I recently had the wonderful opportunity to spend about ten days in Italy—mostly tasting wine and meeting producers—lots of wines and many producers. We spent time in Piedmont (Barolo and Barbaresco) and Montalcino, arguably Italy’s two most famous wine regions. Essentially we did intensive tastings in both places which helped me codify my opinions on the wines and the sub-regions within them. Piedmont is an incredible place with beautiful rolling hills, medieval towns and friendly people. But the real reason to go here is the food and wine. There’s not much else to do in the region they call the Langhe (area around these two famous towns) except visit producers and eat in the region’s spectacular restaurants. This was my second visit to this area and I’m prepared to declare that Piedmont has Italy’s greatest wines and its greatest food. Gambero Rosso, the Italian publication which rates and reviews both wine and food dedicates an enormous amount of space to Piedmont. In fact, there are small towns here which Gambero Rosso must divide in sections when reviewing the great restaurants as there are such a proliferation of them. The wines based on the Nebbiolo grape, mainly Barolo and Barbaresco, are clearly Italy’s most complex, age-worthy reds and certainly deserve their position as one of the world’s great wines. Moreover, their uniqueness and connection to this small area make them even more intriguing. The story here is interesting as well considering just twenty-five years ago these wines were rarely seen or drunk outside of northern Italy. It was in the eighties that a small group of producers led by people such as Elio Altare, Domenico Clerico, Mauro Molino and Paolo Scavino took lesson from other great wine regions and brought back new ideas and techniques but more importantly, the passion and courage to transform this place into a source for profound wine. And these guys are still around inspiring a younger generation, many of which are the heirs to these wineries and are now making wine. Not to dismiss those who were already in Piedmont doing great work such as the Mascarello’s, Aldo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa and of course, Giacomo Conterno, but these new faces looked at making Nebbiolo differently as well as how to actually sell it outside of Piedmont. And today the quality of wines is outstanding. There are a bevy of great Barolo and Barbaresco that are worthy of any cellar but equally interesting and delicious are the Barbera and Dolcetto—great everyday red wines that are unique, soulful and complex. The quality of everything made here has gotten better. My recommendation is try some of these wines—all of them, Dolcetto, Barbera, Barolo and Barbaresco as well as the Nebbiolo bottlings which are sort of baby versions. The differences can be quite significant even within a single commune but overall, these are killer wines that almost everyone will enjoy. And if you really enjoy them, go spend a few days in Piedmont—you can’t go wrong with the food or the wine.