Autumn is the start of the season for white truffle, a culinary jewel from Alba in Piedmont. Most white truffle dishes pair well with wines from the Italian region. The quality of both truffles and wine depends on the weather, but in opposite ways.

"Generally speaking, a good vintage for truffles is normally boring for wine," says Alberto di Gresy, the owner of the Marchesi di Gresy winery. "Truffles need wet weather. Wine needs dry, warm days ending with cold nights for perfect grape maturation from the last week of August, and possibly no rain until October - the end of the harvest." In 2010, the weather was perfect. It was considered a difficult vintage with a wet and cool August. But the damp and humidity provided the perfect growing environment for high-quality truffles.

The most famous red grape from Piedmont is the nebbiolo. It is used for Barolo, which has been given the epithet "the king of wines", and Barbaresco, the "prince of wines". Barolos tend to be big, powerful wines with high acidity and tannins. They may not be approachable when young and often need a few years to mellow and open up. Barbaresco can be drunk earlier. Nebbiolo wines are suited to a long dinner. If you are looking for fun, easy drinking styles, try Dolcetto. The name means little sweet one, and the wines are normally made for early drinking.

Rocche Costamagna is a family-run business that dates to 1841. The name rubis comes from in Latin, meaning to be red or blush. It refers to the blackberry flavours that characterise this wine. Modern winemaking with fermentation in stainless steel tanks and no wood maturation has captured the fresh vibrant fruit flavours.