Hotel Ca' Del Lupo
Today we continue with the exploration of Piedmont, Italy and particularly this small part of it around the winery Mossio and the town of Rodello, Province of Cuneo. The first two days we spent in visiting the winery, the vineyards, tasting great typical wines and eating at amazing local restaurants including the Slow Food one in the city of Bra, which I showed you a bit in the previous two posts.
What I haven’t presented you yet is the format I will be using to share my wine trips with you. For every location, you will find the following:
The wineries visited, wines tasted, my remarks on the wines and the total experience.
Where to stay, whether at the winery or in a hotel nearby.
Other interesting places to visit, mainly related to good food and drinks.
As we explored the first two parts, today is time to say a few words of where we stayed (by the way Mossio Winery are finishing soon an amazing hospitality project where you can stay and get the full Mossio experience, I can update you when ready). So, the Hotel is Ca’ Del Lupo and since my first stay there about 4 years ago I have stayed probably 5 more times and it is unique. It represents so well the Langhe area, the people, food and wine, but also the nature and the respect for it. I have stayed alone, with a group of people, with my family, with my baby son and they always found a way to accommodate you and welcome you so warmly like you are at your holiday home.
I have just to mention that the very first time I was there I stayed at QB apartments which are just across the street and are like private apartments, with a swimming pool just above the vineyards. It is exclusive, quiet and so pushing you to open another bottle of Langhe Nebbiolo and sip it while inhaling this terroir in front and beyond your eyes can see.
So back to Ca’ Del Lupo, as I was saying all are so friendly and make you feel so welcomed and as soon as you come whether at lunch or dinner time, please go to the terrace overlooking the Langhe and have a glass of Roero Arneis, or enjoy an evening Aperitivo, it is splendid.
The rooms are again very clean, modern and just well thought to blend with the nature from outside as this is the main point. If you like to enjoy a small terrace right in front of the pool ask to be placed in the lowest level, or at the yellow floor as each floor is named after a different color - yellow, red, green, etc.
So, in terms of food the hotel itself in its restaurant serves some very traditional dishes in a limited selection, like the ones you see in the pictures. Fresh salads, appetizers, amazing beef tartare and lovely evening Aperitivo’s, all this right next to the reception. If you want to enjoy a full course, full Piedmont cuisine and wine experience then you have to book a table in the main restaurant which is just next to the hotel. There you have the whole range of typical pastas, main dishes, tartars, all local, all super classic and for me world-class delicious.
And wines, oh yes, they have plenty and the cellar under the small swimming pool is absolutely marvelous. They have a selection of Piedmont’s finest, but also a small selection of some great Italian and French wines. Follow the suggestions of the waiters regarding how to choose the wines if you are not familiar with the region, trust me they know better.
My suggestions will be start with a Roero Arneis or if you like sparkling some Alta Langa, move to some Barbera D’Alba or lighter younger Nebbiolo and then with the heavier dishes move to Barolo or Barbaresco and if you are brave enough get some dessert and finish off with some local grappa.
As you can see, we couldn’t stop ourselves from ordering afew different wines and the full range of the courses on the menu.
As always it was fulfilling, enjoyable and so elegant and classy, but in a friendly, close-to-you kind of a way and this for me is Langhe and Piedmont in general. A bit rustic and edgy, but real and as soon as you get to know it, you get to love it forever, just as I did.
The wines above were perfect companions that led our way to this one, a powerful strong representative of Langhe Nebbiolo. It is Barolo Riserva del Fico 2008 from E.Molino La Morra, Italy. Very deep, complex, rustic wine, full of red fruits, but also tobacco, forest floor, leather and mushroom, great balance between acidity and tannin with great potential to age, although ready to drink now. There is a lovely story of the fico leaf on the label and why it is there, but for this I want you to comment and tell us why, either here on or our social media channels.
Stay tuned as next time we explore more wine places!
For now, I wish you Happy Holidays, be healthy and never stop exploring the world and what you love to do.
For further info, please visit the website https://www.cadellupo.it/en .