Two Winter Lovely Weekends - Part 2

It was really a lovely weekend we spent in Cogne. This little hidden gem on a side valley of Valle d'Aosta in the national park of Gran Paradiso that does not know yet the mass ski tourism that a lot of other villages in the area does. Cogne in fact is renowned more for his natural beauty and for his cross-country skiing than for being a big alpine ski resort. In fact, downhill skiing is limited and that contributes to keeping the area calmer and more untouched. In fact it was one of the most relaxing places we have been recently.

This beautiful village has also some eno-gastronomic treasures to discover. We tried a few different places, but two of them has to definitely be reported. First of all, the restaurant where we had dinner on the Saturday evening, Lou Bequet, is an exceptional place to taste the delightful dishes of this valley.  I had as a starter a Beef Tartare (amazing quality of the meat) with a foam of Lardo and Thyme, really delicate and very pleasant. The real hit for me was my primo, Ravioli filled with Castelmagno (typical cheese from Piedmont) in a cream of purple potatoes and truffles. One of the best primi I have had in a long time; the combination of the flavors was just amazing and it was the perfect plate for the cold winter night outside (-18 from the car thermometer when we headed back to the hotel). I closed my feast with an exceptionally tender veal cheek braised in red wine, also here words will not give justice to the amazing taste. There was also a nice wine list with a lot of the local choice that normally paired well with a so earthy and tasteful food.

Another lovely nice place we found in the middle of the village the day after is La Cave de Cogne. This is not really a restaurant but more a wine shop with some seats in the back where they normally serve 3 or 4 different dishes each day. We had a lovely lunch especially considering that the couple that owns the place, Sabrina and Jun are lovely hosts. He is Japanese and is the chef. It was fascinating as well to hear their story and how a young Japanese chef ended up living in this small Italian village.  Wine selection is great especially considering the wide range of the local wines. To be considered also a nice selection of Genepy, the local liquor based on this mountain herb.

A bit about Valle d'Aosta wines now. Certainly Valle d'Aosta is not known to be one of the most famous Italian wine region but there are certainly some distinctive producers that are able to offer lovely mountain wines that pair fantastically with the local cuisine.  We tried a Fumin 2007 from a producer called L'Atoueyo that was really impressive for his complexity and drinkability. Fumin is a local grape that generates wine that could be really good to age for a long time and that will pair really well with game and aged cheese. Not easy to find considering also the limited production but definitely worth to look for.

I also have another very interesting wine, Picotendro 2009 from La Kiuva.  Picotendro is the name that locals are using to call the very famous Italian grape Nebbiolo. In fact this is the northern area of Italy where Nebbiolo grapes are grown. The result in this case was an extremely elegant wine that will pair fantastically with dishes not too structured and on my case it worked perfectly as a Sunday lunch treat.

I left the region knowing that I will be back soon; there is plenty to discover in this area and his beauty will be a certain excuse to be back.