A dog and her olfaction, the Monferrato and its king, a passion that smells of history and must. This is Barbera d’Asti Truffle Hunter Leda’s beginning.
In the foggy woods in the hills between Santo Stefano Belbo and Verduno we meet Valter and Luca, Barbera d’Asti lovers. They are Trifolau (Piemontese for truffle hunters) by passion, viticulturists by vocation. Barbera and truffles are two sides of the same coin, two pieces of the mosaic called Piedmont, a generous land giving precious products to those who have cultivated it for centuries. Here is where the best white truffles are found, the ones always present on the most prestigious tables in the world.
Walking with them on a path through a hazel and poplar meadow, we listen to their passionate story. “In a place like this – they explain -, every Trifolao comes in secretly with his Tabui, his dog, to their Tartufaie, the places where truffles grow. Tartufaie are guarded like precious treasure. A secrets passed down from father to son and from dog to dog”.
It’s easy to feel the love they have for their dogs when they talk of Leda, their Tabui for many days in these woods. A
Lagotto for 14 years in their search for his majesty, the white truffle. When Leda passed away, they commemorated her with a wine that best represents the land in which she loved to dig. The wine is like Leda, smiling but with character. A Barbera d’Asti that is easy to drink and expresses varietal characteristics like intense red color, red berry aroma and a strong but full and smooth, persistent taste. A red explosion, just in your glass, or in your mouth.
Here, immersed in the magic atmosphere, thanks to Valter and Lucca, we discover again the taste of Piedmont in a day of Barbera d’Asti and truffles.