On arrival we noticed how different this was to our previous destination. Driving up a humble dirt track up the hillside we saw how small this estate was and how the aspects of the vines on the hillside were so important to the successful growing of the Nebbiolo grapes for the Barolo wines.
We were greeted by Tino Colla who owned the estate with his family, who took us up into his precious vineyards where he explained that the first plantings of Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir) in Piedmont were on this estate and that they were still growing today (see picture below of dried Pinot Nero grapes from the vineyard).
Tino also told us that up the hill in the woodland on his estate was some of the finest land to search for black truffles. He often hosted truffle hunting parties for the locals. They used specially trained dogs to help them search for this black gold and that it sometimes cost up to 10,000 euro to train 1 dog up to the right standard. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to search for some ourselves, but if you're ever in the area you should call in on Tino and see if he will take you there.
(Paul and Vickie in the Poderi Colla vineyards with the Alps in the background - notice the weather station to the left where Tino is able to monitor the weather here and make right judgements with his vines/ grapes)
After our tour of the vineyards, we were taken into the tasting room to sample some of the wines from this winery. Along with some Dolchettos, we tasted some fanstastic Barolos with Pietro (Tino's son) who has trained at the Alba winemaking school and graduated in Oeneology at Turin University. He has followed in the family footsteps at this winery to continue the legacy of his family. The first records of the Colla family being in the wine industry date back to 1703, and they have acquired land since then and created some very fine wines.
On show in the tasting room was the oldest recorded bottle of Barbaresco, which dates back to 1875, see picture below, which we didn't get to taste but was fascinating to see.
One of the most unusual wines we tasted on thw whole trip was an 'Absinthe flavoured' sweet wine, which are actually very typical of the Piedmont area. Often classed as vermouths, these herb flavoured wines are often consumed as digestifs after a heavy meal, and from what we had experienced so far with the Piedmont cuisine, a lot of this style is wine is probably drunk.
As the sun began to set behind the hills in the background we made our way back to our vehicles, and Tino pointed out Mr Fererros estate (yes Mr Fererro Rocher himself!) in the distance. This part of Italy is famous for its hazelnuts but sadly the cost of harvesting them has increased very dramatically so they import them from Turkey now.
As we bid 'Arrivederci' to Tino and Pietro we made our way to our last stop of the day - a restaurant that only sells wine by the MAGNUM!!! Needless to say, we had a fair few glasses and compared an unoaked Barbera to an oaked Barbera from a local vineyard, and what a difference a little bit of oak ageing makes to this wine. These wines are perfect for enjoying with Italian cuisine with their great balance of fruit, tannins and acidity to match the rich and sumptuous food. We were beginning to feel like we could get used to this way of life!
(one of the dishes - a full leg of Bone Marrow!)
After a very long day, we made it back to Il Cascinone where we retired in the bar for a quick nightcap before heading to bed for another winery tour the next day.
Catch up tomorrow where we will be showing a different side of the wine world in Piedmont.
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