Alba may be a city of truffles, but it is also a city of wine.
To be precise, 697 hectares of the territory of Alba are dedicated to Barbera, Dolcetto, Moscato Bianco and Nebbiolo vines.
The 17 wine makers and 17 bottling plants in the zone then give us two docg wines (Barbaresco and Asti-Moscato D'Asti) and four doc wines (Barbera d'Alba, Dolcetto d'Alba, Nebbiolo d'Alba and Langhe).
For the record Alba was not always called Alba, but Alba Pompeia from ancient Roman times.
So wine making here has a long history.
First official records date from 1292, when landholders were obliged to plant 'filagnos de vitibus neblorii'.
Today's Nebbiolo gives us a fanastic Barbaresco docg which is matured for at least 24 months for a robust and harmonous bouquet.
Today's city is part of a larger administrative zone in the heart of Piemonte and an obligatory stop for food and wine lovers.
Wine guides will recommend a walk along two streets in Alba: Via Maestra and Corso Cavour.
This is the heart of the city and the place to find the best enoteche, shops and restaurants.
Look out for Vinum in the last week of April each year.
The inhabitants are known as Albese.
