Calosso

The castle crowns the top of the village, its round tower rising above the Moscato vineyards. It is privately owned and usually closed, so most visitors come for the setting: the view from the hilltop and the quiet lanes and church square just below.

Fea is a family winery south of Calosso, founded in 1960 and run since 1990 by Giuseppe Valente. When the cellar was restored in 2010, two old crotin came to light: underground rooms dug into the marl, where wine was once left to age. The tour takes you down into them and out along the vineyard, then back to the tasting room for five wines with a plate of local salumi, cheese and breadsticks. Expect a Calosso DOC from Gamba di Pernice alongside the Barbera d'Asti, Freisa and Langhe Nebbiolo. It takes about two hours and is for over-18s only. A shorter aperitif format (three wines, all ages) is also on offer. Book either one through Winedering, or call the winery.

A quiet knoll south of the village with a small stone tower in memory of a partisan, reached on a short signposted walk. It makes a good picnic spot, but trees have grown up around it, so the full view over the Belbo valley comes from climbing the tower.

La Badia is the Bussi family's winery on the western side of Calosso. Brothers Giuseppe and Marco Bussi run it, with their parents and the next generation still working in the cellar. The visit is a guided look round the winery, then a tasting of at least four wines from the current vintages with platters of salumi, cheese and local products. You taste in the tasting room, or out in the courtyard when the weather allows. The range includes a Calosso DOC from Gamba di Pernice, Barbera d'Asti and Moscato d'Asti, plus the family's own grappas. Allow about 90 minutes. Book at least two days ahead on Winedering. You can also email or phone the winery.

The Baroque parish church sits at the top of the village beside the castle, its façade of pilasters and niches topped by a 42-metre bell tower. It opens on scheduled days, when visitors can see the painted vaults, the 1920s stained glass and an 1884 organ with over a thousand pipes.

Ca 'd Tantin is a family winery on Via Moasca, east of Calosso. It is named after great-grandfather Costantino, "Tantin", and its four hectares or so of vines have been certified organic since 2001. All visits start in the cellar and are booked in advance. The quick version pours two wines in half an hour (€10). The classic tasting gives you three wines with local products in about 90 minutes (€25). The three-hour formats take four wines out to the terrace above the vineyard, and the sunset version is timed for evening light (€35 and €45 per person, minimum four, or a fixed couple's price). Wines to ask for: Piotarùsa, the house Calosso DOC; Milabute Barbera d'Asti Superiore; and a Brachetto passito. Send the request form on the winery's site and they call back to confirm.

Beneath the houses of Calosso's old centre run the crotin, small cellars dug into the sandstone, probably in the Middle Ages, and used for wine and food because they hold a steady cool; some are lined with handmade brick, others left as bare rock. Five open free to visitors on the comune's 'crotin aperti' weekends from July to early October, among them the Montafia crotin under the Casa di Plastica and the Crotin del Teatro. On the third weekend of October they become the tasting route of the Fiera del Rapulé; outside those dates they are private cellars.

The organic Ca 'd Tantin estate east of Calosso will set you up with a picnic among its own vines, either as a lunch or as a dinner timed for sunset. The afternoon or evening starts with a cellar visit, a welcome glass and a walk through the vineyard. The picnic is prepared together with the Ristorantino Cà 'd Basan in Canelli, and the menu changes with the season. Bring your own rug. Wine is charged separately. Lunch is €30 and the sunset dinner €40 per person, for groups of at least four, and you have the place to yourselves. Book through the request form on the winery's site.

Calosso's former Methodist chapel, built in 1903 and unused for worship since 1975, now houses 'Memorie di Futuro', a small museum of films and images about village life. Films by Andrea Icardi, scored by Giorgio Conte, follow the harvest, the vineyard year and the Rapulé fair through villagers interviewed by anthropologist Piercarlo Grimaldi. It doubles as the info point, with a welcome glass, for the open crotin on selected weekends from July to early October.

The Mocco family has made wine at Cascina Comina, on Via Boscodonne just outside the village, since 1934, and its terrace looks out over the hills. The daytime "Compare Orso" tasting opens with a glass and some Langhe hazelnuts. You then choose four of the family's wines to taste with a board of local products, and finish with Moscato d'Asti and small pastries. It takes about 90 minutes and runs from March to December. From April to September the "Wine & Sunset" evening starts between 19:30 and 20:00. It pours a white on arrival, then the RosaRossa and the Calosso DOC with salumi and cheese, and ends with Moscato d'Asti. Book online and pay at the winery. The winery is also a pick-up point for Cappuccetto Verde picnic baskets, and has a camper stop.

A loop of under 2 km links the four staircases of Calosso's old centre, starting from the car park in Piazza Sant'Alessandro. The Scalinata del Belvedere climbs from Via Bocchiarda with views towards Castiglione Tinella, the two-flight Scalinata del Crotin passes an alley where blue paintwork sets off the brick, and the Scalinata del Castello brings you up to the castle tower and the restored square in front of San Martino. A longer variant continues down the Scalinata del Rapulé and along the Vecchio Orto path.

Adriano Grasso is an oenologist who farms his family's vineyards on Via Agliano, just outside Calosso, organically. His standard visit starts with a walk through the rows, then the cellar, then three wines (a Metodo Classico brut and two Barbera d'Asti) with a merenda sinoira, the old Piedmontese late-afternoon spread of salumi, cheese and seasonal bits. Allow about two hours. For the local grape, pick the "Rare Wines" version, which pours a Calosso DOC from Gamba di Pernice next to his Moscato sparkler. Groups of four or more can book a three-vintage vertical of his cru Barbera d'Asti, served in magnum with matched food. All three formats are booked through Winedering.

Federico Bussi is the fourth generation to make wine at this family estate on Via Castagna, just north of Calosso. His "Tra Langhe & Monferrato" visit walks you through the vineyard and the cellar, where he covers how the wine is made, aged and bottled. Then you sit down on the panoramic terrace, or indoors if the weather turns, to taste at least six wines. They usually include a Calosso DOC from Gamba di Pernice, Barbera d'Asti and a Moscato d'Asti, served with salami, cheese, toasted hazelnuts and hazelnut cake. It takes about 1h45. A two-hour "Vintage" tasting with the winemaker is also on the list, from €30. Book on the winery's own site.

A small restaurant on the hill whose terrace looks over vineyards and the old stone village. Truffle dishes are the favourites, from gnocchi to a risotto made with Gamba di Pernice, the local red, and the long wine list sticks to Calosso producers. The staff are warm and welcoming.

A village trattoria with outdoor tables overlooking the valley, serving home-made pasta and generous antipasti, with wine only from the surrounding vineyards. Everything is made fresh by a small team, so service can be slow on busy nights.

The restaurant of a boutique agriturismo among the vineyards, with an infinity pool and a patio looking down the valley. The kitchen sticks to traditional Piedmontese dishes made from local ingredients, backed by a strong wine list, and the staff make families and special-occasion diners equally welcome.

An old-fashioned osteria with a homely dining room, plain local cooking and prices to match, popular for a quick weekday lunch. The staff are friendly and go out of their way to help, though the food is simple rather than special.