Calamandrana

Family-run since 1956, Michele Chiarlo is one of the names Piedmont measures itself by, with cellars right on the Nizza–Canelli road in Calamandrana. A guided visit walks the cantina and sits you down to taste the native grapes — Barolo and Barbaresco crus, the "La Court" Nizza DOCG, Gavi and the gently sweet Moscato d'Asti "Nivole" — with food-pairing formats too. Book online in Italian or English.

A small country church in the San Giovanni valley, half Romanesque and half Baroque. The original Romanesque apse survives on the right, with a matching one added symmetrically; the old apse still holds its 18th-century frescoes. Open the Chiese a Porte Aperte app and it'll light the place and talk you through it.

Ca' d'Gal makes Moscato its focus, and its Tenuta La Cova sits in Calamandrana, halfway between Nizza Monferrato and Canelli, across 25 hectares of vineyard, hazelnut orchard and woodland in the Alto Monferrato. What they're known for is bottle-aged Moscato d'Asti and Canelli DOCG — labels like Lumine, Vite Vecchia and Sant'Ilario — alongside Asti Spumante and Barbera d'Asti. La Cova runs as a "Wine Country House", so you can taste at length and stay the night; request a visit online in Italian or English.

Francesco Maria Cordara built this castle in 1682, and it still crowns Calamandrana Alta above the Belbo valley. The 1887 Ligurian earthquake knocked it about; the restoration that followed left it anchoring the hilltop old town.

Cantine Adelaide is a family winery in an 1866 farmhouse up in the UNESCO hills of Calamandrana. They make the Piedmontese staples — Barbera d'Asti and Dolcetto, Nebbiolo-based reds and Moscato — and take visitors down into the old underground cellars, then sit them down to taste with local food. Book ahead; they host in Italian and English, and you can buy bottles on the spot.

Head up to the top of Calamandrana Alta's old town and you'll find the Baroque parish church standing right beside the castle.

Barbera runs through everything at La Giribaldina, a family estate in the San Vito hamlet of Calamandrana ringed by its own vineyards and woods — a flagship Nizza DOCG, several Barbera d'Asti bottlings including the organic "Caval Russ", plus Moscato, a Sauvignon and a rosato. Visits are a cellar tour and a seated tasting of five or six wines with snacks from the local bakery, and there's a farmhouse B&B, the Foresteria, if you want to stay over. Book the tasting through the winery, in Italian or English.

The Zafiri family has worked this small mixed farm in the Valle San Giovanni above Calamandrana since 1949, up in the Alto Monferrato hills. Wine's the heart of it — a Barbera d'Asti DOCG plus their own labels: the reds "Dla lùca" and "La Fisa", the white "Garbato" and the sparkling "Vivacitas" and "Ribotà". The cellar's open for visits and paid tastings booked through the estate's experiences page, Valter guiding in Italian and Marina in English.

Michele Chiarlo turned the vines of his La Court cru into an open-air art park, a short drive from the Calamandrana cellars at Castelnuovo Calcea. Sculptures and installations stand out among the rows — Emanuele Luzzati's fairytale walk through the four elements (earth, water, air, fire), plus pieces by Ugo Nespolo, Giancarlo Ferraris and Chris Bangle. The free "La Court Audioguide" app walks you round the vineyard trail on your own; for a guided visit and a tasting, arrange it through the winery.

The Sconfienza family started out making barrels in 1890 and switched to vermouth in 1947, and they still crush the botanicals in an old hammer mill and steep them slowly in local Cortese wine. La Canellese is their vermouth and liqueur house in Calamandrana, in the hills between Langhe and Monferrato. Stop by and you taste the range with the makers themselves — Vermut di Torino (rosso, bianco, extra dry and superiore), Vermut Chinato and Barolo Chinato, plus bitters and aromatic-wine liqueurs. It's a drinks house, not a still-wine estate, so call or write ahead to arrange a visit.

Traditional Piemontese cooking done properly at this long-standing, family-run place — the finanziera and the gnocchi with sausage get particular praise, with a cheese dessert to finish. The staff make an effort in English and steer you to local wines like Barbera, and there's a covered terrace for warmer days.

The all-day bistro at the Almaranto hotel, where the sky terrace looks over the pool and the vineyards. The kitchen keeps it easy at lunch, mixes cocktails, and goes fuller at dinner; visitors single out the deep wine list and staff who know it well. Come for a relaxed group brunch, or an aperitivo as the sun drops.

The taproom of a craft brewery in Calamandrana's artisanal zone, pouring its own beers from a handful of taps — the IGAs get the most love. The staff know their stuff and guide the tastings, and out on the covered terrace, under a big screen, there's pulled pork and sandwiches to go with the pints.

The restaurant of a vineyard estate hotel, where the multi-course tasting menu is poured with the property's own wines and served on a terrace over the vines. Visitors praise the creative, polished cooking — house-made breads and the desserts stand out — and service that feels warm and personal.

Macedonian and Italian dishes here, plus pizza, in portions that don't hold back and at prices that stay fair. It's a casual, welcoming place; the owners and staff look after you, and the room's big enough that birthdays and group gatherings fill it up — so book ahead.

Pick your dough — thin, pan or Neapolitan — and it comes loaded with fresh toppings, out fast from a small, cosy room. This is a well-regarded pizzeria: homemade desserts to finish, prices that stay modest, and staff happy to help in English.

A fine-dining kitchen up on the hilltop at the Almaranto estate, where the tasting menu runs to several courses, each plated with real precision and poured with a regional wine to match. The chef and team talk you through every dish, and live piano sets the mood in the elegant room, vineyards on all sides.

Straightforward property featuring relaxed rooms, as well as a cafe/bar with a terrace.