll see if it’s cold and if you need to dress accordingly “.

When she will be married who will act as her barometer?
God makes them and then pairs them.

Marinella Bera
The names: Vigina (Luigina)

(The words written in italics are in dialect)

Minestrone, how delightful!

Vigina, early in the morning, had placed a pot with water on the stove to heat. As the eldest daughter brought the vegetables collected in the garden, Vigina and the younger daughters washed and sliced ​​them in turn.

The potatoes were already cooking in the pot by then. There had been no time yet to remove the tubers and, in fact, they had used only one plant. They cut a large onion into thin slices. It had been brought to her by her brother Giuvanin, who was a trader of animals and often went to buy calves in the plain to resell them to dairy farmers. At the beginning of the Spring, Giuvanin had passed by the brothers of Bra and collected spring onions. The friars had taught him that it was best to take them early, as it was easier to transplant them in April, when they were “grosse pej d’in fi” (as big as a fig), than in May, when they were already as big as your arm.

Then it was time to prepare the beans – one of the vegetables that required less work. It was sufficient to free them from the pod and to then remove the film that covered them. The beans had been sown among rows of meliga (maize) so that the sprouts had a brace around which to wrap, to better resist winds and storms.

The carrots had not turned out well that year. Giulia’s crop, on the other hand, had grown as thick and dense as a head of hair, and she gladly gave a cavagnin (small basket) of her own carrots to Vigina in exchange for two dozen gallate eggs (fertilized).

Giulia had put on her Sunday shoes when she went to pick the carrots that morning. When she returned home later, she would put them on the kitchen’s windowsill – a trick she had devised to deceive her father-in-law. That morning, Giulia had not gone to mass. Every festive day, her husband’s father would come up from the valley where he lived and inspect the shoes. If they weren’t dusty then it meant that the son’s family had not gone to mass.

Giulia’s husband was angry with his father for this imposition, but the family were all aware of the old man’s weaknesses. He was known to be workshy, and he often directed an inappropriate amount of attention towards his younger daughters-in-law. His sons called him “the Catholic crin (pig)”.

After Giulia had gone, with the eggs rolled up in her apron, the faster-cooking vegetables had been put in the pot: courgettes, a large tomato, and a sprig of basil (which represents Summer) to flavour it all. Then it was left to cook over a high heat for at least two hours. Before bringing it to the table, Vigina grated a piece of seasoned robiola.

Then it was left to cook over a high heat for at least two hours. Before bringing it to the table, Vigina grated a piece of seasoned robiola.

“Moderno” putagè

The families in Trezzo Tinella often prepared minestrone. Sometimes they added to it homemade Tagliatelle, other times stale bread. The mother of Tumò  was known to prepare an excellentMinestrone. She would start preparing it at dawn, and by noon it would be dense and fragrant. Her son would sit and serve himself. Every time he filled his plate, he would put a matchstick on the table, and this makeshift abacus warned him when it was time to stop.

Gluttony is a sin.

Marinella Bera

The names: Vigina (Virginia), Giuvanin (Giovanni), Tumò (Tommaso)

The members of the Bera family, in my opinion, exhibit all the characteristics of the Langhetti. They are original, creative, adventurous, and deeply rooted in the land. Tenacious workers and epicureans, they are open to new knowledge and yet the bearers of tradition. Reserved and at the same time available, each one of them contributes to the whole of a family that is strong and dynamic.
The winery is a recent creation; in fact it is younger than the youngest of the Beras. It was the dream of the preceding generation, and has been realised by the current generation. Now the goal of the family is to grow and to continue to confirm their success.
The care that the family gives to their grape vines is fully manifested in the production of the wine that I like so much. For example, at their winery you can find the aged and rare Dolcetto, which is quite extraordinary.
Their cuisine is also delicious; I recommend testing it while you are buying wine!

Giovanna


Il Bosseto: The winery of the Bera family

The family

The family name “Bera” appears to have its origin in the English word “Bear”. There are records of a noble family that came to Italy around the year 1000, following barbarian invasions. The family reputedly came from northern Europe – perhaps from Germany or England. Its family crest was a bear, a symbol of power, pride, and cleverness, but also of cruelty, harshness, and royalty. Until the 800’s, the bear was the king of the animals. An offshoot of this family established itself in the Langhe, and it is from this that we descend. We are two brothers, two sisters, and a mother that have in common a love for the land, the vines, and the wine that we produce.

