an FICB Congress

It was ALMOST like an FICB Congress!

In late May 2022, a small band of 12 FICB diehards visited the Langhe province in Italy to attend a collection of events that were on our rescheduled and ultimately cancelled 2020 FICB Congress agenda. Coming together from Texas, Tennessee, California and Belgium our small group was treated to all the sights, sounds, food and wine of Torino, Canelli, Canale, Neive, Treiso, Barolo and Alba. We had been talking to our host Daniela, from Langhe Experience Tours, for three years and it was nice to finally be in Italy on the tour after leaving our deposits with the agency rather than taking the refund that was offered when the Congress was cancelled.

Some travelers had booked the extension and they were given the option to enjoy it before or after the main trip to accommodate other travel plans. Glenys and Jim Kay along with Richard Abelkis and Claire Cuccio opted to do the extension ahead of the main program while Tom and Beth Webb along with Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo scheduled their extension after the main program. The extension started in Torino where we stayed right across from the main train station. A local city walking tour helped to orient us to the region and we enjoyed two dinners with a selection of wonderful cuisine and wine pairings as well. It was relaxing and prepared us for the decadence that was to come.

Enroute to Langhe, Glenys and Jim and Richard and Claire stopped at Azienda Agricola Ponchione in the hills of Roero where they were treated to a personal tasting by the owner, Maurizo Ponchione and his son, Andrea. We sampled Barbera, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Arneis and Chardonnay while overlooking their vineyards and eating home-cooked food prepared by Maurizo’s mother.

By Claire Cuccio

The four arrived in Alba and met up with the rest of the group that included Buddy and Trish Hagner, Tom and Beth Webb, Merrill and Paul Bonarrigo, Kathy Long and Susan Loberg. Everyone settled in to our modern hotel near the city center and, before long, we were meeting in the lobby to be guided to our welcome dinner at Enoclub, a noted Michelin restaurant, located on Piazza Michele Ferrero. Yes, in addition to wine, Alba is home to the founder of Ferrero Rocher, Kinder Chocolate and Richard Abelkis’s favorite, Nutella.

Each day began with a breakfast buffet at our hotel before boarding our comfortable bus and being greeted by our congenial guide, Beppe. Our first stop of day 2 was Contratto Vineyard in Cannelli. We were treated to a tour of his historic cellar built in 1872. With a depth of 32 meters, providing a constant temperature of 13˚ Celsius, the wine has the perfect humidity for fermentation in bottle. Contratto features sparkling wines and vermouths – a perfect aperitif for our event-packed day. Following was lunch at Enoteca di Canelli – Casa Crippa. This is a Michelin recognized restaurant occupying a late 19th century palazzo. We were served wonderful Piedmontese food in their historic wine cellar. Of note, the panna cotta with caramel ice cream and hazelnut powder was amazing. After dinner, we walked back to our hotel and it was incredible to see all the people including many families with small children out enjoying the piazza, coffee, wine, ice cream … each other! The smiles and laughter of this slower way of living was something to take note of and appreciate.

On the first day and every day that followed, we were amazed at the beauty all around us. Lush vineyards, hazelnut trees and birch trees made it obvious what was important in the region. The vineyards were often very steep and we could only imagine the difficulty the locals must face during harvest when this is all done by hand. A sense of history was around every turn! Castles and ancient villas were so numerous, we almost started to take them for granted as we traveled modern highways and narrow cobblestone streets, but no … that was just not possible. On to Grinzane Cavour Castle, a UNESCO site dedicated to winemaking and it is also the home of the local Knights of the Truffles and Vino Society, similar to our KOV. We were treated to beautiful views and the historical tools of winemaking. We packed a lot of wining and dining into one day and closed with dinner

Al Fresco Lunch at Agriturismo La Morra Brandini

at Le Scuderie Del Castello di Govone. This one is not in the Michelin Guide yet, but we wouldn’t be surprised for the chef to see a Michelin Star in his future

as he served an amazing meal that included a pre-dessert of orange ice cream with artichoke candy followed by the main dessert of chocolate and hazelnut tiramisu. It was a fabulous meal with porthole style windows where we could peer into the kitchen as our meal was prepared.

