Happy new year!

A year has passed since I last wrote to update you on the progress on my book, The Wines of Piemonte. It has been an excellent year. I have spent a good amount of time in the region and have finished the basic research for the book. I also have complete first drafts on large sections: Monferrato, Piemonte Ligure (i.e., Gavi and Tortona), sparkling wine, Alto Piemonte and the province of Turin. In the next few months, I hope to finish the draft on the Langhe and the introductory sections this spring. I will then need to revise everything, have it read by one or two experts on the region and then work on the publication process with the Classic Wine Library.

The highlights of the year

• Visiting Vinitaly where Janet and I virtually lived and slept in Pavilion 11, Piemonte. A smaller attendance post-Covid and many booked appointments meant a much more productive fair, at least for wine writers. Staying on Lake Garda was a real pleasure too. 
• A fortnight in May to visit the truly obscure denominations in the valleys of the Alps leading to France and to the rather better-known Alto Piemonte. Roberto Conterno’s glamorous new winery in Gattinara introduces a marked contrast to the humbler but equally interesting established names of the region.
• A week in the Langhe focused on the local varieties Nascetta, Pelaverga Piccolo, Croatina and Gamba di Pernice. With some Barolo and Barbaresco visits as well, of course. For more pictures, see Rare varieties around Barolo
• A fortnight in September to get some more depth in the Langhe and to fill in missed producers, DOCs and varieties in Monferrato. Top moments included a couple of hours with Professor Gerbi (who has trained entire generations of winemakers in the famous Alba oenology school) and visits to outstanding winemakers Alfie Cavalloto, Gian Luca Colombo and Gianni Doglia and so many more.  Pictures and more at A final (?) long visit to Langhe and Monferrato.
• A real treat put on by Ultravino, specialist importer in the UK of Piemontese wines: a complete vertical tasting of Guido Rivella’s Barbaresco Montestefano. This is Guido’s ‘retirement’ project after working as winemaker at Gaja for 45 years …
• On my returns from the visits above, finishing the first drafts of chapters on Alto Piemonte, Monferrato, the province of Turin and the sparkling wine chapter. 

It has been a real privilege to visit Piemonte’s famous and little-known areas. There is far more depth to the wine scene in the region than I had imagined, even when I planned this book. The standard of winemaking in Barolo and Barbaresco is remarkable. This has enabled producers to deal well with the extremes of the current climate. But the journey of discovery–revealing the potential of tiny denominations such as Valsusa or Gabbiano and varieties such as Baratuciat or Slarina–has been just as fascinating.