If you like Italian wine and wine from Piemonte, La Morra is a highly recommended place to stay for a few days (or weeks!) to explore this beautiful area. We stayed at a classic hotel called Corta Gondina in La Morra which was the perfect starting point for visiting Barolo country. In Piemonte four different main reds are made:
Dolcetto - name of the grape, light fruity with a fantastic colour for daily drinking
Barbera - name of the grape, very fruity with no tannins wine goes with risotto, fish or light meat
Barolo - made from Nebbiolo grape, king of Italian wine, needs cellaring, starting prices 25€
Barberesco - also made from Nebbiolo but further north, similar style and price as Barolo
Classification of the Barolo(example) is easy but complex. The whole area of Langhe which is classified as Barolo is in reality just one appelation. It is thus similar to Burgundy, however unlike Burgundy the different fields are not classified into a Premier or Grand cru, you just have to know (and believe me the price is a good indication).
In La Morra they produce 35% of all the Barolo with some big names in the town like Voerzio, Ratti etc The town itself has only 2600 people and lies on a hilltop at 513 meters! which gives you cool nights even in summer. The town has three major winestores and restaurants.
Barolo is only 8km while Alba is 14km away. We had dinner in the restaurant with fantastic views over the Barolo hillsides and lunch in a small house in Barolo. Wonderful local food with local wine like Dolcetto d'Alba and Barolo. Especially the restaurant on the hilltop had a fantastic wine list.
Dolcetto is a perfect lunch wine which I prefer to drink cold, Barbera for both lunch and dinner while Barolo and Barbaresco are for the big occasions and should be drunk in Burgundy glasses to get full effect of the flavours..
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