While it’s no secret how phenomenal a destination Italy is when it comes to culinary delicacies, the place where you can find the best food and wine tours in Italy is much less famous. We’re talking, of course, about the Langhe Region, a part of Piedmont in northwestern Italy.
Made up of low-lying, rolling hills between the Mediterranean and the Alps, its climate perfectly suits the production of various authentic and typical wines and some characteristic foods.
4 Typical Delicacies You Must Try on a Langhe Wine Tour
Below, we highlight the four most excellent delicacies, both food and wine, you can find–and taste!–in the Langhe Region. If you ask us, there are four fantastic reasons to go on a Langhe wine tour. Check them out; we challenge you not to get hungry or thirsty!
1. Red Wines
The brightest jewels in Langhe’s culinary crown are the region’s renowned red wines. Numerous varieties are produced here, combining grape varieties and the location where they’re grown.
The three main red grape types distinguishing the Langhe Region from all other Italian wine-growing regions are Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Dolcetto.
- Nebbiolo: most famous red grape from the Langhe Region, used to produce Barolo, Barbaresco, Nebbiolo d’Alba, Roero Rosso,….
- Barbera is the most common red grape in the Langhe Region. It is popular among locals and produces Barbera d’Asti, Barbera d’Alba, Barbera del Monferrato Superiore, and other varieties.
- Dolcetto: the most smoothly drinkable red grape from the Langhe Region, used to produce Dogliani, Dolcetto di Diano d’Alba, Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore,…
2. White and Sparkling Wines
While the Langhe Region is most famous for its delicious, well-aging reds, several excellent white and sparkling wines are also around. So, if you’re not a fan of those tannin-rich red wines, you could still find several excellent sweet or dry white wines on a Langhe wine tour.
Piedmont’s Langhe Region also produces white and sparkling wines with three main grape varieties: Moscato Bianco, Cortese, and Arneis. Some of the region’s sparkling wines are recognized as Alta Langa DOCG, a famous vintage produced according to strict historical guidelines.
- Moscato Bianco: the most well-known white grape variety in the Langhe Region, used to produce the sparkling Moscato d’Asti, Asti Spumante, Loazollo,…
- Cortese: renowned white grape from the town of Gavi, used to produce dry white wines like Gavi and Cortese dell’Alto Monferrato
- Arneis is an excellent white grape from the Roero Region, also found in the Langhe Region. The region produces Roero Arneis, Langhe Arneis, Terre Alfieri, and other varieties.
3. Hazelnuts and Chestnuts
Although vineyards cover much of the Langhe Region’s picturesque hills, there are also myriad patches of woodland and orchards. Grapes are not the only thing people harvest here. At about the same time the grape harvest occurs, other harvested “tree fruits” are hazelnuts and chestnuts.
Both nuts are intrinsic to Piedmontese cuisine, making them perfect pairings with cheese, cured meats, and/or wine. However, hazelnuts have left the most significant mark on the region’s economy and history.
For centuries, Alba has been the center of hazelnut production. Here, Pietro Ferrero perfected a local hazelnut paste that later became Nutella. Another famous hazelnut-related product from the Langhe Region is Ferrero Rocher, which the Ferrero company also makes.
4. White Truffles
As famous as Langhe’s hazelnut products may be, the region’s top food product is indisputably its white truffles. Specifically, Alba’s white truffles are renowned worldwide for their unique flavor.
Foraging, or “hunting,” for white truffles is a major pastime in the fall season and a super-popular activity on food and wine tours in northern Italy. The production of white truffles is closely related to nut-bearing trees like oaks, chestnuts, and hazelnuts since they prefer to grow among those trees’ roots.
White truffles are an ingredient in many typical Langhe dishes, from truffle omelets to pasta dishes with truffles.
Enjoy the Langhe & Piedmont Delicacies with Slow Days
As tour operators, we at Slow Days focus on the beautiful Langhe Region in northwestern Italy and all its culinary specialties, from ravishing red wines to extraordinary white truffles. This is, after all, the birthplace of the slow food movement, which is now a global phenomenon. There’s no better place on Earth to discover, enjoy, and indulge in authentic, locally produced food and wine.
So, if you’re interested in joining us on a Langhe wine tour, you can check out all our culinary tour packages on this page.
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