La Casera is located in Verbania, right in the main piazza, and it can be reached quite easily with the VCO public bus or with the ferries.

Here's the door. You would never know what waits beyond, so go inside.


Looking in the door this is what you see. Where's lunch, you're wondering. But don't worry, you're in the right place. Walk through the shop, taking in sights and smells, whetting your appetite as you go.

My classic, simple Prosecco, in one of my favorite aperitivo seats in town. Buscion, at the corner of via Principessa Margherita and via Cavour. If you are lucky you can get a seat outside. Order your favorite aperitivo, or let Massimo suggest a wine for you. Sit with your back against the glass window of Buscion. Enjoy a plate of little stuzzichini, little appetizers. Watch the people walk by. Follow these simple rules for a very successful aperitivo. And then repeat another day.

More aperitivi I have had: Aperitivo Spots

Get to know Massimo: Three Questions With Massimo

What I'm drinking today is a different version of the classic Spritz. This is a Campari Spritz, made with 3 cl. Campari, 7cl. of Prosecco, a splash of soda, and a slice of orange. I'm drinking it at Estremadura, an adorable little bar in Suna, Verbania, directly facing the lake. 

Still thirsty? Here are some other aperitivo spots.

A spritz and a view at the Sky Bar.

Let's take a closer look at one of the aperitivo spots mentioned in this post, the Sky Bar on the rooftop at Hotel La Palma. I had heard a rumor at the end of last summer that La Palma had done a large reconstruction and opened a rooftop bar the likes of which had never before been seen in Stresa. One morning, after a run along the lake, I found myself in front of the hotel, and on a whim and still in jogging cloths, I stopped it to inquire. Despite my unannounced and somewhat sweaty visit, the owner of the hotel, a beautiful and elegant woman, offered to take me upstairs and show me the bar. We traveled up the elevator to the top floor, and when the doors opened, all I can say is, "WOW." It pretty much took my breath away. I'm not in Stresa anymore, I thought ... I'm in South Beach, Miami. My next surprise was to learn that Miami rooftop terraces had indeed been the inspiration for this one; the owner's son had traveled there and loved the concept.

Aperitivo... perhaps one of my favorite words in Italian. And one of my favorite things to do. On a Friday afternoon after a long work week... Meeting friends before going to dinner... Watching a sunset... As a transition between a long day of sightseeing and a relaxing evening... There are so many good reasons to stop and make this pause in your day. And there are so many wonderful spots in which to have an aperitivo. Here are some spots I've recently enjoyed aperitivi in:

Soooo many delicious Italian wines! How will you ever choose which to try? Here's one way to make this daunting task a little easier and a whole lot more enjoyable. Stop in at the wonderful Enoteca La Cambusa shop on via Cavour in Stresa and have your own wine tasting! Remember, we first went there last year and met Rosaria? Well, you should stop in and meet her too when you're here. 

Rosaria tells me it was so popular last year that she will continue this year to let customers come in and enjoy bottles of wine right there in the shop. Here are the particulars again:

Pio Cesare vines in Alba.

Yesterday we read the first half of the wine column Annechino on Vino, written by my friend Joe, in which he lets us join him on his day trip to Alba, in the heart of Piemonte's wine country. Today let's continue with the second half, in which Joe tells us about some of the wines produced by the Pio Cesare vineyard.

One of the oldest operations in the area was started in 1881 by a fellow named Cesare Pio. But the walls within which he worked are even older. They were built back in the 1st century -- B.C.! Today, another Cesare, the fifth generation of the family, manages more modern facilities. Among them are new fermentation, racking, and aging areas -- one of which lies some 40 feet under the ancient building that dates from the era of the Roman Empire.

Although the Pio Cesare company owns over 130 acres of vineyards, it also closely supervises the work of associate growers from whom it continues to purchase crops, as it has for a number of generations. Each area has superior characteristics and is widely recognized by its own name. For example:

Barbera d'Alba, made from 100% Barbera grapes grown in the Barolo area and aged for 18 months. Its blackberry and plum aromas are quite prominent.

