The Other Nebbiolo Wine

We all have our favorite Italian Wines from different regions of Italy, Piedmont is an area I cherish. For me, it starts with the famous white truffles. Every time I visit Piedmont, I try and time it with the truffle season. I’ve had the distinct pleasure of attending the truffle festival and thought I’d died and gone to heaven. As a chef, lover of food and wine, I couldn’t imagine there ever being a food experience that topped the tagliatelle with white truffle pasta dish I ate in a small restaurant in Piedmont the first time I visited. The aroma was intoxicating, my poor wife thought she lost me. I was literally overwhelmed by this gastronomic experience.

After coming down from my food high, I was able to taste some of the region’s best wines. The wines with the most notoriety were the Barolos and Barberescos, although the local Barberas were some of my favorites. I honestly don’t think Americans get Barolo and Barberesco, they are very complex and tend to be pricey. Italians in Piedmont tend to drink Barbera as their wine of choice. Most Barolo and Barberesco wines have ascended to almost cult status and like all cult wines have shot up in price leaving the average consumer unable to experience the famed wines of the Nebbiolo grape.

There is one other tiny appellation in the Northern Piedmont region called Gattinara, home of the other wine made from the Nebbiolo grape. Gattinara is a relatively unknown wine, it has gained notoriety over the years by the Travaglini family, producers of Gattinara since 1920. Travaglini is synonymous with Gattinara, they produce the wine in the funny shaped bottle. I always thought the bottle was a marketing thing. I recently tasted their wines at Vin Italy and discovered the wine bottle was designed for aging wines. The design fits in the palm of your hand and is shaped to catch the sediment when decanting the bottle. The bottle was first designed for the amazing 1952 vintage, which Clemente Traviglini deemed worthy of great aging potential. The bottle was so well received, the family trademarked it and still use it today.

I’ve had Travaglini Gattinara many times, after spending time with the family tasting through their wines and learning the history behind wine, I realize how special this wine really is. I think this is a wine worthy of aging, or drinking everyday. It is a great food wine and pairs well with Grilled Meats, Game and hard cheeses. I think a fun tasting would be to have a bottle of Travaglini Gattinara along with a bottle of Barolo and Barberesco of the same vintage and taste them with a great meal. Treat yourself to a unique experience, you may not be able to afford a bottle of Barolo with dinner; but you can afford a bottle of Gattinara. Your friends will go crazy and wonder where you ever came up with that wine.

Dick Varano