I wrote last week that I don’t really do New Year resolutions, but one I have made for 2026 is a commitment to visit Piedmont for the first time in over a decade.
I was actually invited to the region to taste the new Barolo vintage (and go on a truffle hunt) in early December, but I had to decline due to a scheduled outside broadcast for the Moncrieff show on Newstalk (in case you didn’t know I am on the Friday “Movies and Booze” slot every few weeks, tune in on January 30, if you are curious).
Traditionally, Emilia-Romagna is considered the culinary capital of Italy thanks to Parma ham, balsamic vinegar, Parmesan cheese and other delicacies, but much as I love Lambrusco I’m afraid Piedmont is my favourite Italian destination.
The Slow Food movement was founded there, and besides the wines, there are white truffles, agnolotti, vitello tonnato, bagna cauda and chocolate hazelnut tarts (surely the inspiration for Nutella, which is made near Alba.)
Barolo and Barbaresco are the only Italian wines I always have in my cellar but I also often buy Barbera, Gavi and of course Dolcetto. Dolcetto is seen as the Beaujolais of Piedmont, mainly for the light fruity versions made in Alba and Asti, but in Dogliani just south of Barolo it is more serious with darker fruits amid the floral notes and bitter chocolate and liquorice.
I feature a Vajra version below but also watch for the San Fereolo ‘Valdiba’ version found in Sheridans.
The three wine recommendations this week are all making their debut and will hopefully explain why I love Piedmont. Also, if you are near Dublin next Monday evening, you can taste some more wines from Piedmont at the Barolo and Friends tasting in the Hyatt Centric from 6-8pm. Tickets are €30 and available via Eventbrite or jeansmullen.com
Lidl Gavi, Piedmont, Italy, €9.99
Gavi is one of the more hyped white wines of Italy (probably the first Italian white to gain an international reputation), but I think the quality of even supermarket versions gets better every year.
The best can have an almost Chablis-like flinty flavour and texture.
This Lidl version is pleasingly fresh and crisp with a salty lemon freshness, almond and green apple notes and nicely suited to seafood or perhaps a carbonara.
Lidl
M&S Collection Barolo 2021, Piedmont, Italy, €24
Affordable Barolo worth recommending is a rare thing, so I was delighted to be sent this wine before Christmas by M&S.
Made by the large Terre da Vino co-operative, this would easily pass for a wine costing double.
Classic floral aromas laced with black raspberries and a whisper of tar and smoke, a fruit-driven but tense palate with integrated tannins and chewy cherry skins. Bargain.
Marks & Spencer
Monterustico Dogliani Dolcetto, Piedmont, Italy €25
From renowned Piedmont producer Vajra first released in just 2015. Dolcetto is the only grape permitted in Dogliani to the south of Barolo and the grape is richer and treated more seriously here than in, say, Alba.
Violet and blackberry aromas, berry fruit flavours with a nice hit of liquorice, fruity, lithe and fresh with a bitter cherry kick. Nicely suited to awakening your senses this January.
Bradleys; 64 Wines; Woodberrys; Independents; WineOnline.ie;
Crafty Brewing Co. Pale Ale, 4.5% ABV, 500ml €1.99
Broke January is a good time to explore the own-brand craft beers in the supermarkets. Lidl use Rye River Brewing, and the range often picks up awards at Blás na hÉireann.
This bright fresh Pale Ale pours a pale gold with citrus and light malt aromas, fruity and fresh on the palate with light carbonation and a hoppy finish. Great value.
Dining and Cooking