La Gibigianna
V. Torino, 26
12050 Barbaresco (CN)
Tel. e Fax +390173635305
e-mail:enoteca@lagibigianna.it
Website:

In the centre of Barberesco and found La Gibigianna, a tiny wine bar
with an outside terrace. We asked for a glass of white wine and were offered Chardonnay, or Arneis. Arneis turned out to be wonderful flavoursome wine made from the Arneis grape that is only grown in Piedmont and is seldom exported from the area. Since it was on all wine lists we saw in the area, it does indeed seem to be one of those products that is deemed too good to let others have it! Further research showed that the name means difficult as the grape is difficult. I do not care how tricky it is as long as there is plenty to drink when I go back!
La Gibigianna, in particular boss Franchino, provided typical hospitality in that with the wine came Focaccia bread and then a plate of mortadella. As with many things there is mortadella and there is mortadella and the difference is that between chalk and cheese. This was by far the best mortadella I have ever had. We then spotted a plate of salamis and gave up on the next door restaurant and decided to lunch here. We had a plate of salami that reworked the way I thought of salami. It is normally a dried chewy substance but not this salami. This was fresh and devoid of chew - delicious but very rich. We had also ordered anchovies and a plate of anchovy fillets the size of sardines arrived. Oh what joy. By now, of course, we were drinking the Arneis by the bottle. An ideal simple meal, typically Italian in this lovely old town where wine is not only king but bread and butter as well.