The Wine Producing Company il Bosseto

Il Bosseto

Il Bossetto takes its name from “Bosso”, which is a wild bush found in the Mediterranean area. It is an evergreen shrub with small oval leaves which are glossy and perfumed. The bosso is a fundamental element of the “Italian” or “formal” gardens, characterised by geometrical shapes. It is also a feature of “topiary art”, which creates animal figures, and shapes rich in elaborate details. These shapes are formed from clever cuttings of the shrubbery, and constant care is devoted to maintaining their pleasing forms. Examples of these can be found in the gardens of the castle of Boboli in Florence. To a lesser extent, there are traces of it around the Langhe castles (Govone, Serralunga, Magliano Alfieri). Long ago, it even surrounded old churches, and was used as a hedge to delimit spaces in the gardens and vegetable patches of monasteries. Our company is in fact located on the spot where, once upon a time, there stood a powerful monastery dedicated to Saint Alessandro.

The bosso is a bush that grows slowly. It is patient and tenacious; qualities that we appreciate and try to cultivate in ourselves.

The company

It is located on the border between Trezzo Tinella and Triso, and is almost entirely devoted to the cultivation of wine grapes. The majority of the implants are recent. And while favouring these, we have still tried to leave the existing plants and fittings of the area as a mark of respect towards those who have preceded us, and so as not to impoverish the landscape. Among the vines, you can find Madernassa pears, antique apples, muriche, and peaches with white flesh. On the land one might still find the large concrete vats that were once used to blend verderame with lime to create treatments for the vines. In addition to these, there are wells dug into the tuff that once allowed for the transport of water to the family. You might also come across some small stone walls, and a pond where carps are raised.The vines are surrounded by the typical ravines of the Langhe, where oaks, locust trees, elms, and pines grow. The Bossetto is oriented towards biological cultivation; it has been many years since we have used herbicides. In addition to this, we make use of verderame and sulphur to cultivate the vines typical of the region: Moscato, Dolcetto, Nascetta.

Our Wines: Particularities, Anecdotes, and Memories

The Moscato

MoscatoUntil recent years, did not enjoy the popularity it has today – but our family has always cultivated it. Our paternal grandparents came from Castagnole and Castiglione Tinella, villages where this vine variety has always been grown. One of our childhood memories is related to the must (the sweet grape juice from which the wine is fermented) that would be filtered through sacks during the winemaking process. We would start filtering a couple of days after the harvest, towards the end of October. The sweeter the grapes were, the more the must needed to be filtered. The sacks often got clogged, and after supper the women had to go out in the windy autumn air and wash them in big tubs close to the water tank. The Moscato was drunk mainly in the summer, or on special occasions, such as when the parish priest came to give blessings. The few families of the village that produced it guaranteed its provision to the two parishes for celebrations, given its low alcoholic content.

The vine plots were planted in 1953, set in tight rows through which an ox could barely pass. We sometimes feel our work is a masochistic endeavour, since all of the labour needs to be done manually, given that there is not enough space between the rows for a tractor to pass. Now we produce D.O.C.G. (Designation of Origin Controlled and Guaranteed) Moscato wine called “submerged cork” to distinguish it from spumante. We have also named the wine obtained from the must of supermature grapes “ambrosia”, after the mythological nectar of the gods.

The Dolcetto

DolcettoThe Dolcetto is a vine variety native to the Langhes and Monferrato. The red grape and its DOC (Designation of Origin Controlled) take their name form the areas in which it is cultivated- Dolcetto d’Alba and Dolcetto di Dogliani, as examples. It is a delicate grape – yet difficult, demanding in both the vineyard and in the winery. The name probably comes from the sweet and sugary taste of the grapes. The Dolcetto is an elegant and rewarding wine, ideal for every meal. In the mid-20th century, it was the most appreciated full-bodied wine of Barbera. After the birth of a child in the area, there were always celebrations with a glass of Dolcetto. And if the baby was a boy arriving after one or two girls (and thus ensuring the continuation of the family name), the father-in-law would offer a celebratory glass to the mother-in-law. In spring, people would come to buy carboys of Dolcetto to bottle during the new moon in March. The wine of the previous year would be a hearty accompaniment to the stews they would eat for lunch when they came to buy wine.

