by Malcolm Jolley

Pierguido Busso, right, with his Ontario agent, Bernard Stramwasser of Le Sommelier

Pierguido Busso is the younger member of the father and son wine making team at Società Agricole Piero Busso. Piero Busso (which is also his father’s name) is located in Piedmont, not far from the truffle capital of Alba and Slow Food headquarters in Bra. It will not surprise Good Food Revolution regulars, then, that the Bussos make very food-friendly, environmentally-conscious wine with an eye on tradition.

Recently in Toronto, Pierguido Busso showcased some of the more recent vintages of his wine at a dinner hosted by his Ontario agent, Bernard Stramwasser of Le Sommelier (which specialises in small, family-run wineries who follow sustainable agricultural practices) and Chef Chris McDonald of Cava. Chef did not disappoint with a succession of exquisite dishes, which ran through Busso’s red repertoire: plainly labeled ‘Nebbiolo’ from vines under 25 years old with grilled wild BC salmon, Barberas with Perth County boar in terrine and house-made ham and Barberescos with Barbary duck breasts and summer truffles. We were drinking 07s, 08s and 09s, which still showed young and a little tight, but had lovely fruit and elegance anyway. These wines will pop-up on the lists of some better restaurants and are worth trying in a year or two or can be ordered for private cellars from Le Sommelier. The last wine, the 2006 ‘Borgese’ Barbaresco is available off the shelf now at Vintages (see note below), and got a 90 point rating from The Wine Advocate’s Antonio Galloni.

Before we sat down to dinner, and while I shot this short video, we sipped on the 2010 Piero Busso Langhe Arneis which delivered as beautiful a lemony, minerally, bringing-water-to-the mouth, Northern Italian patio-aperitif hit of flavour as one could imagine. Cool and crisp it went down very easily on a warm summer’s evening. Look for this white, made with an indigenous grape on wine lists and watch the video for Pierguido’s pairing suggestions.

Can’t see the video? Click here.

2006 Piero Busso ‘Borgese’ Barbaresco Piedmont Italy – $49.95, LCBO# 222844
Nearly five years after vintage and this wine is still possesses considerable tannin and could sit for another five easily. When opened up, it’s a lovely mix of black cherry, cinnamon spice and a touch of almond bitterness that holds it all in. Hard to imagine a better match to a grilled duck breast or standing rib roast.

Malcolm Jolley is a founding editor of Good Food Revolution and Executive Director of Good Food Media, the non-profit organization that publishes GFR. Follow him at twitter.com/malcolmjolley. Photo: John Gundy.

This video is made possible through the kind support of Fortessa Canada/Schott Zwiesel: casual elegance for everyday living.