Moscato in Mango

Links to other pages in domparadox.com and other paradox sites

MANGO et al

MOSCATO WINE HUB

Una giornata sensa tourists

Day three in Piemonte and notwithstanding the low cloud cover, the Dom took to the hills south of Alba - another outstandingly beautiful area if one could only see further than 50m from the ridge roads.

The strangely named townlet of Mango is the hub of the Moscato grape area, and at the wine centre Paradox, the only visitor for the day it seemed, met up with Beppe Borello (above) who sold him a bottle of Moscato, then kindly allowed the Nikon to click away at another interesting and expensive bottle he had spotted ....

It's a bottle of Grappa made by the Distilleria di Romano Levi in nearby Neive. Each label is (or was) painted by Levi - though he must now be well over 80 if he is still with us. ON ON ....

"You ain't seen nothing yet" says Beppe (in Italian), and guides the photographer Dom over to some bottles of Gaja Barbaresco wine. Holy whatsit ... €157 each ... "e vero" says Beppe again "that's the closest you're ever likely to get to that stuff". At which point Paradox's memory flashed back to the time in 2000 when he, Fra Gregory and the Rev G Jones had managed to consume three of these (Fra Gregory swears it was five) in a restaurant in Castellina whilst discussing spiritual matters and before discovering how much they cost. For several years afterwards they were spoken of in awe by the restaurant's owners. How to explain this in Italian to Beppe (who would clearly have enjoyed the tale) - too difficult, the Dom decided with regret.

Actually Beppe was probably referring to the Gaja Fattoria at Via Torino, 18, Barbaresco (every town in S Piemonte has a Via Torino and a Via Cavour - the first Prime Minister of the newly unified Italy, who came from these parts) which resembles Fort Knox and has a notice saying they don't do sales or visits.

Time for a little pranzo (lunch), and out of nowhere a friend of Beppi's materialized to say that he had a little ristorante that did a mean little pranzo, and here's how to get to it ....

It is unlikely that any other Australian (or possibly any other tourist) has ever set foot in the Trattoria del Campo (in this case sportivo - sports area) - it's at the end of a long cul-de-sac and unsigned - and, when you eventually find the entrance, it's full of Italians having lunch. The Dom knew that it was only a short time before the sun would also be shining, however briefly .....

There is a routine with strangers invading these very Italian places - you are ignored. Then after a probationary standing period you are directed to a table in the middle - "I'd prefer the table on the wall away from the (loud) TV" you indicate - but to no avail (unless you are obstinate in which case you can forget any further interaction) - go with the flow.

The wide roll of paper comes out and is cut to the width of the table and clipped on. Don't even think about the word menu. In this case the pasta was a delicious thin home made tagliatelle con ragu, and afterwards the Dom did manage to negotiate a plate of local cheeses instead of meat - plus of course a large jug of (good) red wine and bottled water - all for just over €10.

Of course the buzz is being amongst Italians doing what they enjoy most - eating multiple courses of food and talking and laughing. The atmosphere in these places is simply completely different to the ones that have been invaded by foreigners! So the Dom is not going to divulge which cul-de-sac the place is in !! And he was certainly not about to pull the Nikon out !

This photo gives some idea of the richness and dramatic beauty of the steep hills around Mango and elsewhere in the Langhe, but the sun is not quite shining yet so we have extended the hotel booking for a couple of days, because we know it's going to happen soon (LINK) !

Meantime the Dom, by now on a roll, has cracked another distinctively Italian eating joint in town ..... it's called PIOLA and, oddly, it's in the prime position in the Piazza in front of the Duomo. Oddly because you don't normally find a fun buzzy Italian eatery in this sort of location, but fun and a good eatery (and winery) it is. In fact Paradox eventually went there three nights running - almost unheard of for him and a compliment to both the place and to Sara, the delightful late twenty / early thirty woman who conducts front of house and its staff with flair and a lot of friendly energy. Once again no photos we're afraid - it seems wrong to poke a camera around in such busy non-tourist places. The tourist diners are herded into a separate enclosed wood and glass structure out in the square, leaving the main space for Italians and the Dom.

Links to pages in domparadox.com and other paradox sites