Cherasco
Cherasco is the odd one out among the eleven Barolo municipalities. The town itself lies outside the appellation, on a plateau where the Stura and Tanaro rivers meet. Only a small piece of its territory, along the border with La Morra and Verduno, belongs to the Barolo area. That piece was already part of the DOC in 1966.
Cherasco therefore has just one MGA: Mantoetto, a vineyard of about two hectares at 345 to 360 metres, in the hamlet of San Michele. Mantoetto is owned by a single family, Fracassi Ratti Mentone, and Barolo has been made there since 1880. That probably makes it one of the oldest documented crus in the whole appellation. Only about 5,000 bottles a year come from it.
Cherasco is best known for its history. In Palazzo Salmatoris, the peace that ended the War of the Mantuan Succession was signed in 1631. In April 1796, Napoleon signed an armistice there with the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont. In 1706, the Shroud of Turin was briefly kept there. Cherasco is also known for the Baci di Cherasco: chocolates with roasted Langhe hazelnuts, made at Pasticceria Barbero since 1881. It is also the home of Italy's snail farmers, so snails are on every menu here.
What to do in Cherasco:
- visit Palazzo Salmatoris, where the peace of 1631 and the armistice with Napoleon were signed
- browse the large antiques market (a few Sundays a year)
- buy the original Baci di Cherasco at Pasticceria Barbero
- taste the local speciality: snails
- Cherasco has several good restaurants
