FLAVOURED WINE WITH CHINA ROOT

General characteristics: towards the end of the XIX Century, it was Doctor Cappellano, the pharmacist of Serralunga d’Alba, who conceived of the idea of flavouring wine with china-root.  The first producers of this wine were actually pharmacists from various towns and villages scattered all over the Langa Region. It wasn’t long before the wine became famous as a mythical elixir with extraordinary proprieties, surrounded by the mystery attributed to the secret formulas used to produce it. At first it was popular among the farmers as a medicinal elixir, but in time it became widely known and appreciated as a flavoured wine.  It was eventually even adopted as the flag/symbol of top level wine producers.

Fragrance/Flavour: the bitter impact of the china-root flavour is counterbalanced by sugar and alcohol, generating a continuous series of long-persisting flavours  that slowly fade out with a pleasantly bitter taste.

The “china-root flavoured” wine can definitely be considered a wine suitable for closing a good meal and is perfect with chocolate-based desserts. It was traditionally used by Piedmontese families to prepare a hot “punch,” and was offered to the guests at any time of the day as a sign of respect.