The Bossetto is used to produce both a young and an aged Dolcetto. The grapes of the Dolcetto vine often have problems with the grapes dropping off. Long ago, nothing was wasted in the production process, and the harvesters gathered all of the grapes that had fallen during the harvest before cutting the bunch. Children were asked to check beneath the vines in order to save what had been lost. Less fortunate harvesters had to rely on their chickens to find errant grapes!

The Nascetta

NascettaIt is a white wine with a noticeable mineral flavour. It has existed for a long time on these hills, and was traditionally cultivated alongside other white grape varieties such as Timorasso, Malvasia, and Livertiin, which was so bitter that the housewives of the high Langa used it instead of rennet. For years, these grapes had all been pressed together and because of this, when the current potential of the Nascetta variety was discovered, nobody remembered how to process it on its own.

Nowadays, there are very few farmers that cultivate this vine, and there is not enough land to plant new vineyards that might fully exploit its potential. Every producer now makes wine in his own distinctive way. As a result of this, you can find many different Nascettas on the market, and this is a great boon to wine connoisseurs.

For a more detailed explanation, check out our website: http://www.ilbosseto.it/

Merenda “sinoira”

These days, the Langhe is a region envied by many for its wines, truffles, hazelnuts, and beautiful vistas. However, until the 1970’s, the economic reality in these villages was very different. Every family raised pigs, chickens, and rabbits, and needed to cultivate grassland and wheat for subsistence farming. The grasslands were mown for hay during the summer. This was the hardest season, since the wheat also needed to be harvested, and the manual labour entailed in these tasks was difficult and taxing. Those who worked the land laboured all of the long hours of daylight, and for this they needed to be well-fed.
The massaia, or housewife, who was in charge of keeping an eye on the children, would prepare a basket with food and in the mid-afternoon would bring it to the men and women that were hard at work in the fields. These merende sinoire were eaten later than the usual meals, and were composed of substantial, filling, and easily-available foods.

We had the Moscato wine and the eggs, and so our grandmother used to prepare a cold zabaione. She used to beat ten egg yolks with sugar, then add the whipped egg whites into the mix. She would then pour a bottle of fresh Moscato into this cream, and everyone was given a bowl of it to dip a slice of bread in. After the merenda, the country folk would get back to work until twilight. These days, we offer these same merendas to the clients that come to our winery as a sign of hospitality. We do this because our wines have a strong connection to the produce of the land, and good food strengthens and reinforces the ties of goodwill and friendship. The dishes that we offer are the traditional meals of the region: soups, gnocchi, jams, eggs in salmonidae, friciulin (potato pancakes), wild herb pancakes, and bagnet and bunet (sauces and pudding).
Venite a trovarci, vi aspettiamo! (We look forward to your visit!)

Marinella Bera

The Underground Cathedrals … of wine?

Some cathedrals announce their presence with lofty spires that draw the eye skywards; Milan, Cologne, Westminster etc. But others are hidden away underground, and you might never even know they are there unless you have visited them for yourself. The latter can be found in the area of Asti in Canelli, capital of Italian sparkling white wine (Spumante) since 1850 when Carlo Gancia imported the “champenoise” method from France.

Recently they have been called “Underground Cathedrals”, with naves, ambulatories, transepts, and large cross vaulting that would not be out of place in the great cathedrals you might find on the surface. Built from exposed brick set into the tuff hills, they constitute authentic masterpieces of architecture.

These cathedrals of spectacular beauty, uniqueness and historicity are composed of galleries, underground passages, long corridors and broad vaults emphasized by a clever play of light that highlights the imposing excavation works and exposes, in certain areas, the tuff of Canelli.