Gavi (or Cortese di Gavi). The vineyards are in the Gavi area; the wine is 100% Cortese grapes. It's a particularly pleasing pick.

Dolcetto d'Alba, a fresh, fragrant, and spicy wine made from 100% Dolcetto grapes. It's a great mate with pasta pomodoro, tomato, one of my favorites.

Moscato d'Asti, world famous for its fruity flavor, this is a familiar favorite due to its frizzante, bubbly, finish.

Pio Cesare Barolo, an Italian classic, made entirely from Nebbiolo grapes. It's one of those wines which, like us, gets even better with age.

Other prominent Pio Cesare products include those from the famous family-owned Ornato and Il Bricco estates, touted as "top vineyards in the whole Barolo area." Among the most notable are their Barbaresco and "Piodilei" Chardonnay, a wonderful white wine made from grapes of their very first Chardonnay vines.

Pio Cesare also produces wines made from Freisa, Arnese, and Grignolino grapes. These last three are not readily available in all parts of the U.S. That's unfortunate, because my experience with the Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese was uniformly memorable due to its peppery aroma and raspberry flavor.

With so many Barbaresco and Barolo wines available with top-tier ratings, those of Pio Cesare offer solid value, without top-tier pricing. Try them and see if you agree.

Fearing we'd find no fulfilling alternative to simply hanging close to the airport, wasting a whole day, we began to doubt the wisdom of getting there before the last minute. But after Alba we were convinced that, as usual, it's better to be early. On future trips, we'll again be allotting an extra day.

Read Part 1 of The Wines of Pio Cesare here.

Joe, who is in my Italian class, writes a very entertaining column on wine. The column is called Annechino on Vino. I love Joe's columns... He always makes me feel like I'm right there, traveling through Italy with him. This column is about an extra day he had in Piemonte, and how he spent it visiting the vineyard of the Pio Cesare company. I'll print the first half of Joe's column today, and the second part, about the Pio Cesare wines, tomorrow.


While leaving Lombardy late last year, a couple of life's perennially prevailing questions came to mind, demanding reconsideration. What, we wondered, were the occasions for which it was better to be late than to be early? And, of more relevance for future planning, what category did the situation in which we found ourselves that day belong?

Except for determining which weekend we'll plan to visit our newly discovered relatives in Benevento, our trips to Italy require only two dates -- the day of arrival and the day of departure. And since most trips begin and end in Rome, we've long been familiar with the areas and addresses of our preferred accommodations.

This time however, we had planned to return home from Milan, whose airport I had been to on only one previous occasion. So in case we encountered any surprises along the way, an extra night's stay at a nearby hotel seemed like a prudent precaution to prepare for our morning flight out. But then the question arose of how to enjoy the extra day that we had as a result of getting to Malpensa so early.

By now you know that one of the principal pleasures we derive from Italy... is? Of course! So, realizing that we were within an hour's drive of one of the world's greatest areas for growing grapes, it was easy to agree upon the most desirable destination.

Italy's north-west is well worth wandering about for an entire vacation. But we had only a single day. So it was best to limit our visit to an area that most broadly mirrored the rest of the region ... and in Piemonte, it's the town of Alba.

Now, here's a little town with some mighty big attractions! There's the familiar Ferrero candies, the food emporium Eataly (now also in Manhattan) and perhaps the world's most priciest product, the precious white truffle. But its most notable agricultural attraction is produced by the nearly 300 wineries whose wines are among the very best in the world...

The very inviting entrance to La Cambusa, on via Cavour.

Late one afternoon I went to meet Rosaria, the proprietress of Enoteca La Cambusa on via Cavour, just a block back from the lakefront. When I entered the shop she was busy attending to customers. I heard her speaking perfect German with a couple looking at some sweets near the door. Then she moved to the barrels in the center of the shop where a young couple had some questions for her. They were French, and she responded to them in French, accent perfect as well. And when I introduced myself she switched effortlessly to English for me. Already impressed with the selection and look of her shop, I was immediately taken with Rosaria as well. She was getting ready to close up for the day, and so we had some quiet minutes to chat before she needed to leave.

