Buried Treasure---Truffles

                     Truffles grow underground & specially trained dogs are required to find them

October is the beginning of the season for the world’s most expensive culinary treasure, the white truffle.  Only grown in a small area near the Italian Alps called Piedmont, the white truffle (tartufo bianco) is the most fragrant and most intensely flavored of all of the many varieties of truffles.  For this reason it is often called the “King of truffles.”  Its step-sister, the not-as-fragrant-black truffle, is grown in several parts of the world, but it is the highly prized white truffle which gourmands around the world not only covet, but pay mega Euros to feast on this buried edible masterpiece.

                             The tartufo bianco is the most aromatic & flavorful of all truffles

All truffles are a type of an exotic fungus that grows underneath the ground near the roots of certain trees.  In Piedmont, Italy the white truffle variety grows commonly near the roots of hazelnut, oak, pine or beech trees.  Truffles, a kind of distant cousin of wild mushrooms, are found by special dogs who have been trained to smell these highly fragrant edibles which are concealed several inches under the forest’s floor.

Piedmont in October is one big love-fest with the white truffle.  The charming medieval town of Alba is home to the Truffle Festival, a decadent food gala celebrating the area’s famous white culinary diamonds.  Weekends are grid-lock with aficionados from around the world descending on Alba for a smell and taste of the intoxicating white truffle.   There is pageantry with parades, music, and dance---all to honor the illustrious tartufo bianco.  

                                     Alba's Truffle Festival is a do not miss event for foodies

 If you can’t make it to Piedmont for the Truffle Festival, the next best thing may be dining at a Michelin star restaurant somewhere in the world during the months of October or November.    Be prepared, however, to spend almost $100 more per dish for the addition of the white truffle.  This means a $50 pasta will become $150 with the tartufo bianco.

Buon appetito!

Wines For Which I’m Thankful

  

There’s a plethora of good wines in this world.  Some stand-out for their quality-price ratio, others win over your heart because of the circumstances in which they were consumed.  Yet, more float to the top of our lists because they just plain knocked-our-socks off.  Here is my “Top 3” list for this Thanksgiving…culled from all of the above factors during my recent trips to Bordeaux and Piedmont, Italy.

Prinsi Gaia Principe Barbaresco 2007:  I’ve visited thousands of wineries around the globe.  One of the warmest welcomes I’ve ever received was a month ago when I took the Wine-Knows group visiting Piedmont to Prinsi.  To say that this charming family rolled out the red carpet is an understatement.   Likewise, to disclose that their Barbaresco was sublime is no exaggeration.  Best news of all is its modest cost for a Barbaresco of $48…I know of no other Barbaresco for this price that even comes close.  Contact FineWineImporters.com for the location nearest you.

  

Les Arums de Lagrange 2011:  OK, I admit it.  I have had a long-standing love affair with Chateau Lagrange…the people, the chateau and their wines.  I recently took a group to Chateau Lagrange in Bordeaux for a private dinner and Lagrange’s white wine, Les Arums, really pulled at the strings of my heart.  (Considering I typically prefer red wine, it’s fairly compelling that a white took center stage.)  The fact that this lucious white was perfectly paired with a with a pumpkin and chestnut soup didn't hurt.  Now for the good news.  It’s just become available in the US.  As the chateau’s production of this Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blend is miniscule, you’ll need to see it out on WineSearcher.com.  It’s a steal at about just over 20 bucks a bottle.

Paolo Scavino Barolo Rocche Dell’Annunziata Riserva 2007:  I’ve tried 3 or 4 times to get an appointment with this super-star Italian producer, but I’ve always been told, “Sorry, Signora, but it’s the middle of the harvest and we don’t accept visitors!”  As I’m always in Piedmont at the time of the harvest (because it’s also the time of the area’s ethereal edible----the white truffle), I’ve simply remained a loyal fan.  This year the winery finally said “OK, Signora…you can come with your group.”   (I think they did so just to get rid of me!).  But, after having tasted these wines at their birthplace, I now know that was not the case as their hospitality was genuine beyond words.  Moreover, every single one of these wines was stunning.  For a holiday splurge, however, my vote goes to their Barolo Rocche Dell’Annunziata Riserva.  ($95 @ http://www.grapeswine.com/product-p/1576188.htm). 

DOLCETTO…Piedmont’s Little Secret Wine

Even if you’re a well-seasoned traveler to Italy, you may not know this wine.  Primarily made in the Piedmont (Piemonte) district, Dolcetto is little known to those who live outside of Italy.  After all, the spot light is on Piedmont’s world renown Barolo and Barbaresco.  Well-crafted Dolcetto, however, is no ugly step-sister.

Made from the Dolcetto grape, this darkly colored dry wine pairs very well with food due to its moderate acid structure.  Flavors of black cherry, blackberry, plum, licorice and nuances of almonds further work well with the local cuisine.  Modern vineyard practices and more advanced winemaking have taken this once simple table wine to new heights.  Dolcetto is not typically placed in expensive French oak barrels, nor does it require aging.  For the consumer, this translates to a fair-priced wine that can be drunk young. 

Some of my favorite producers of Dolcetto are Spinetta, Elvo Cogno and Paolo Scavino.  Most of these are available online in the U.S. for under $30.   If you’re coming on the October tour to Piedmont, we’ll be visiting these producers.  I suspect that after the tour, Dolcetto will no longer be a secret.