Barolo, Barbaresco and truffles – Members’ trip to Alba – Thursday 6th – Sunday 9th November 2025
Join us for a culinary journey through Piedmont, as we gather a small group of Members to explore the landscape that yields the wines of Barolo and the truffles of Alba. Enjoy private lunches and tastings at renowned wineries, cookery demonstrations featuring local produce, and intimate dinners from Michelin-starred chefs in historic venues – all over a four-day guided trip which promises to unveil the magic of one of Italy’s most celebrated havens of food and wine.
ACCOMMODATION
Our base for the trip, across all three nights, will be the bijou Villa d’Amelia Relais. Perched on the ridge of a hill between luscious woods and spectacular hazelnut groves, with a breathtaking view of the Alps to boot, Villa d’Amelia is part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, and an elegant home from which to discover the charm of a region that is rich in flavours and traditions.
ITINERARY
Day 1 – Thursday 6th November
– Meet your hosts, Filippo Magnani and one of our 67 Pall Mall London sommeliers at the reception of Worldhotel Cristoforo Colombo in Milan
– Departure by chauffeured coach to Barolo (approximately a two-hour drive)
– Visit and lunch at the Ceretto winery in Alba. Resolutely forward-looking, Ceretto is widely acclaimed not just for its range of Barolos and Barbarescos – including several cru wines – but also its immersion into the local culture through food, art and architecture We will be hosted in its futuristic ‘Acino’ bubble, a landmark installation suspended above the Langhe landscape, before dining in the vineyard
– Check-in for three nights at Villa d’Amelia Relais
– Tasting and introduction to the Langhe wine region over dinner at the hotel restaurant hosted by two local producers, who will present an overview of their wines and the wider area
Day 2 – Friday 7th November
– A morning cookery class learning authentic Piedmont recipes at Azienda Agricola Marrone, a fourth-generation producer spanning a range of Langhe appellations, based in the Barolo commune of La Morra
– Three-course lunch at the same venue, including a truffle-based dish, with paired wines
– Relaxing afternoon back at the hotel Dinner at the Michelin-starred La Ciau del Tornavento, where Maurilio Garola combines traditional Piedmont dishes sourced from the region with a love of seafood
Day 3 – Saturday 8th November
– The morning will be spent truffle hunting with a local specialist at the idyllic Cascina Pistone, an organic farm in Barbaresco which produces raw milk cheeses from a renovated farmhouse on its bucolic property
– Tasting and lunch at Marchesi di Gresy. Owned by the di Gresy family since 1797, and comprising four estates across the Langhe and Monferrato areas, the Marchesi di Gresy winery is based in Martinenga, where it produces some of the finest expressions of Barbaresco via a south-facing natural amphitheatre of 12 hectares which gently embraces the winery
– Afternoon spent relaxing back at the hotel. – Short visit to the leading Barolo producer Fontanafredda in Serralunga d’Alba. Founded in 1858 and today home to 120 hectares of organically cultivated vineyards spread across five different crus, Fontanafredda is among the shining lights within the Barolo firmament. – Visit to the “328th Chapter of the Autumn Mists” with the Order of Knights of the Truffle and Wines of Alba. Founded in 1967 as a small food-and-wine fraternity in a simple local tavern, this order now has thousands of members around the world, all with the same mantra – to preserve and protect local customs and traditions of the gastronomy and wines of Alba, both in Italy and abroad. We will experience the 328th Chapter of the Order, during which new knights are appointed, food-and-wine issues discussed, and dishes served according to traditional recipes, paired with wines selected by the Order
– Dinner at Fontanafredda, cooked by a Michelin-starred chef, and paired with local truffles and wines
Day 4 – Sunday 9th November
– Check out and departure from the hotel.
– Morning visit to the town of Alba and the Alba White Truffle Fair. The White Truffle of Alba is the King of Truffles. Impossible to cultivate, it is endemic to the region and highly prized. Harvested in the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato, it is sold at the fair by the local ‘trifulau’ under close supervision from the local quality commission, which applies a strict protocol to all produce
– Cooking demonstration with a local chef, followed by a tasting dish and, naturally, a glass or two of wine, this time from Alta Langa DOCG
– Free time in Alba before departure to Milan on private coach
– Afternoon arrival in Milan and drop-off at Worldhotel Cristoforo Colombo
MEET OUR HOST
Filippo Magnani is a wine tourism pioneer and seasoned wine expert. After earning a degree in Hotel and Tourism Management in Florence and an MBA in Hospitality Management in the UK, in 1999 Filippo launched Fufluns, a bespoke travel boutique specialising in wine tours across Tuscany and Italy. A WSET Diploma holder since 2006, he is a noted wine writer and contributor to publications including Decanter and Wine Tourism, a member of the Circle of Wine Writers, and shares his passion for wine further through his blog, Tales Behind the Wine.
Ticket price per person
Double occupancy: £3,885
Sole occupancy of double room: £4,225
What’s included
Three nights at Villa D’Amelia Relais, with breakfast included
All meals, tastings, wine pairings and truffle servings as per the above itinerary
Transfers between all locations in a private coach
All guided tours, seminars and events as above
What’s not included
Flights, travel insurance and baggage insurance
Hotel extras and additional wines not listed in the programme
Extra wines and truffle ordered by clients at restaurants
Extras in hotels (phone calls, minibar, laundry, etc)
Optional gratuities for guides, drivers, and restaurants