Explore the wines of the Langhe with our structured tastings

According to an Italian proverb, “Age and glasses of wine should never be counted.” Fortunately, no-one is counting either here!

We offer structured tastings to cater for people who are new to the Langhe and want to explore the different wines of the area, to tastings more suited to connoisseurs keen to compare and contrast different Barolos or Barbarescos. We endeavour to make our tastings fun and encourage you to ask lots of questions that we’ll do our best to answer! Tastings are accompanied by a selection of delicious local cheeses and/or salami.

Introduction to wines of the Langhe

A great introduction to the wines of the area, which will help to inform your evening wine choices over the remainder of your stay in the Langhe. You will get to taste great examples of the following:-

  • Arneis, a local white wine produced mainly in the Roero area to the west of Alba and the River Tannaro

  • Nascetta, a local white varietal produced by just 16 wine producers

  • Dolcetto, a light and simple red wine produced around Alba and Dogliani

  • Barbera d’Alba, a more powerful red wine which pairs well with red meats and cheeses

  • Langhe Nebbiolo - the baby brother of Barolo, produced with the same Nebbiolo grapes, but usually from vineyards outside of the strictly controlled Barolo DOCG

  • Barolo, wine of kings, king of wines. Finish the tasting with a glass of one of the area’s finest examples of Barolo

Great red wines of the Langhe

Here we focus purely on great reds from the area. You will get to taste fantastic examples of the following:-

  • Dolcetto, a light and simple red wine produced around Alba and Dogliani

  • Barbera d’Alba, a more powerful red wine which pairs well with red meats and cheeses

  • Langhe Nebbiolo - the baby brother of Barolo, produced with the same Nebbiolo grapes, but usually from vineyards outside of the strictly controlled Barolo DOCG

  • Barbaresco - produced from Nebbiolo grapes from an area just to the north east of Alba. According to the strict rules of the DOCG, Barbaresco must be aged for at least 2 years in oak

  • Barolo, wine of kings, king of wines. Also produced from Nebbiolo grapes. The wine must be aged for a minimum of 3 years in oak

Focused Barolo tasting

There are 11 different villages or communes which form the Barolo DOCG area. Not only do the grapes need to come from strictly defined areas within these communes, but the production of the wine needs to adhere to a rigid set of rules. Whilst the grape itself is the same, the terroir, aspect and exposure of the vineyards is very different.

  • Sandier soils in the La Morra area produce slightly softer, more easy drinking and approachable Barolos

  • A higher clay content in the areas around Serralunga and Monforte d’Alba tend to result in more tannic wines that require some further ageing

  • The area around Barolo itself is the middle ground, which tends towards more elegant wines

This tasting picks a typical example from each of these areas so you can really see what a difference the land makes