People who come on our wine trips often make the same comment at the end of a tour:
“How on earth do you find these places?”
From the family-run wineries with no sign outside, to the restaurants that feel like someone’s living room, to the tiny hamlets where time moves different, our guests always think we’ve stumbled onto some secret map.
But the truth is much simpler. Good wine tours don’t happen by accident.
They happen because we research them and if you’re the kind of person who likes to understand a place rather than just pass through it, the way a tour is put together matters.
So, research was exactly what we were doing this past weekend in Piedmont.
Carrù: A Home Base with a Heartbeat
We based ourselves in Carrù for the research trip, my wife Teresa and I stayed at our friend Daniela’s lovely house, even though the actual tour next March will be based in Alba. Carrù is one of those towns that reveals itself slowly. Nestled between hills and hazelnut groves, it has a sense of calm that you only really notice once you slow down enough to match its pace.
A morning espresso in the square, a walk along narrow streets lined with pastel façades and snowcapped mountains in the distance, with the promise of Nebbiolo country just over the next ridge.
Daniela, though, is more than just a friend. Over the years, she has become a guide to this region in the truest sense. She knows the shortcuts, the family stories, the old traditions, the places that don’t appear on Google.
Wine, Hazelnuts & Truffles: Three Pillars of Piedmont
Piedmont’s great wines get most of the attention and rightly so.
Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, Arneis… each village seems to express them differently.
But what always catches people by surprise is how complete the gastronomy is here.
The hazelnuts (the famous Nocciola del Piemonte), arguably the best in the world.
The truffles, especially the white ones, which make simple dishes unforgettable.
The buttery tajarin pasta, rolled thin enough to see the light through.
The braised meats, slow-cooked with Barolo until they fall apart at the touch of a fork.
The cheese, often local, often unlabelled, often astonishing.
It’s a region where wine isn’t an accessory—it’s part of a wider agricultural rhythm that has been going on for centuries.
Stanley Tucci filmed an episode of Searching for Italy in this region, and he summed up its importance in one line that stayed with me. In the episode he says: “Stretched out below is Valle d’Aosta and Piedmont beyond where the Italian nation was born, a region without which I wouldn’t be searching for Italy at all.” It’s a reminder that Piedmont isn’t just about Barolo, truffles or hazelnuts, it’s one of the places that helped shape the very idea of Italy.
Meeting the Providers: The Real Reason We Were There
Over the course of the weekend, we visited: the hotel that will host our group next March, the restaurants we’ll be eating in, the wineries whose stories we want our travellers to experience firsthand and all the small providers who make a trip feel effortless.
We sat with winemakers to discuss timings; we tasted menus. we checked rooms, logistics, routes, we made sure everyone knew who we are and what kind of guests we bring.
These research trips are not glamorous (even though the setting often is), they’re essential. Our job isn’t just to sell trips, our job is to guide people into moments they will remember and that only works when you know the people you’re partnering with.
Spain Will Always Be Home — But Piedmont Called
Spain is, and always will be, our home ground when it comes to wine. Murcia, Castilla-La Mancha, Granada, Galicia these are landscapes we know deeply, emotionally, personally.
But when the opportunity arose to bring people to Piedmont, we couldn’t resist its pull. It feels familiar yet different, European yet alpine, rooted yet imaginative.
We wanted to do it properly, though, the Sense Experiences way, which means spending time, building relationships, understanding the rhythm of the place before bringing anyone with us.
This weekend confirmed it: Piedmont is ready and so are we.
If a Wine Trip to Piedmont Sounds Tempting, no pressure, no rush, just an invitation, because good wine tours don’t happen by accident. They happen because the right people go to the right places, at the right time, with the right mindset and when those elements come together, what begins as a trip becomes an experience people carry long after they’re home.
Curious about joining us next time?
Just reply here in the comments or drop us a message, we’ll happily send the details.