Rosaria Bolla and her family have owned and run Cambusa in this same location since 1981, and previous to that there was another location in town that had opened in 1961. The shop is divided into somewhat narrow sections, with shelves lining the walls from floor to ceiling. These hold a stunning selection of wines and spirits, but also local food specialties, pastas, and sweets. These alone would make Cambusa a favorite shopping destination of both locals and tourists alike, but what really makes it special here are the wine tastings that Rosaria offers.


Arrange a time with her for your group and Rosaria will choose a few wines for you. She'll explain them a bit, offer tastings of all to all with little appetizers as well. There are several square wooden high tables scattered around, with stools, for you to use for as long as you like enjoying the wines. The atmosphere in the shop is friendly and relaxed, one never feels pressured to buy, or to leave. If you're not there for a tasting you can still enjoy the tables and the ambience. Simply buy a bottle off the shelves and if you'd like to stay and enjoy it there Rosaria will open it for you and provide you with as many glasses as you need. And you'll probably get a bit of education and some great conversation also. (What a great idea for a rainy afternoon when you're wondering what to do!)

Rosaria proudly showed me a magazine article written about her in a Disney publication. It features a great photo of her in her shop, where everyone leaves as a friend of hers. She has built up quite a clientele over the years, with customers and fans from around the world, and when they return to Stresa they contact Rosaria first to ask her what they can bring back to her from their own countries.

I didn't stay for a bottle that day, as Rosaria was leaving. But you can be sure I'll be there the next time. Like everyone else who enters Cambusa, I feel I left with a new friend.


Enoteca La Cambusa
via Cavour 27
28838 Stresa (VB)
Tel: 00 39 0323 31938
e-mail: contact@winelacambusa.com

So much attention is given in our beautiful region to the wines of the Langhe - Barbaresco, Barolo, Nebbiolo and more - that it seems all the other Piemontese wineries fall into its shadow. Realistically, the wines of the Langhe are among the most expensive and some of the most balanced and structured wines in the world, and deserve the respect and attention (if not always the price tag) which they receive.

That's the opening paragraph of an article written by my good friend, Diana Strinati Baur. In this article, entitled Tre Belle Cose, Three Beautiful Things, she gives us an inside glimpse into three small and special wineries producing lesser known, but very much worth getting to know, Piemontese wines. Not only would these be worth searching out in a wine bar or enoteca, this is also a great idea for a day trip to these towns in the Piemonte countryside. Here's the article, with some of Diana's photographs, in full. It's good reading, about good drinking, and gorgeous places... Enjoy!

Tre Belle Cose - Three Distinctly Different Vineyards in Southwestern Piemonte

So much attention is given in our beautiful region to the wines of the Langhe - Barbaresco, Barolo, Nebbiolo and more - that it seems all the other Piemontese wineries fall into its shadow. Realistically, the wines of the Langhe are among the most expensive and some of the most balanced and structured wines in the world, and deserve the respect and attention (if not always the price tag) which they receive.

Andrea Mutti - Le Colline Tortonese

Location: San Ruffino 49 Sarezzano
aziendaagricola.mutti@libero.it
Telephone: 0131 884119
Andrea's wife Adrina speaks English well.
Producer of Cortese, Savignon Blanc, Cabernet, Dolcetto, Barbera and Timmorasso

Domenico Botto

Giovanni Scaglione

The photovoltaic panels on the first building, we learned, are to power one of two presses. The first press is an old manual one, over a hundred years old. It is only powered by human muscle. The other, a modern press, is powered by the panels.

Massimo called and said, "I have a new Morellino in... come and try it." And when Massimo tells you to come and try a wine, you do, because it is going to be good. So we went to Buscion. The day was rainy; it's been raining a lot this spring.

