A short drive through rice and corn fields brought me to the town of Roppolo with its beautiful castle of Serra, which hosts the Enoteca Regionale della Serra. Unfortunately this Wednesday morning it was closed. It opens only from Thursday to Sunday. No luck! So far I visited 2 enoteche in Piemonte and they were both closed on the day I arrived! Good enough, the Piemonte region has many of them!
However, I did not give up! I asked around, I visited the regal "royal" restaurant of the castle where I learnt from some locals that I could find something similar to the Enoteca della Serra 2 km away. My smile came back!
So I went to this other Enoteca where I was professionally greeted by the Sommelier Elisabetta who let me taste a selection of 4 different Erbaluce from different producers. This is a modern locale, very different from the one in the castle.
1) Erbaluce di Caluso 2002 Tre Cioche'
Azienda Silva 12%
Good acidity. Creamy and pleasant in the mouth. 80/100 €4 90
2) Canavese Bianco Grecale Erbaluce 100% 2003 Azienda Alberta. Acidity too separated from the rest. Perhaps did not do the malolactic €3.70 78/100
3) Reiri' Azienda Pozzo Vive 2003 €6.60 82/100
4) Erbaluce di Caluso Cieck Fine, Fragrant, €5.90 81/100
This enoteca, like all the others, sells wines and it also has a tourist office where I collected more brochures and maps. I now have several Kilograms of them.....!
Now it's time to set my compass south. Time to leave North Piemonte, to cross the river Po, which divides Piemonte in two half. Time to enter into the cradle of the best Piemontesi wines. This sub-region is called Monferrato and is included in 2 provinces: Asti and Alessandria. This is the reign of Barbera, Freisa, Grignolino, Moscato and lots of other native varieties.
The medieval town of Cocconato is my first stop and Azienda Bava is the first producer. The smiling and entertaining Elena led my visit to the production floor and cellars and introduced me to the world of Barbera presenting all the estate's products. Here is what I tasted:
1) Piemonte Chardonnay Thou Bianc 2003 (Chardonnay 100%). My score: 80/100. Price in stores: Euro 7
2) Monferrato Bianco Alteserre 2000 (Chardonnay 70%, Cortese 30%). My score: 84/100. Price in stores: Euro 12
3) Barbera d'Asti Libera 2001 (100% Barbera). My score: 81/100. Price in stores: Euro 8.
4) Barbera d'Asti Superiore Piano Alto 1998 (100% Barbera). My score: 84/100. Price in stores: Euro 20.
5) Barbera d'Asti Superiore Arbest 1997. My score: 86/100.
6) Barbera d'Asti Superiore Stradivario 1999. My score: 88/100. Price in stores: Euro 29.
Wine display at Azienda BAVA
After the visit and the tasting, I went for a nice walk at Cocconato. This splendid little jewel of Monferrato is immersed in hills and vineyards and preserves the ancient beauty of stone alleys never flat… in fact you find yourself always going uphill or downhill!
Image of Cocconato
Confused by names?
I just found a room at a local B&B just outside Cocconato owned and operated by a young couple. I have a beautiful view of the surrounding hills! What a spectacular awakening I anticipate for tomorrow!
The view of Monferrato from my bedroom window
Dinner at La Cantina del Ponte on the main piazza of Cocconato. It is a modern enoteca/wine bar. They have a great wine list with more than 400 wines and about 20 by the glass. The menu included local Piemontese specialties, therefore it looked like a great stop.
Dishes:
1) Schiciata con mattonella al rosmarino (flat bread with local cheese) - matched with a Arneis aged in barriques Ceste Pierguido
2) Agnolotti all'olio e salvia - matched with Barbera del Monferrato Terre Astesane Cantine di Monbercelli