We’ve just concluded our June tour of Northern Italy and it was spectacular on every level. Think 11 days of back-to-back culinary experiences, think deep dive into the beautiful Langhe region renowned for being the cradle of Italy’s fine food and wine culture, Piedmont’s Bra region which is the epicenter of the Slow Food universe, and the beautiful Northern Lake Country.
There's truly nothing quite like staying on the shores of Lake Maggiore overlooking the Swiss Alps and spending time with some of our favorite affineurs and cheese shop owners.
As with all Cheese Journeys tours, artisanal cheese is at the heart but so too is world-class wine that has been produced by family-run businesses for centuries. I curate travel experiences that uncover hidden gems and introduce our guests to esteemed winemakers who are passionate about bringing exceptional grapes to the cellar, and to local counters.
If you're a fellow wine enthusiast, I invite you to explore and taste some of Northern Italy's finest, perfectly aged sparkling Contratto, a lovely Arneis white, a vintage Barolo, or a delicate rosé. Book your spot on our next Italy tour, scheduled for June 2026.
Photography by Winter Caplanson
Meet Chiara Boschis: Italy's finest export
Years ago, I had the privilege of meeting the legendary Chiara Boschis while traveling with a journalist from Wine Spectator magazine and we’ve stayed friends ever since. She’s a brilliant winemaker and her energy and passion embrace me each time I meet her. Every year, she kindly welcomes our group to her winery, allowing our guests to have an exclusive inside look and take in all the wow factor of Barolo wines. So I took the opportunity to ask Chiara a few questions and to share a bit of the Barolo backstory for our newsletter. Allow me to introduce you…
Since the E Pira and Figli estate was passed onto your family, you've upheld its tradition and innovated production methods while taking on the honor of being the first female winemaker in the Langhe region. What does this mean to you personally?
In the 1980s, I was a young girl growing up with feminist ideas. My family’s winery was left to my brothers so I started a "revolution" and took out a big bank mortgage and bought the winery for myself! That felt like a great achievement as a woman because there were no women in winemaking back then and I had to fight to be accepted and I worked super hard.
Tell us about how you transitioned to Organic farming and harvesting?
I have always believed in Organic. Yes the costs are higher and production is lower, but for me profit is not the sole purpose in life – it’s doing the right thing ethically. I believe we need to protect the environment for future generations.
How have you consistently produced highly regarded artisan wines over the years? What's so unique about the practices in your vineyards and cellars?
It’s simply a constant commitment to working really hard. I never look for shortcuts and it makes all the difference – a little fanaticism and perfectionism helps as well!
Describe the aroma and taste of your wines...
Tar and roses, fruit and flower - just a wonderful blend of characteristics. In Barolo Cannubi for example, you find mint eucalyptus and cherries.
What does a day at work look like for you at the winery?
Crazy! There’s a lot of physical work that I do alongside my family and my team, and there’s more bureaucracy to respect nowadays - but that’s mitigated by nature when I work in the vineyards which I love deeply.
If you weren't born into a family of farmers and subsequent winemakers, what profession do you think you would be in?
Either a doctor (when I was young, I always dreamed of saving people) or an artist so I could create beauty and share it. Though I do think, and hope, that my wines bring joy.
What does it mean to be a woman in the industry in 2025?
Luckily, I’m a woman in a free world and could realize my dreams but I know in other countries that's not the case. We still face a lot of challenges, but we’ve seen progress in the last 50 years.
Anna Juhl, Cheese Journeys founder, set up her business to champion artisan makers like yourself and as a woman of Piedmont, you've been crucial to educating on and introducing Barolos and Barberescos to the world. How important is meeting new enthusiasts to your work and storytelling?
It has always been so important to spread the word! Anna is a wonderful ambassador for artisanal producers (who have little to no money to market their product), and it’s important that people get exposed to these products to fully understand the difference with processed food and wines. We need to have supporters that believe in what we do - and how much passion and love goes into it.
What's next for Chiara Boschis?
I want to concentrate on the new generation by supporting them and giving advice based on my experiences.
What do you think the next generation of Boschis farmers will achieve? How are you currently ensuring the future of your family business?
My niece Beatrice is already working in the winery and she’s proved to be incredibly talented. She's smart and super hard working, she’s very capable in the cellar as well as the vineyards, she can drive tractors and manage all the machinery – and she can also travel to the market and present the philosophy of the winery behind the bottle. My other two nieces are studying to come onboard too which I love - and while I know that new generations will face challenges, the climate for example, I am confident they have the heart and strength to fight hard and pave their own way.
