Wine & Spirits - February 2021 - 24

PROFESSOR DIEGO BERTONE (CONSULTANT) AND SABRINA FARIOLI

Trattoria nelle Vigne
via Moglia Gerlotto 7A, 12055
Diano d'Alba (CN)
Tel: (39) 0173 468503
info@trattorianellevigne.it
www.trattorianellevigne.it
Sabrina Farioli,
Proprietor

Serravallian soil of Serralunga,
shows a bit of austerity in its dark
fruit and soft, dense tannins.
Diano d'Alba, overlapping the northeast corner of the
Barolo zone, has long been famous for its dolcetto. " It's
a native vine that has always been cultivated in our hills, "
says Paolo Olivero of Il Palazzotto winery. " Dolcetto is
the everyday wine par excellence and goes with just about
everything. " Everyday, yes. But that does not mean banal.
Diano d'Alba has 76 " crus " known as sorì (Piemontese
dialect for a well-exposed south-facing site, where the snow
melts first) that were historically considered to be exceptional areas for growing dolcetto. These demarcated sites
were officially recognized in 1986 and set an example for
the system of Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive (Additional
Geographic Mentions) that took effect in Barolo and Barbaresco in 2010.
Though dolcetto may translate as " little sweet one, " the
sorì show how this vine, however diminutive in name, can
reflect subtle nuances of a specific site in a straightforward,
readily accessible way. And dolcetto does it in places where
nebbiolo cannot grow.
Dogliani is located to the south of Barolo, heading up
into the Alta Langa and the Ligurian Appennines. " With its
white clay soils, high altitudes-typically over 400 meters
above sea level-and big diurnal exchange, Dogliani gives
our dolcetto wines a unique and completely different character, " says Anna Maria Abbona, wine producer of her
eponymous winery and current president of the Dogliani
Consorzio. " Dogliani is a dolcetto with much more depth,
intensity, tannic structure and its trademark almond finish.
It has the possibility of extended aging, while also retaining its freshness, acidity and aroma, which keeps it lively. It
also goes with just about everything, from a simple pasta or
soup, like the cisrà of our town, to more substantial dishes
such as bollito misto or long-cooked stews or roasts, without
the seriousness of Barolo. "
All three of these growers also produce Barolo, but for
comfortable meals at home, they usually prefer dolcetto.
Here are three examples of traditional Piemontese comfort
food that pair quite nicely with these different types of dolcetto.
24

WINE & SPIRITS

FEBRUARY 2021

BAGNA
CAUDA

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or
more, as necessary, to cover
the sliced garlic

What could be better on a cold
winter evening in the foothills
of the Alps than a hot bath-of
garlic! Bagna cauda-literally
" hot bath " (the word bagna is
also used to indicate a dipping
sauce)-consists of sliced garlic and salted anchovies gently
steeped in olive oil until they
break down into a coarse purée.
The sauce is typically served in
a special terra cotta bowl with
space for a candle underneath,
to keep the bagna warm, surrounded by an assortment of
colorful winter vegetables to dip
into it.
Many people in the Langhe
will tell you the consumption
of garlic helps to reinforce the
immune system and prevent
winter colds and flu. The pervasive aroma of molten garlic and
pungent anchovies wafts out of
windows and through deserted
village streets, and even pops up
in standup morning coffee bars,
coming off of someone who had
consumed it the night before.
The best dolcetto for this dish
would be Dolcetto d'Alba with
its straightforward fruitiness,
unobtrusive tannins and unflagging acidity. The more muted,
earthy style of Dolcetto d'Alba
from Serralunga, such as the one
made by Schiavenza, would be
especially advantageous here by
counterbalancing the sweet-pungent garlic and briny anchovies.
The simple fruitiness and acidity
of Dolcetto d'Alba provide a unifying element for the various raw
and cooked vegetables.

salt to taste

a variety of seasonal raw and
cooked vegetables, typically
including radicchio, endive,
celery, Savoy cabbage, fennel, Jerusalem artichokes,
cardoons, bell peppers, cauliflower, cooked beets and potatoes. (You can peel and roast
the peppers, or parboil the
cardoons and Jerusalem artichokes to remove astringency
and avoid oxidation.)

BAGNA CAUDA
F R O M S A B R I N A FA R I O L I ,
PROPRIETOR

Trattoria nelle Vigne
DIANO D'ALBA

● Serve with Cantina Schiavenza
Dolcetto d'Alba
INGREDIENTS PER PERSON:

5 cloves of garlic, peeled and
sliced thinly, against the grain
(not lengthwise)
3 salted anchovies, well rinsed,
with backbone and fins
removed, cut into pieces

1 egg (optional)

" Our trattoria offers typical dishes
of the Langhe without reinterpretations, innovations or creativity
whatsoever, " says Sabrina Farioli of
Trattoria nelle Vigne. " Bagna cauda
is certainly one of them. It's a simple dish made from simple ingredients but can be quite satisfying
and invigorating, especially in the
winter. But the cooking process is
critical:
" Put the sliced garlic in a heavyduty saucepan, add enough olive
oil to cover the garlic, and cook on
a very low heat, stirring frequently
with a wooden spoon to make sure
it does not stick to the bottom of
the pan. The garlic must not darken;
it must simply take a nice hot bath
in oil without burning. Add more
olive oil if necessary.
" Continue to cook gently until
the garlic starts to break down and
amalgamate with the oil. The color
should be white-beige and the texture should begin to look like a
coarse purée.
" Stir in the anchovies and continue cooking gently, stirring frequently, until the anchovies disintegrate into the sauce, which will now
resemble a pale chestnut-colored
cream. Small specs of anchovies
may still be present.
" Add salt to taste, if necessary,
and keep warm.
" Arrange the vegetables on a
large serving plate.
" Place the bagna cauda in a terracotta dish with a lit candle underneath to keep it warm. [If you don't
have such a dish you can simply
use a warmed bowl.] Place the dish
on the table or on the plate in the
middle of the vegetables and serve.
" When you've had enough of the
vegetables, crack an egg into the
hot dish and scramble to collect any
remaining sauce. "

http://www.trattorianellevigne.it

Wine & Spirits - February 2021

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