The cathedrals have their origins as small conservation caves, likely built during the XVII century, and remodelled and enlarged throughout the centuries into the form they take today. Built in order to preserve land products, salt, and other goods that passed along the trade routes for Savona and Vado Ligure -historical ports and commercial hubs on the sea of Canelli – 15 kilometres of underground galleries, reaching 40 metres in depth, stretch below the ground of Canelli.

Over time wine became the primary good produced in the area, and the calcareous tuff of Canelli proved to be a precious ally to winemakers. Hard to carve and incredibly stable; it is a perfect insulator and thus maintains a constant humidity and a temperature between 12 and 14 degrees – ideal conditions for the aging of great wine. For this reason, starting from the second half of the IX century and during the first years of the XX century, several kilometres of galleries were dug under the city of Canelli. These galleries served not only for the storage and aging of wines, but also for the entire process of winemaking. The remains of this process (presses, filtering systems, vats, barrels and machines) are still visible today and stand as tangible memories of the past.

Some of these Cave-Cathedrals (in which darkness protects the wine during the long and delicate stages of its preparation) have produced the most prestigious sparkling white wines (Spumanti) with the traditional method. While visiting, you could be lucky enough to see the “cellarman” working on the bottles that are in the “pupitres” (he works on every single one of them every day, and there are thousands).

In summary, these are the main stages that are carried out in the production of the wine:

  • Over the course of the first period in the cave the wine acquires its “perlage” and the complexity of a bouquet from the fermentation process. It is during this stage that the bottles become frothy;
  • The bottles are then transferred to the “pupitres”, which are the wooden wine holders that have become the symbol of the Classical Method. Here, every day, the cellarman rotates every bottle 90 degrees and inclines it towards the ceiling for the sediments to deposit in the bottleneck;
  • The process continues with the “degorgement”, during which the cap of the bottle is gently removed to eliminate the sediment. In the last phase the “liqueur d’expedition” is added, which is a secret dosage of wines, sugar cane and other ingredients that give a unique touch to each one of these sparkling wines.

Thanks to their beauty and importance, the “Underground Cathedrals” have been recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO within the “Wine landscapes of Piedmont: Langhe Roero and Monferrato”.

I highly recommend you experience the magic of these unique and charming sites in person!
They can be visited by making an appointment:

Web site Reservations
BOSCA cantine@bosca.it
CONTRATTO visite@contratto.it
GANCIA franco.ferrero@gancia.it
COPPO www.coppo.it/cantine

 

Enjoy your visit and wine tasting!

Giovanna

I went to see the 73 rd edition of the lighting of the furnace beneath the direct-fire still at the Levi distillery in
Neive, which elicited a whole host of emotions within me and enlivened all 5 of my senses!
This event had a bit of everything: a magical place, the ritualistic fire, the band, the poetry and design work
of Romano Levi, the grappa labels that he designed himself and often dedicated, the wonderful things to
taste …I hope that all of the many special people who read our blog enjoy learning about this extraordinary
place and its history.
Happy reading and a (virtual) toast with the grappa from the Levi distillery!
Giovanna

The Wild Woman of the Langhe and the grappa of Romano Levi

The Italian Comune of Neive is located at the centre of the Strada Romantica of Langa, and is the most
complex with 100 kilometres’ worth of pathways to explore a mesmerising and alluring landscape. This area
is home to ancient traditions, such as that of the legendary ‘Wild Woman’. This symbolic image, in which
the conflict between man and nature was reconciled within a female figure, once languished in the
background with mythology but was then made famous beyond the confines of the Langhe by labels
designed by the “Angel of Grappa”, Romano Levi of Neive.

