On our second day, we were on the bus by 9:15 to tour the vineyard of Matteo Correggia and taste its Roero wines.

Roero, on the left bank of the Tanaro River, emerged from the sea a mere 2 – 3 million years ago, and the soil is sandy and full of shells. The region is known for its white wines, but the sandy soil also favors red wines that are more approachable right away, unlike the right bank wines of Barbera and Barolo, which are better after holding for several years. The region gets its name from a family prominent in the middle ages. It is now on a UNESCO list of World Heritage properties.

Matteo Correggia

Matteo Correggia pioneered the growing of the red Nebbiolo grapes in Roero. He had become one of the most respected wine makers of the region by the time he died in 2001 in a farming accident. His wife, who up until then didn’t have much to do with the wine business, took over the winery and now runs it with her son, Giovanni, and others.

We had a tour of the vineyard and the cellars, and then sat down in the tasting room to talk with Giovanni about his wines while we tasted them.

There were two vintages of white wines made from the Arneis grape, a Sauvignon blanc, a Brachetto. Moving on to red wines, there were two Barberas, three Nebbiolos, and a special blend made into a limited production wine dedicated to Matteo, named “Apapà,” (“to dad”) aged in a ceramic amphora for 15 months. There were only 400 bottles produced. (We bought one, along with others of their wines.) For those of you counting, that was ten wines — for our morning tasting!

Massucco Winery

Our next stop was the Massucco Winery, producing grapes on 50 acres since the early 1900s. After a tour of their production facilities, we sat down for a tasting and a picnic lunch (which we ate inside, because it was an abnormally hot day for this time of year). We tasted a sparkling wine made of a blend of Arneis and Favorita grapes; a white made of Arneis; a Barbera; and two Nebbiolo wines.

After the tasting and lunch, we strolled through the Massucco vineyard and hazelnut orchards.

The Group

As mentioned in the first post, this tour was offered through Elizabeth Schneider’s Wine for Normal People. Everyone on the tour was a Patreon supporter of Elizabeth’s podcast (or the spouse of a Patreon supporter). Through the podcast and the classes offered by Elizabeth on Zoom, the group was already part of a (virtual) community. So, even though we had never met, it wasn’t the same as suddenly coming together with a bunch of total strangers. It was a fun group of wine lovers having various levels of seriousness about wine. There was the nurse from Louisiana (Lafayette) who runs a wine shop on the side, taking copious notes during our tastings and, at the other end of the spectrum, there were people like me, there to enjoy the incredible landscape, good food and wine, and hoping to retain just a little of all we were learning. Others on the tour were from California (Los Angeles and the Bay Area), Washington (Seattle area), New York (Buffalo), Illinois (Chicago), Florida, Pennsylvania (Lancaster), New Jersey, and South Carolina. There was another couple from DC who live not far from us. Silvia Di Fiori (not pictured below because she was taking the picture) was our trip leader. A native of Torino, she had the connections and experience to make this trip a memorable one for everyone.

All’Enoteca

The end of our second day was capped with a dinner at the Michelin-star restaurant All’Enoteca. The food was fabulous, and it was expertly paired with wines chosen by Elizabeth. There were about a dozen courses, including lamb, paired with a 10-year-old Barolo and a little pita pocket stuffed with fois gras and strawberry jam paired with a delicious sweet wine from Sicily (Donnafugata Ben Ryé).