As the snow starts it’s retreat up the mountainside our thoughts have already left our alpine retreat, leaping forward to what’s next.

We find ourselves longing for the bright greens of Spring. Staying so late in the mountains last year, we missed Spring and the verdant, rolling hills of Piedmont are tempting us where the ‘King of Wines’ awaits.

A visit to Piedmont feels like unfinished business. The Autumn storms of 2023 chased us out of Italy before we’d had the chance to explore here.

Our final sign came from a kindly gifted bottle of red we just opened. The answer was in the glass; Barolo was calling.

Leaving the peaks behind

On a quiet Sunday morning, we pay our last weekly ticket and slip out of Montgenevre. The annual changing of the guard has begun. Most of the people and vans we know have finished for the season and the aire is starting to fill with new faces. The school Easter holidays are about to start.

Still, leaving feels sad this year as we’ll not be back next Winter.

Heading across the border and it’s east and downhill all the way to Turin. We’ve not come this way before and there are a lot of tunnels. Finally, the road emerges into daylight and extends out along the base of a wide glacial valley lined with towering white peaks. As the snow disappears we turn south skirting Turin, which is mercifully free of manic drivers over the weekend.

Pretty soon we can see the hills of Langhe ahead. With a sense of quiet complacency we opt for the twisty route over La Morra.

It’s spectacular.

The sky is blue and so clear. From the top at La Morra we can see across the green vineyards that cover the hillsides, over the plain beyond and out as far as the snow capped mountains in the distance that ring this region in a horseshoe. It’s amazing. We don’t know it but today will be the only day of our trip when the view is so clear.

Of course a lot of my focus is on the driving.

Initial complacency quickly evaporates as it becomes clear that the hilltop roads can be just as challenging as the mountains. Steep gradients and hairpin turns wind through renaissance style villages which add a new complication.

Eventually, and with a long, frustrated tail of Italian Grand Prix drivers behind us, we reach our destination. We’ll be staying at Alberto Ballerin’s vineyard and winery for the week in the heart of the Barolo wine region.

Barolo

Alberto was very welcoming although made little attempt to hide his surprise at the size of Beatrix. He shows us to a spot behind the house, away from the camping area which faces the vineyard.

It was spectacular and, we realised on stepping outside, more than warm enough for shorts and tee shirts. With our patio set up, it was time for an early evening barbecue.

That’s the first cycle where I used all of the 27 gears on my bike and honestly I could have done with a couple more on each end.

A second cycle adventure took me up to the charming little town of Novello. The viewpoint Monviso gives a fantastic views across the whole region.

We took a scooter trip out to the castle at Grinzane Cavour. The castle is pretty impressive and dates from the 13th century. However, it became famous in the 19th century when the Count refurbished the building and revived it’s vines for Barolo wine making.

The garden walkway has an excellent season by season guide to the Barolo wine making which was super informative before we did our tasting.

We went on to the hilltop town of Diano d’Alba. At a height of 496m gave the best views back across to our campsite and La Morra in the distance.

Alberto Ballerin

We booked a wine tasting with Alberto later in the week and shared the experience with a German couple and a Dutch chap who had arrived that day. People seemed to stop for a couple of days at a time and we were surprised at how it stayed busy so early in the season.

Alberto’s son took us on a tour and talked us through the vineyard. They have 9 hectares spread across three of the ‘Cru’ areas of Barolo. The majority of their vines are right in front of our motorhome on the south facing hillside but grapes from Monforte and Novello are blended to create their signature bottles.

They make 2 white wines from grapes on the lower slopes and a lighter, ready to drink Dolcetto d’Alba which is made in the ‘new world’ way. Then of course two types of Barolo DOCG which are fabulous.

Sally asked how they create the blend. Apparently it’s a real family affair with everyone around the table tasting and discussing and then dad makes the call. Given the cost of the wine and time it takes to create, it’s a pretty important decision for the estate.

The tour costs 15 euro unless you buy six bottles….. so it seemed like a good deal to do just that. Not all the Dolcetto made it home as there’s always something magical about drinking wine in the place it was made.

We thought this little corner of Piedmont was an absolute gem. We definitely recommend it and I’m sure we’ll be back.

For us now, after a great week and with our Brexit days counting up toward 83, it was time for us to say goodbye and begin our journey north. Our route back to Calais would take us through the Frejus tunnel to the Rhône. Then it’s onto Beaune which would have been idyllic except for an untimely electrical gremlin…. But that’s a tale for next time.