24 Hours With the Grand Wine Tour

A floor-to-ceiling glass window separates my table at Damiano Nigro’s restaurant at Palás Cerequio from the astounding La Morra landscape. A slope of vines, all recently relieved of their Nebbiolo grapes, absorbs the sunlight, which subtly gilds the green leaves splashed with shades of autumn. I plunge the edge of my spoon through a layer of white truffle shavings for a generous scoop of egg en cocotte. The creamy, custard-like texture melds with the unmistakable, delicately dizzying muskiness of the truffles, practically melting in my mouth. Then I wash it down with a sip of my Michele Chiarlo 2017 Barolo Cerequio and repeat. I’m around three-quarters of the way through 24 hours on the Grand Wine Tour, and I honestly don’t want it to end.

Founded in 2018, the Grand Wine Tour is the brainchild of Max Coppo, the fourth generation to oversee Coppo, a winery in Canelli, Piedmont, known for its Barbera d’Asti, Moscato d’Asti, Chardonnay, and classic method sparkling wines. “I was inspired by Napa Valley,” Coppo explains. “The winemakers understand winemaking and wine tourism are two different things. They have effectively and intelligently executed the idea of wine tourism and I wanted to do something similar here in Italy.”

The association offers tours and experiences in select wineries, all of which have undergone an evaluation to ensure they meet the rigid standards of quality. “The Grand Wine Tour is a mark of excellence, and I want it to stay that way. We currently have 15 wineries. We started with 14 and were up to 22 at one point,” Coppo says. “We have a points system in place that covers three criteria: the tour and tasting, the wine, and hospitality. We evaluate the wineries every year, and they must maintain a certain number of points to remain part of the association. We’ve asked wineries that didn’t uphold the standards to leave.”

The Grand Wine Tour has expanded into a more extensive tour operator, so when planning client itineraries, they can arrange visits to wineries in regions they’re not currently represented as well as experiences like pasta-making and food tours in cities like Bologna and Rome. The travel managers can steer one’s entire itinerary and handle the arrangements for a multi-day tour or just arrange, say, a simple day trip from Milan to visit Berlucchi in Franciacorta, a sparkling wine region an hour from the Lombard capital.

Unsurprisingly, the most frequented region is Piedmont. In addition to winery visits and tastings, the interactive experiences include cooking classes, truffle hunting, vine trekking, bike tours, and more. The Grand Wine Tour’s partner restaurants and hotels include luxury properties and fine restaurants like the three-star Michelin-rated Piazza Duomo, which currently ranks 29 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

I covered a lot of wine ground in 24 hours, exploring the UNESCO-protected “Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato.” Needless to say, I’m looking forward to (at least) another 24 hours on the Grand Wine Tour again (very) soon.

Part 1: Roero

Tenuta Carretta

Located in Roero, north of Alba, Tenuta Carretta plays host to 80 hectares dedicated to both Arneis, a white grape, and Nebbiolo. The history-rich estate has been around since 1467. It’s changed hands over the centuries, and today it belongs to the Miroglio family who took over in 1985. Sustainability and environmentalism stand front and center, both in the vines and in the cellar, which I visited during my tour with director Giovanni Minetti. He explained how the space was inaugurated 20 years ago with an eco-friendly aesthetic. The 2021 harvest was still underway and the timing of my tour coincided with the mesmerizing drop-off of the Nebbiolo from one of the last remaining parcels. I then tasted six of the winery’s reds in the wine shop.

I had dinner at Ristorante 21.9, the winery’s Michelin-starred restaurant helmed by chef Flavio Costa. Influences from Costa’s native Liguria play into the menu. The bread selection includes fluffy Ligurian focaccia and a green pesto roll as well as olive oil from Imperia for dunking. He never lets ego get the best of him, opting for simplicity undercut by techniques that enhance the integrity of the ingredients. Dishes included cream of trumpet zucchini with candied lemon, cuttlefish and its ink; pork belly with onions two ways, and red mullet with black cabbage cream, Brussels sprouts, and Romanesco broccoli. The wine pairings began with classic method sparkler, and then more Nebbiolo followed. Then I retreated to my room at the Albergo di Charm, the winery’s nine-room accommodation that also lodges the restaurant.

At Tenuta Carretta, guests seeking an adventure can go vine trekking. A QR code provides access to a free audio guide that provides a backstory of the property, including its historic parcels. The trek takes around 90 minutes, and they can explore by mountain bike as well.

