There are lots of reasons to visit the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. You might want to ski the Alps or visit the Olympic city of Turin that perhaps surprisingly is home to a museum housing one of the world's richest collections of Egyptian art, and a world-class automobile museum. Nearby, on the banks of the Po River you'll find the Borgo Medioevale, a faithful representation of a Piedmont village from the Middle Ages. Piedmont is filled with castles and cathedrals, and the food is delicious. This lovely region once belonged to France and the culinary influence is obvious. Piedmont is also truffle land; you should open your wallet at least once to taste these delicious delicacies.
And there is the wine. Piedmont boasts some of the finest wines that Italy, or frankly the world, has to offer. They call Barolo "The king of wines and the wine of kings." When it is good it is very, very good. Yes, sometimes it is not that good. Unless you know what you're doing, stay away from too-low priced Barolos. The Turin area is not home to many well-known wines. But head southeast for literally dozens of fine wines including the DOCGs Asti, Barbaresco, Barolo, Brachetto d'Acqui (a red frizzy or sparkling wine), and Gavi also known as Cortese di Gavi. Among the recommended, probably lower-priced DOC wines are Barbera d'Alba and Barbera d'Asti. If you aren't a fan of tannins in your red wine you might go for one of the many Dolcettos that some say taste like Beaujolais. To the northeast of Turin you'll find some fine wines including Gattinara DOCG and Ghemme DOCG. Northern Piedmont wines tend not to be as well known as those south of the Po River, so you may find some bargains.
The major red grape varieties grown in the Piedmont are Nebbiolo which is found in Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara, and Ghemme wines, Barbara, Brachetto, and Dolcetto. The major white varieties are Arneis, Cortese, Erbaluce, Moscato used in Asti, and Chardonnay which is often quite good. If you want my opinion, make sure you taste some of the local whites before trying a Piedmont Chardonnay.
Companies selling wine tours of Piedmont include Alabaster and Clark Wine Tours Worldwide, La Dolce Vita Wine Tours, and Prime Italy, and Select Italy. Piedmont wineries providing visits include Braida di Giacomo Bologna in Rocchetta Tanaro, Ceretto in Alba, Marchesi di Barolo in Barolo, Renato Ratti in La Morra, and Vietti in Castiglione Falletto. A few words of warning are in order. Be sure to check ahead of time for opening hours and whether English is spoken. Some places may charge admission; others may expect you to buy some of their products.
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Levi Reiss authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but would rather drink fine French, German, or other wine, paired with the right foods. He loves teaching computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his Italian travel, wine, and food website
www.travelitalytravel.com and his wine, diet, health, and nutrition website
www.wineinyourdiet.com. 
