A night of deliciousness featuring wine and food from Bra and Barolo, Piemonte Italy

Escaping the Hong Kong humidity, we were welcomed to Aria with glasses of chilled white wine from the featured vineyard* of the night. The winery, Marchesi di Barolo, pioneered the dry Barolo wines in 1814that was exclusively served in the royal courts. These wines were paired with a special menu^ created with Slow Food Ark of Taste ingredients. The event was organized by The Knights of the Truffle and Wines of Alba, Hong Kong Delegation and co-organised by the Hong Kong convivium of Slow Food. The international headquarters of Slow Food is located in Bra, only 19 km from Barolo, in the same region of Italy, Piemonte.

An introduction of the vineyard via Zoom, featured Ms Valentina Abbona 6th generation winemaker speaking from Barolo. Ms Abbona explained the unique landscape of Barolo that consists of eleven communes that creates a unique terroir for their wines.

We had the opportunity to do a blind tasting of two types of wine, Barberesco and a Barolo, to distinguish their unique characteristics. The wine enthusiasts amongst the crowd were asked to vote using their mobile phone to determine if they could guess which wine was the Barberesco or the Barolo. Many discussions were heard with words such as “fruity” “minerality” “tannins” and laughter erupted as the wines were revealed. Only one-third of the audience guessed correctly!

The menu perfectly complimented the single vineyard wines presented. It was a night of exploring the nuances of what the specific region offered – how the soil affects the taste of wine, transforming the simple grape. How the preparation of Bra sausage originates from enclaves of the Jewish community or Fassona cows tenderness is attributed to unique gene that doubles muscle growth giving it a higher lean to fat ratio, and the grasses and herbs of the mountains influence the taste of the cow’s milk for cheese.

For example, in the tradition of Piemonte food, the pasta course, ravioli del Plin was filled with a designated Slow Cheese, Castelmagno, and served with a simple butter sauce. This may sound like an uncomplicated dish, but it wasn’t. The ravioli had a special fold. “Plin” meaning pinch is actually a flap resulting in a pocket formation in the pasta. The distinctive folding style of the pasta shows the traditions from the Piemonte region and complements the artisanal cheese.

The evening concluded on many layers of sweet notes with two types of digestivo wines. The spicy notes were complemented by the rich Gianduiotto chocolate mixed with Piedmontese hazelnut producing a perfect balance that highlights the richness of the nut. As a departing gift, all of the guests were given 200 g of Castelmagno cheese to take home and enjoy.

The evening was a tasty reminder to stay curious of where our food comes from and how it is made. To remember how our food choices affect what is produced and consumed. Bra and Barolo’s environment, farming practices, and crop growth all coincide to produce specialties unique to the Piemonte region. The natural elements such as soil type and climate along with human controlled elements of crop choice that grow most efficiently can influence the livestock producing regional flavours from its local vegetation cannot be replicated elsewhere. It is important to know these artisans are unique to Barolo and Bra. The preservation of traditions are important to prevent the disappearance of local food culture.