I'd never heard of Morellino before. Morellino di Scansano, from the southern coastal region of Tuscany. Tell me about it, I said to my friend, who's a bit of a wine guy. "Morellino is Chianti's little brother," he told me. "He's from the same region. Morellino is just a very local name for the Sangiovese grape from which the Chiantis and the Brunellos of the region are made. In the village of Scansano, in the area of Toscano called Maremmo, they call this grape Morellino." The wine was fresh and crisp, as Morellinos can be served young, as early as March after the harvest. Massimo brought over my vitello tonnato, a local favorite. Veal filets, sliced thin and served with a white sauce made of tuna, mayonnaise, and capers spread over the top.

"It's hard to grow up as Chianti's little brother," my wine guy friend continues, " in his shade... It's worthless to try to look like him, or to fight against his popularity. The only thing he can do, Morellino, is to have his own personality, and to stress his own qualities that make him unique. That way, even when his big brother Chianti is hanging around with his friends Brunello and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, little Morellino di Scansano will still stand out." And he does... Morellino was awarded the coveted DOCG designation in 2007.

And this is why I love coming to Buscion. It's a small place, local and friendly. Sometimes it's crowded with tourists, like this day when they were inside escaping from the rain. But I never have to choose what to try. Massimo always has a suggestion. and I always learn a new thing or two about wine.

The fog has a reason. Nebbiolo, precisely. We Piemontese have grown up with the Nebbiolo. It is the wine of Sunday, of holidays, to open on special occasions, and on the Nebbiolo have we developed our fine taste for wine in general. Perhaps it is for this that it is so difficult for us to find a wine better than this. More than 30 different wines are made with the Nebbiolo grape, all of them particular in their own right, but the Barolo, Barbaresco, and the Gattinara represent the best, the excellence that can be achieved. Its brilliant ruby red color, that tends toward garnet with reflections of orange with the years, its perfume elegant and delicate, of rose and violet, its taste dry and velvety, with good body and medium tannens, of fruit and pink berries, especially raspberry, all of this over time assuming a hint of tobacco, all combine together like a romance in a glass.

Just because New Year’s Eve and champagne are practically synonymous doesn’t mean you have to open something French to make a bubbly toast. Italy has its own versions of sparkling wine, with three of the most popular types all originating right here in northern Italy. Moscato d'Asti, franciacorta, and prosecco; Italy’s own sparklers. In this holiday week between Christmas and New Years I’d like to write a bit about these. This first post in my short series on northern Italy’s sparkling wines will focus on Piemonte’s contribution to this category.

The first time I went to Osteria del Castello was on a beautiful summer night, and we sat outside on one of the picnic-style tables arranged in front of the restaurant. There was a simple pergola of twigs and branches overhead, spun with twinkling lights and greenery, and the location of the osteria, in a quiet and dimly lit stone-paved piazza, lent even more to the ambiance. I never even put a foot inside the actual restaurant that evening. The menu was handwritten on a blackboard on the wall, and even that wasn’t necessary. The cameriere, the waiter, came to the table and told us what local cheeses, risotto, meat, and fish were being prepared. We ordered costata, steak, and it comes the way I love, a big, beautiful bistecca, perfectly cooked, brought to the table on a cutting board to slice and share as we liked. There were also giant knives, which made me think of medieval banquets and kings. I felt like jamming the point of the knife down into the wooden table after each cut. (I didn’t, but from the looks of the table many others had done so.)

Met a couple of friends yesterday for aperitivo at Al Buscion, in Stresa. Because it's only one block off the lake, and right next to a few of the biggest hotels in the old center of town, it's a popular spot for tourists. Listen to the conversations around you and you'll hear English, German, French, and Italian. Last night the large table in the corner was filled with Germans who were happily celebrating something. One after another, they hushed their group and made toasts that then collapsed the group into laughter. I love the international and happy atmosphere here. But I also love the wine. Buscion is an old Piemontese dialect word meaning the cork in the wine bottle, and wine is really the star here. Massimo enjoys trying new bottles and you never know what's going to be open. I asked for a red wine and I was served a Sangiovese from Montepulciano, very sweet and with a strong cherry aroma and flavor. My next glass of red was also Tuscan, but quite different. I like that Massimo uses beautiful glasses of the right shape for each wine. Every glass of wine here is worth toasting to!