Italian wines to know about and why...
Who better than Emilio Mignucci, VP of Culinary Pioneering for Di Brunos Bros. and Cheese Journeys tour co-host, to share his Italian wine recommendations. I asked, and Emilio delivered.
La Casera
Also known as the ultimate wine, cheese and charcuterie shop in the lake side town of Verbania. La Casera is owned by Eros Buratti, a cheese refiner who selects local producers (often of raw-milk cheeses), who has the most astounding selection of wines. He's so focused on hyper local and representing makers who work on naturally and organically producing wines that are rarely, if at all, available outside of his area. One can only really discover these wines in this region, and we created a private event with Eros during our Cheese Journeys tour to taste some of his favorite wines as he led us through pairings with his beautifully aged cheeses – it’s beyond special!
G.D. Vajra
I first tasted the Kye Freisa, which has DOC protection, on tour with a Cheese Journeys group in October 2023. Anna created a private dinner with wine pairings for Giuseppe at the villa where we were staying. Prior to the tour, I reached out to the makers, and asked if he could include their Langhe blend in the pairing, which we sell in our Di Bruno Bros. stores. It is one of my absolute favorite wines to pair with anything from pizza to pasta, to a classic BBQ. It's so easy to drink, even with a little chill on it. We learned from Giuseppe that evening that this ancient grape, Freisa, is closely related to the Noble Nebbiolo grape, and that it has deep bonds with Piedmont and its people.
When you first pour it into a glass its aroma is very fruity and floral at the same time. It’s also a bit rich and dense, so it needs to open up for a while to evolve into a wonderful elixir of red and blue fruit with hints of spice and clove. If served with cheese, this wine really deserves a well aged Parmigiano Reggiano or maybe even that very elusive Castelmagno.
Massimo Ponte and Fratelli Ponte
Cheese Journeys travelers have the opportunity to stay at the villa of Massimo Ponte's during the Northern Italy tour – and Massimo and his brothers produce a wonderful Arneis that we have the luxury of having at our fingertips during every tour. It's become my go-to white wine, and was a wine/ grape that I wasn't familiar with until I started traveling to the Piedmont region.
This is a crisp medium bodied white with aromas of green apples and pears that pairs so well with those wonderful soft Robiola style cheeses from the Piedmont. It's also a very playful wine which is exactly the vibe that Massimo gives off. He's such a fun guy with great stories and a gregarious personality that matches his wines perfectly, but especially this one!
A winery with SPARKLE
Discover the cellars of Contratto, one of Italy’s most historic wine producers. This historic Wine Cathedral (the cellars were excavated entirely by hand!) was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014 and is the perfect place to age over a million bottles of sparkling wine!
Shop local, shop La Casera
We're biased because owner Eros is a Cheese Journeys friend, but this is one of the best local wine, cheese and charcuterie destinations in Italy. It even has an ageing cellar and tasting room dedicated to its finest products.
Our guests get to meet the affineur himself, discover and taste a selection of the wines and cheeses he curates and have a private shopping experience. It's captivating, it's all-consuming and it's a highlight on the itinerary every year.
What's your flavor?
Like your food shop fresh and fragrant? Like to see and taste and buy from local artisanal producers? The food walking tours we host in Milan and Isola Superiore, a tiny island off the shores of Lake Maggiore, on our signature Northern Italy journeys are not to be missed.
Photography by Winter Caplanson
Ciao!
If you're in love with the sound of Northern Italy's cheese and wine scene, make sure you're following Cheese Journeys on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for updates as I’ll be back to Italy in September for the Slow Food’s Bra Cheese Festival! We’ll be with all our favorite producers and 300,000 cheese enthusiasts from around the world as we release a new project... stay tuned.
In other news, I've just returned from a scouting tour in Alsace, France and the alpine regions of France and Switzerland. We're working on several new and exciting tours to introduce you to more of the most incredible cheesemakers, affineurs, wine producers and interesting craftspeople in some of the most beautiful areas in Europe. Do you have friends and family who enjoy this type of travel? Tell them about Cheese Journeys by sharing our newsletter or social handles, and email me any time with questions at anna@cheesejourneys.com. I’d love to hear from you!
P.S If the Italian wine recommendations that we shared in this newsletter quenched your palette and you're partial to a tipple when cheese tasting then you'll appreciate the ciders and brandies produced by renowned Somerset Cider and Brandy Co. on our UK tour this coming October. If you prefer rare fruited lambics or artisan sour beers, join us on our Belgium and Netherlands tour in April 2026.