Part 2: Le Langhe

Ceretto

Max Coppo joins me for a visit to Ceretto, one of the most Piedmont’s most prolific wineries -- especially when it comes to Nebbiolo. Riccardo Ceretto founded the winery in the 1930s and today, the second generation oversees it. The premier winery counts 160 hectares spread among three territories – Mansardo (Alba), Barolo, and Barbaresco – and hosts two excellent restaurants: the aforementioned Piazza Duomo and La Piola, the Piemontese word for a local osteria.

Ceretto practices organic and biodynamic farming, and the wines undergo spontaneous fermentation. In addition to being renowned for its red wines, the winery reinvented Arneis. Manager Selena Castelnuovo explained how the team started fermenting the Arneis in pressurized stainless steel tanks instead of standard, then bottling the wine before fermentation ended. The preserved yeast adds a slight fizz to the wine, which helps the wine retain acidity, resulting in a fresh flavor. They started in 1985 with 15,000 bottles. Five years later, production increased to 150,000, and today, they produce around 600,000 bottles annually.

Also known for its collaboration with artists, Ceretto’s headquarters is home to The Grape, an observation point in the shape of a bubble suspended over the vines. The winery also worked with artists Sol Lewitt and David Tremlett to add a colorful flair to the Barolo Chapel, an obligatory photo stop for all wine pilgrims.

In addition to winery tours, travelers can trek through the vines as well as book a tour of the legendary garden in which Enrico Crippa grows produce for Piazza Duomo. Anyone who wants to stay onsite can book one of the guestrooms adjacent to the restaurant.

Michele Chiarlo’s Palás Cerequio

Located in the heart of La Morra, Cerequio is a prestigious Barolo Cru. Palás Cerequio, which opened in 2011 in a revamped 17th-century structure, belongs to Michele Chiarlo. He founded his winery, headquartered in Monferrato, in 1956 and is known for making wines from some of Piedmont’s most prestigious crus. Manager and sommelier Roberto Strappiano oversees an impressive cellar that lodges over 6,000 labels, including bottles from some of the most renowned local producers, such as Gaja and Aldo Conterno. They aren’t just limited to what the winery has to offer – guests can order these wines at the restaurant, purchase them to go, or incorporate them into a customized wine tasting.

After a tour and tasting of three exceptional Nebbiolo wines led by the impressive Strappiano, it was time for lunch. Chef Damiano Nigro opened his namesake restaurant at Palás Cerequio in January after 14 years at Relais Villa d'Amelia, also in Le Langhe, where he earned a Michelin star. His wife, Elena Baffi, oversees the dining room, which features a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the delicately undulating landscape. The excellent dishes, such as the tajarin pasta in sausage ragù, reflect the chef’s mastery of the local cuisine.

The relais’s nine luxurious guest rooms make a great base for exploring the territory.

Part 3: Monferrato

Coppo

Coppo is located in Canelli, a quintessentially charming Italian town characterized by a warren of narrow, crooked cobbled lanes. Max Coppo’s grandfather Piero founded the legendary winery in 1892, and it remains in the family today, making it one of Italy’s longest-owned family wineries. 

Visiting Coppo literally feels like traveling through time. The winey’s highlights include the UNESCO-protected cellars that date back to the early 18th century. Once upon a time, Cannelli was a sparkling wine hub where producers constructed labyrinthine Champagne-style cellars for aging. Coppo’s cellars extend under a hill, comprising 5,000 square meters (16,400 ft) with a depth that reaches 40 meters (130 ft).

Coppo owns 52 hectares, and the winery's production focuses on Barbera d’Asti, classic method sparkling wines, Chardonnay, and Moscato d’Asti. Even though it lies outside the Barolo zone, Coppo produces a small amount of Barolo after gaining special permission from the Ministry of Agriculture. With Max, I tasted Monteriolo Piedmont DOC Chardonnay 2018, Pomorosso 2018 Nizza DOC, the Bric del Marchesi 2018, and Moncalvina Moscato d’Asti.

A must-see for all wine lovers, Coppo offers the chance to explore tunnels, see old-school wine-making gadgets and enjoy a tasting.

Visit the Grand Wine Tour's website to book your trip.

Cover photo: Getty Images/Marco Bottigelli; other hotos by the author