{"id":1557480,"date":"2025-11-21T14:29:01","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T14:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.67pallmall.com\/?p=1557480"},"modified":"2025-11-24T11:28:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T11:28:21","slug":"on-the-road-elton-muco-in-piedmont","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.67pallmall.com\/on-the-road-elton-muco-in-piedmont\/","title":{"rendered":"ON THE ROAD | Elton Mu\u00e7o in Piedmont"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Elton Mu\u00e7o, Head Sommelier and Lounge Operations at 67 Pall Mall London, accompanied Members on a wine-and-food-themed trip to Piedmont last month, timed to coincide with the truffle season. He’s probably had tougher assignments\u2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Two Members capture the view at Ceretto, with its famous bubble in the background<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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It\u2019s not like we need an excuse to visit Piedmont<\/strong>, but there\u2019s no better time to do so than November, which is white truffle season<\/strong>. So I was more than happy to join Italian wine-and-travel expert Filippo Magnani to host 16 Members on a long, food-and-wine fuelled weekend in the region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We acclimatised at Ceretto<\/strong>, whose futuristic \u2018Acino\u2019 bubble, a landmark installation suspended above the Langhe<\/strong> landscape, provided the perfect viewpoint to take in our surroundings. There we began with a tasting of the producer\u2019s white wine \u2013 Blange<\/strong> \u2013 made from the local Arneis<\/strong> variety. Ceretto is unusual in Barolo in having such a large production of white, but it has become quite famous for it \u2013 you see the wine in practically every restaurant in Italy. We then moved into the winery for a modest five-course lunch, with a different wine with each course \u2013 two Barbarescos<\/strong> and three Barolos<\/strong>, including a standout magnum of the 2010 Barolo. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

That evening, family members from two more producers, Sandrone<\/strong> and Ca del Baio<\/strong>, completed our initiation into the region with a tasting and overview of the Langhe over another light meal of polenta fondue topped with truffle (you might be starting to pick up a common thread here\u2026). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day it was time to fend for ourselves, at Azienda Agricola Marrone<\/strong> (useful fact: if an estate has \u2018Azienda Agricola\u2019 in its name, it means it has a tourism element \u2013 accommodation or a restaurant, or both). Fourth-generation Denise Marrone hosted us for a cookery class at the La Morra <\/strong>estate, where we learned to make the local regional tajarin<\/strong> pasta \u2013\u2013 the Piedmontese version of tagliatelle. It sounds simple enough, given there are just two ingredients. Two egg yolks, one egg white and 100g of flour. What could go wrong? Well, the secret to a good sheet of pasta is patience \u2013 a quality for which I am not always renowned. It\u2019s all in the touch \u2013 fold, push, fold, push. Then leave it to rest for 30 minutes, stretch it out a bit with your hands, and then it\u2019s into the roller \u2013 eight times through, to a different setting each time, so as to get it smooth and uniform, and achieve the optimum size and thickness. Then it\u2019s just about cutting it into strips, in the same machine. Simple!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I must say that the Members were extremely enthusiastic and committed in their efforts, and fortunately, between us there were enough good examples to make our lunch \u2013 veal ragu<\/strong> (in Piedmont, they use veal for their ragu; in Tuscany it would be pork). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dinner that night was at La Ciau del Tornavento<\/strong>, which has one of the most amazing cellars I\u2019ve ever seen. 5,400 different wines, from 450 different producers, with 60,000 bottles in total, including plenty of large formats. And not just from Piedmont but Champagne, Tuscany, Bordeaux, with verticals of Mouton-Rothschild, Sassicaia and Krug displayed on the walls for diners to admire. We kept it local, of course, notaly via a double magnum of Barolo Bussia <\/strong>from Marrone<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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By now we needed a little exercise to work off some of the calories, so the next morning it was time for a truffle hunt near Cascina Pistone<\/strong>, an organic farm in Barbaresco. White truffles are impossible to cultivate, endemic to the region and highly prized. And we were right in the middle of the season, which doesn\u2019t last long. As a result, there was a certain element of subterfuge to our mission \u2013 truffle hunters like to keep their best sites secret from their competitors, and this year in particular, competition is rife. It\u2019s been very dry, meaning, just like wine, the yield is low, which has sent prices spiralling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Clockwise from top right: Elton perfects his pasta-making skills with fellow host Filippo Magnani and Denise Marrone; enthusiastic truffle hunters Silvio and Tuma; receiving a helping hand with the ragu sauce from Vincent Signorello in the cookery class<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now I like to think I have a pretty good nose, but I must admit I was outflanked by our canine companion, Tuma, who was in a state of high excitement when sniffing out the subterranean treasure. What was almost equally impressive was his restraint. Dogs are trained only to dig a very small amount \u2013 just enough to uncover the truffle, but not to damage it. Pigs, on the other hand, are good at finding them, but then just destroy and\/or eat their bounty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lunch came with \u2013 you\u2019ve guessed it \u2013 truffles that we\u2019d hunted, at Marchesi di Gresy<\/strong>, a 12ha estate at the heart of Barbaresco<\/strong>. There it produces three MGA wines (Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva \u2013 essentially single-vineyard wines) from one site, and we were fortunate to try them all, under the guidance of owner Alessandro di Gresy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Elton with Alessandro Gresy of Marchesi di Gresy; and with Filippo Magnani in the Fontanafredda cellar before the 328th Chapter of the Autumn Mists held by the Order of Knights of the Truffle and Wines of Alba<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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We also had a tasting at classic old-school Barolo producer Fontanafredda<\/strong>, in Serralunga d\u2019Alba<\/strong>, whose 120 hectares of organic vineyards are spread across five different crus. The estate was the venue for the 328th<\/sup> Chapter of the Autumn Mists<\/strong>, part of the Order of Knights of the Truffle and Wines of Alba<\/strong>. Founded in 1967 as a small food-and-wine fraternity in a simple local tavern, this order now has thousands of members around the world, all with the same mantra \u2013 to preserve and protect local customs and traditions of the gastronomy and wines of Alba. As new knights were appointed, a range of truffles and wines was brought out to the accompaniment of ceremonial songs and toasts before we retired for dinner cooked by three Michelin-starred chefs \u2013 Maurilio Garola, Ugo Alciati<\/strong> and Massimo Camia<\/strong>. You can probably guess the general theme of the dishes\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The complete group at Ceretto, after a five-wine, five-course lunch \u2013 one of many over a gourmet-focused long weekend<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The final morning saw us take in the International Alba White Truffle Fair<\/strong>. Here visitors can taste and purchase truffles from the local trifulau<\/em><\/strong>, or traders, all under the watchful eye of the quality commission, which draws up strict regulations concerning their sale. There was just time for one last cooking demonstration with a local chef, Davide Oldani<\/strong> \u2013 followed by a tasting dish, naturally \u2013 before we went our separate ways and headed home. I\u2019ve been trying to work off the calories by doing my steps in the Lounge ever since\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our 2026 Member trips to Montalcino<\/a> and Sicily<\/a> are now sold out, but to see details and register for our waiting list, please click on the relevant link<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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