Mombaruzzo, Italy

Finally a day that did not involve a drive in to Turin, yippee!! With the World Masters now behind us it was time to relax and take in the Piemonte Region and all it has to offer. We both set our alarms for 6am so we could bid farewell to Kate and Sal before Maddy drove them to the train station. Back to bed for a couple of hours before rising again, refreshed and ready to go. Our Host Nicola had organised a wine tour for us in the town of Priocca at a small biodynamic/organic winery called ‘Pasquero Hilberg’. On the way to the winery, Hugh and I drove through Neive, a small town of 3280 residents. The old town is located at the top of a hill and is laid out in a circular pattern that is enclosed by walls. The Tower of Neive dates back to the 12th century and is the highest point of the town. From here we headed to Barbaresco, a town of 680 residents and once again the MediaevalTower is one of the best viewing points in the area, but was unfortunately closed for renovation. It was here we also met up with Maddy and Co for a walk around the town then a quick bite to eat before heading to the winery for our tour at 2.30pm. The owners, Annette and Michele, are very passionate about how they make their wine. It has been a family business since the 1860’s and Michele was very proud to advise us of the fact that he was literally born in the house that is on the property. They spoke very good English and so were able to explain to us the process they use for making their wine and why it is so important for them to do use biodynamic and organic methods. We tried a range of wines, starting with a Vareij which is an unclassified ‘vin de pay’, or basically table wine. Classification is the bugbear of Annette and Michele as it involves a lot of rules and regulations about the types of grapes and styles of wines you can use in each area. Quite frankly, the classification system in the whole of Italy is confusing and stifles the individual makers creativity, and is a minefield of bureaucracy and officialdom gone mad. A pain in the **** to understand for all! We next tried a few Barbera’s and the king of grapes up this way, Nebbiola. Both styles were excellent, especially the Nebbiolo. Everyone loved them and a few bottles were purchased by all. After the tour Hugh and I once again went exploring the region and headed to Camo, a town of 218 residents and once again the tower was the highest point. There seems to be a theme in the Piemonte region as you drive through all of these beautiful towns!! From here we headed back to the Villa to find Maddy and Co relaxing by the pool. With Kate and Sal gone it was time to bring out the meat platter to compliment the cheese and pesto we had bought at Eataly. Our last night was spent enjoying another lovely meal prepared by our good chef friend Charlie, over more of the regional wines. A few laughs and stories told by all before eyelids started to get heavy and the night was called to an end. Tomorrow we head to Lake Como, a 3 hour drive away for 3 nights, so look out George Clooney!!