Day 3 started with a wine tasting at Malvirà. This is why we travel with the KOV! Roberto Damonte - the co-owner along with his brother, was amazing and a member of the Knights of the Truffles and Vino. He can trace his family in Roero back to the 14th century and winemaking back six generations. This was a special tasting! The whites were aged in Austrian oak and the reds in French oak; both mixed with their counterparts aged in stainless. We tasted three whites and then Roberto discussed a vertical tasting he did for guests in 2019 of about 10 vintages; the 2008 white wine was that group’s favorite. He showed us in the cellar how he can preserve whites that long; the secret is 13-14° Celsius, similar to what we heard about the temperature at Contratto. Buddy asked, ”What is the difference between the older and younger vintages?” Roberto said, “I will show you.” Then he selected a 2013 so we could taste for ourselves. It was amazing. He also chose a 2014 white wine without sulfites inspired by a friend in Japan. Roberto said this wine changes every year and if you save half a bottle to drink the day after you open it, it is even better. The group pondered how it is possible to save half a bottle for the next day! We moved onto the reds; 100% Nebbiolo from three different vintages (2017, 2009, 2006). We ended with a dessert wine with 10% sugar and 6.5% alcohol. Roberto read the crowd and made decisions on the fly on what he wanted to share from his cellar based on the questions asked. It truly was a terrific experience with one surprise after another!

Lunch was at Osteria Borgo Vecchio in Neive. They specialize in parallel vegetarian and meat menus, with all organic ingredients and pasta made in-house. We were served two kinds of veal – tartare (vitello tonnato) and cooked, a ravioli filled with vegetable, rabbit, chicken and veal and sampled a Barbaresco and a Barolo. We were treated to a traditional Piedmontese dessert, Bunet – which is similar to a crème caramel, but

with the addition of rum, cocoa and amaretti biscuits. It was luscious and another great restaurant choice by Daniela of Langhe Tours.

We then took an afternoon walk and were treated to a tasting and tour at Castello di Neive Winery. They had an entire room full of library wines. We blind tasted a Reisling, Albarossa, Nebbiolo, and Barbaresco. Albarossa was a new grape for many of us - the winemaker created a grape from Barbera and Nebbiolo. To top off the day, dinner was at Locanda in Cannubi, Barolo. This was another wonderful meal at an 18th century building with amazing views. The wines were Chardonnay and, of course, Barolo.

The last day was spent in Barolo. We started the day with a visit to the Museo del Vino. It is in a castle (of course!) and was more of a sensory experience than looking at old tools and everyone agreed that it is highly recommended if you come to Barolo. One of the exhibits was a bar with different religious leaders side by side behind the bar. It was meant to show that wine features prominently in most religions. There is also a Museo Dei Cavatappi (corkscrews) in town. We had lunch at

Agriturismo La Morra Brandini - an eco-hotel and winery that grows their own produce. We were hosted for lunch by winemaker Giovanna Farina (28), the winemaker for Stefano Farina, who showed us her cellar after we enjoyed her Arneis/Viognier and Nebbiolo with lunch. Then we headed back to Alba for a tour at the Pio Cesare Winery. The most interesting part of the tasting was a Barbaresco and Barolo aged exactly the same to compare the two grapes. We ended with a quick walking tour of Alba and headed back to the hotel for a breather before the last supper.

Our last night was fantastic! We said goodbye to our terrific guide and went to another Michelin star restaurant for dinner, La Ciau Del Tornavento. Like many of the others, the view was as beautiful as the food and certainly added to the overall experience. This one was set on a hill surrounded by vines where we could see all the places we visited that day. With perfect weather, the restaurant had the glass wall open and our banquet table was perfectly set where we could enjoy the beauty of the restaurant and the weather. This meal was over the top and offered unique items that included some we’d never seen before like a cock’s comb. Interesting! Many courses came and a lot of trading was happening around the table. After the meal, we toured their extensive cellars which contained multiple rooms. From first growth Bordeauxs to rare wines to, of course, the finest wines from the region to include Tuscany, this wine collection was worth millions!

We returned to our hotel tired from a packed agenda over multiple days, happy for the time together and already looking forward to our next adventure! See you in Portugal!

Our group in front of the Wine Museum

Le Scuderie Del Castello di Govone