The Wild Woman

An ancient tale about the Salige describes the Wild Women of the Langhe as “recurring figures in the sagas
of the Alps, which represent the deepest feminine, bodily and instinctual roots: the archetype of nature
wild and free, untouched by civilisation and its discontents”.
The Wild Woman is characterised in Langhe peasant society as the bearer of a culture deeply rooted in the
annals of time, in close contact with nature and its secrets, with trades linked to seasonality, with the
wisdom of elders interspersed with popular and superstitious religiosity.
Within the collective consciousness of the Langhe, the figure of the Wild Woman has always been bold and
forthright: a woman who does not easily adhere to dominant social conventions, one who pays no
attention to appearances and one who resists the conformity that pervades the countryside; an
independent woman who is proud, autonomous and able to fend for herself and, often, others as well; a
female archetype that embodies difficulty and joyfulness, material hardship and the spiritual riches of a
rural life unchanged over time.
Romano Levi, well known in Neive as an artisan grappa maker, poet and label designer, brought the myth of
the Wild Woman back to life and made it famous. For him, the Wild Women are visions, memories of the
past. When he walked to school through the streets, he would encounter “beautiful dishevelled women,
who were a little bit crazy, a little bit like witches and a little bit like fairies”.
Romano Levi recalls the ‘Wild Women’:
“As a kid, I would walk through vineyards on my way to school. Often, among the rows of vines, there were
so-called ‘ciabòt’, tiny shelters where winemakers and peasants took refuge … I used to pass by in the
morning and sometimes I saw these women coming out of the shelters, beautiful and dishevelled, a little bit crazy and lonely, often living on the fringes of peasant society. They were mysterious, had no constraints,
they disappeared and then came back. They were a little bit like witches and a little bit like fairies.
They were free, as all women should be to be able to enjoy the very best that life has to offer”.

The grappa of Lidia and Romano Levi

“I make grappa: the blood of fire, pangs of life and poetry are yours.”
Romano Levi

For more than sixty years, brothers Lidia and Romano Levi produced a truly unique grappa known as ‘The
Grappa of the Wild Woman’, continuing the traditions of their ancestors. It is not just the distilling of the
marc that made it unique, but Lidia’s skill in bringing together immersed herbs within the bottles, or
Romano’s poetic, hand-designed labels.

“The Wild Women climbs over the hills” – “The Wild Women surmounts all the confines.”
Romano Levi

The grappa is magnificent and he treats the labels that he painstakingly crafts by hand with the utmost
dedication and respect. The names are a timeless reminder of his great love for Women who are
respectable, unseemly, wild, influential and suppressed, Women who climb hills, who allow themselves to
be touched or not, who have silvery golden hair”. Luigi Veronelli (oenologist, chef, gastronome and writer)
http://www.lacucinaitaliana.it/storie/luoghi/luigi-veronelli-cucina-vino-olio-storia/

The home/distillery of the Levis is now a vibrant Museum where Grappa continues to be made. It is a truly
special place that occupies its own unique space in time, where the Genius Loci of Romano Levi continues
to be at the heart of the art, methods, working times, simple and essential objects, scents and serenity
involved in the making of the Grappa.
http://en.distilleriaromanolevi.com/romano-levi/#distillery
http://en.distilleriaromanolevi.com/romano-levi/
https://www.facebook.com/DistilleriaRomanoLevi

RENZO “The basket weaver from the Langhe region”

Foreword

In the past, all the peasants in the Langhe region used baskets for various purposes: for harvesting grain, vegetables and fruit: They held wood, eggs and so much more. Almost everybody would make them during those long and snow-capped winter months for the requirements of the family. Some of these baskets were expressions of the creativity of the weavers and featured an alternation of colours, shapes, decorations and trim but they always remained objects of practical daily use.

I have always loved baskets. I buy them and use them although I’m always sorry when they break or wear out. Then I go looking for more…
I have had the fortune of getting to know Renzo recently. I’ve bought a few items from him and invited him to the Cascina Bricchetto to give a demonstration to us and our guests.

Renzo

The Langhe baskets makerAs a child, Renzo would watch his grandfather create willow baskets for his family and wanted to become as good at it as him. But, as his grandfather always said, you needed to weave a lot of them and you also needed to have some kind of artistic inspiration.
Under the guidance of his grandfather, Renzo began to make baskets until a steady job came along that involved travelling around so he had to abandon his weaving. Every once in a while he would look back with some regret and then say to himself that he would hold willows in his hands again one day and resume his basket weaving.
The years flew by. His children grew up and went off on their own and when the time came for Renzo to retire at last, he decided to dedicate his time to basket making. Fortunately he was in excellent physical condition and his wife was willing to collaborate with him.

