Wine with Leslie: Why Piedmont is my favourite Italian destination

The Slow Food movement was founded in Piedmont, and besides the wines, there are white truffles, agnolotti, vitello tonnato, bagna cauda and chocolate hazelnut tarts

Leslie Williams: "Traditionally, Emilia-Romagna is considered the culinary capital of Italy thanks to Parma ham, balsamic vinegar, Parmesan cheese and other delicacies, but much as I love Lambrusco I’m afraid Piedmont is my favourite Italian destination."

I wrote last week that I don’t really do New Year resolutions, but one I have made for 2026 is a commitment to visit Piedmont for the first time in over a decade. 

I was actually invited to the region to taste the new Barolo vintage (and go on a truffle hunt) in early December, but I had to decline due to a scheduled outside broadcast for the Moncrieff show on Newstalk (in case you didn’t know I am on the Friday “Movies and Booze” slot every few weeks, tune in on January 30, if you are curious).