A PERFECT DAY: A JOURNEY AT PODERI ROSET
Posted by Guidi Wines on
It’s Saturday morning, early April. You wake up and the weather sucks. It is certainly not the best day for a trip to Langhe but there is nothing you can do about it because a damn serious job awaits you: tasting excellent wines at the cellars of Poderi Roset.
Langhe (a Unesco World Heritage Site), is a land of truffles and castles, sweet hills, vineyards and wineries, historic cellars, and many traditions. Here the vineyards are transformed into poetry; the ancient streets of the villages unveil unique landscapes. It’s a magical land that smells of extraordinary wines.
Poderi Roset is in the municipality of Verduno, one of the eleven villages in the Barolo area, not far from the beautiful city of Alba. Alba is the gourmet capital of the Langhe wine growing region, a superb place to eat and world-renowned for its white truffles.
Verduno is a small, enchanted village with panoramic views. Built around the Castle of Verduno the village retains the charm of the past where one can enjoy the magic of a restful and quiet place. Verduno is famous because it is one of only eleven municipalities allowed to produce Barolo wine and because it is the hometown of the amazing Verduno Perlaverga wine, a unique and rare DOC made with semi-aromatic Pelaverga Piccolo grapes.
The town of Verduno is situated 380 meters above sea level, very close to the Tanaro River and the soil is made mostly of marl and sand, which explains the uniqueness of this wine.
Verduno Pelaverga is currently one of Italy’s hottest wines, with bottles literally flying off wine store shelves, and it’s on restaurant wine lists all over the world, because people everywhere seemingly cannot drink enough of it.
Pale red in color, medium-bodied, with an aromatic floral fragrance, well-balanced acidity, red berry flavors and a mineral finish, this wine is a joy to drink again and again.
Waiting for us in the cellar at Poderi Roset was Silvio Busca, owner of the company, vigneron, wine maker and hazelnut grower.
Silvio is a hard worker who would rather spend his time in the cellar or in the vineyards than in the office. Some of the vineyards he owns, others he rents, but all the vines are grown with the same care and passion, with minimal use of machinery and without chemicals. His entire production is around 70,000 bottles and includes Dolcetto DOC, Barolo DOCG, Barbera d’Alba DOC, Roero Arneis DOCG and the rare Verduno Pelaverga DOC.
P.S. they are also the official purveyors of wine to the "Arma dei Carabinieri", the oldest and most notable Italian law enforcement agency.
The tasting journey continued at Cafè Cavour, a nice bistro in the historic center of Alba, owned by Silvio’s wife, Stefania. Regional wines are an excellent match for the local cuisine, after all, they were designed for each other over the generations - especially when the food is as good as Stefania's!
On this pleasant occasion, with such good company, we learned that Barolo goes perfectly with fried lamb chops and that Barbera d’Alba pairs well with anchovies, bread and butter. Another incredible combination was of Caponèt (typical Piedmontese cabbage rolls) and Verduno Pelaverga.
What can I say, the tasting was fantastic, because Poderi Roset produces excellent and well-balanced wines that stir emotions, taste of violets and are evocative of the vineyards from which they come.
It is almost evening when we get up from the table. Silvio's wines and Stefania's food delighted us and their friendliness, kindness and hospitality made the day perfect.
