Three Piedmont wines to drink with Alba's white truffles
Sarah Wong samples two classic reds made with the nebbiolo grape, and a Moscati white that's good to start or end a meal with
Autumn heralds the highly anticipated white truffle season in Italy. And, when it comes to wines to complement the perfumed tuber - the best of which are said to come from Alba - many choose those from Piedmont, near the Alps.
Piedmont's most noble grape, nebbiolo, is used for wines from Barolo to Barbaresco, with the fruit's thin skin producing light-coloured varieties. The grapes are fickle and susceptible to vine diseases, but make top wines that can be beautifully complex and pure. Wine writer Jamie Goode describes nebbiolo as being "like a brilliant friend with a prickly personality".
"You like to hang out with them, but about half the time they are having an off-day and it's kind of difficult," he says.
Nebbiolo's high acidity and firm tannins give its wines enough structure for long-term cellaring.
Giovanni Massolino founded his family business in 1896. Based in the village of Serralunga d'Alba, the family owns some of the best local vineyard sites. Their techniques are a mix of the traditional and modern with a lot of time spent in the vineyard to ensure the highest quality fruit at consistent ripeness levels.
The fruit is fermented and aged in large oak casks, and wine styles are pure and elegant.