That next January Renzo and his wife Silvana started roaming through the Langhe region in search of willows in different shades of yellow, green and brown. Branches of different diameters were needed for the different parts of the basket. Likewise, different lengths were needed for baskets in different sizes.
The branches had to be conserved in a place that provided the appropriate moisture in order for them to work well. If they got too dry, they were no longer pliable and they had to be thrown out and a portion of the barks needed to be peeled to provide the colour white…
Our friends Renzo and Silvana loved their outdoor walks in the beautiful Langhe region. They would stop in local taverns to enjoy traditional dishes. At home they tried and tried again to conserve what they had gathered – the “raw material”. Renzo drew upon his childhood memories and tried to weave his first baskets after so many years but he wasn’t able to. He wondered if he had forgotten something or if his fingers were too stiff to weave those unmanageable willows. Perhaps he didn’t have the right tools…

After asking around, Renzo and Silvana found some elderly men who made baskets. They also thought that these old-timers would be happy to teach the “art of basket weaving” so that the tradition could be passed down to the younger generations instead of dying out. The initial contacts were disappointing. The men said “No”. But our friends didn’t give up. The experience made them more cautious so they would limit themselves to quietly watching the old artisans at their craft. Once they got home, they would try to duplicate what they had seen – over and over again. Sometimes the basket was completed and other times they would get stuck at some point so they would go back to the elderly artists and watch what needed to be done at that particular point very carefully. It was then that Silvana realized that a certain amount of strength was needed and that she wasn’t strong enough. She continued working with Renzo, though, and discovered a passion for nature photography which she cultivated every time they went out walking in search of willow branches.

Renzo and Silvana are still working together today. Now Renzo has both the artistic inspiration and the technique. Each basket is unique – as I tried to convey through the photographs I took during the session with him that we hosted here at Cascina Bricchetto.
Renzo would be happy to show you his creations here at our place.

Giovanna

Introduction
Elizabeth is an American writer who stayed with us and afterwards sent me the following article; the accompanying photographs were taken by her and her friend Trish during their enjoyable experience of cooking traditional food together.
We immediately got on well with both Elizabeth and Trish; their appreciation for the place, the house, the food and wine was obvious and enthusiastic; and also for things that were unknown to them, such as several aromatic plants and certain fruits; the dedication shown by them and their husbands as they cooked using traditional utensils they were unfamiliar with will stay in my heart for a very long time!
Giovanna

Slowing Down in The Piedmont
In May, my husband and our two dear friends, found our way to the Langhe, in the Piedmont region of Italy. An Internet search led us to Agriturismo Cascina Bricchetto, owned and operated by Giovanna Oliveri. The Langhe is a spectacularly hilly area, one of UNESCO World Heritage destinations, known for its long history of wine making and cultivation. This is the fertile home of Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Moscato grape varieties and some of the greatest wines of the world.

tasting Piedmont productsThe Piedmont is also where the Slow Food Movement got its start 30 years ago. Slow Food (out of which I believe the concept of slow travel grew) promotes locally grown and sustainable food practices and aligns with the idea of local consumption, purchasing and cooking with fresh local products, supporting its producers, and celebrates what is fundamentally healthier about slowing down the pace of our modern industrialized lives.

While we were interested in learning about the wine and food of the region—lets face it, who isn’t interested in wine and food in Italy? – We were also drawn to the possibility of putting on the breaks a bit after a busy week in Venice and the Cinque Terre. A farmhouse vacation in a beautiful place resonated for our group and provided a base from which to explore.

Cascina Bricchetto, located high on a hill near the village of Trezzo Tinella was a most wonderful find. The property houses a series of connected buildings, the oldest stone farmhouse dating possibly to the 18th century. Restoration of the place has been an on-going labor of love since the mid 1990’s and it shows nearly everywhere you look.

walk in the vineyards

The gardens and fruit trees, lavender, roses, cherries and quince—all planted in the past twenty years, are flourishing under Giovanna’s care. In fact, as far as you can see, over hills sloped with neat vineyards, dotted here and there with clay-tile-roofed farmhouses, fields strewn with poppies, daisies, sweet peas spilling over stone walls, geraniums in wall niches, there perfect chaos and order. Everywhere is evidence of fastidious attention paid to the land, the vines, the hazelnut groves; a symmetry, and at the same time, a random sensuousness that, to those with an eye for beauty and a nose for jasmine and broom (ginestra), will not be disappointed. This is a place that FEELS settled, tended to over generations, naturally ordered, loved. It rightly deserves reverence. People live with and from the land here. Artists paint these landscapes. Visionaries, like Giovanna, seek to preserve what is very special about this place.

We woke in our immaculate two-bedroom rental to the sounds of the lonely Cuckoo bird. (Our accommodation was named the Bread Oven House, for the historic oven attached to the building that once served the women of the hillside in their weekly bread baking chores). Fragrant scents wafted in open windows with the soft rustling of wind in the trees. We watched clouds change shape daily in a baroque sky and a few times were gifted with stunning views of the still-snowy Alps in the distance We enjoyed the easy-going presence of the farm dogs, Pippo and Peppa, and ate (and ATE) throughout the week from a banquet of local delights provided us by our hostess: cheeses, bread, homemade hazelnut cake, and of course, local red and white wines.

Days unfolded with an easy balance of country walks, reading on the balcony or out in the sunny yard. We made forays by rental car to explore nearby towns (Alba, Neive, Bra, Barolo, Barbaresco, to name some) for wandering, market days, a wine tour, among other slow-paced adventures. We were a laid back foursome, following our whims and the mood of each day.

Cooking ClassEggsCooking Class - Work!

The most meaningful experience of our time in the Piedmont included two late afternoons spent in Giovanna’s warm kitchen. There we donned aprons, filled our wine glasses, and learned her recipes for homemade pasta, ragu, the patient work of ravioli-making (make the filling one day and let it rest overnight to maximize the meld of flavors), risotto al funghi, green sauce with anchovies and quail eggs. Every ingredient was either grown in Giovanna’s garden, or came from a producer nearbi. To watch Giovanna knead dough on a smooth,

table-sized wooden board, passed down to her through generations, or hand us a weighty granite mortar and pestle that belonged to her great grandmother…to hear stories, and slow down enough to learn to use a Mezzaluna, (no cuisinart in this cooking class!)…

Cooking Class - at Work!Cooking Class - Ragu Cooking Class - Teaching

to muddle through our language challenges (Giovanna’s English is so far superior to our non-existent Italian), fill our glasses again, and depart, not only with a bounty of soul-filling food we were never quite able to finish during our week stay, but a deeper sense of home, hospitality, tradition, a feeling for what is important to Giovanna. She shared with us the abundance and “taste” of the authentic, all of this an enrichment, a generosity, and a connection we did not anticipate and will treasure always.

Cooking Class - Eating!

Sifting through photos of our recent trip to Italy, I can of course appreciate the history, mystery and watery majesty of Venice, the sparkling hills of the Cinque Terre, the brilliant blue of the Ligurian Sea, but I will remember Giovanna’s hands at work, her hand-picked cherries, the view from the top of her hill, the bounty of a life committed to her Langhe property, and her extravagant generosity. I have the satisfaction and sense, that between the lines of communication stilted by our linguistic limitations, we received gifts of understanding, and a shared hope that more people might come to know the gifts of slowing down, opening the senses, loving the earth that holds,

inspires, and feeds us, and pausing long enough to recognize our part in stewarding and honoring those who also tend it, no matter where our travels take us.

Beth Lodge-Rigal   Bloomington, Indiana

Our Address

Cascina Bricchetto Langhe
Via Naranzana 22, Trezzo Tinella (Cuneo)
Tel: +39 0173 630395
Mobile: +39 339 3932189
e-mail: info@cascinabricchetto.it
Facebook
Instagram

Welcome

Every morning, when I open the shutters, I think: "how beautiful Monviso is in the sunshine, or how wonderful are the clouds in the sky , or how magical the misty landscape, or, even how fairy-like the snowfall is!" and, when closing them in the evening – when I see the lights of the small villages in the hills opposite (Diano d'Alba, La Morra ecc.), and the lights of the houses scattered among the hills – I thank heartily my lucky stars that led me here, where you are surrounded by such beauty. (Read on)

Tripadvisor