Roberto Conterno is known for its fine wines, like Monfortino e Barbera Francia, after all also for the recent acquisition of the historic Nervi company in Gattinara, Alto Piedmont, in 2018. This goal contributed to turning the spotlight on the entire area north of Piedmont, renowned since the 19th century for the cultivation of the Nebbiolo variety, able to be the protagonist in blends of wine named as Gattinara, Boca, Gemme, Lessona (the main appellations).
Conterno’s project has taken shape in a few years; its work, carried out by the architect Primatesta, embraced at the beginning a total mutation of the cellar followed by the building of a gourmet restaurant. From an architectural point of view, Cucine Nervi – so is it called – is among the most beautiful and successful in Italy due to its furnishings, elegant and precious materials chosen, the play of lights, the management of the spaces, for the impressive show-kitchen and a the huge wooden dedicated to a chef table experience, (wood dated back to 48,000 year old, a New Zealand kauri one interspersed with resin veins). The cuisine, entrusted to the thirty-year-old chef Stefano Battaini (originally from Varese), has a contemporary soul but enhances the raw materials of the Piedmontese territory selected by
special local suppliers. Risotto is something untouchable and essential in these places near the Vercelli area, even though Stefano feels much more confident processing
Stefano exploit what he had learned, like cooking techniques, during his experiences in Ireland, Australia and Stockholm; and he agreed to stop in Gattinara to launch the Cucine Nervi project to build his identity. His cuisine is a contemporary one, decisive able to enhance the raw material and places it in a position of dialogue with many other elements whose flavors are shown in different cooking processes. The guest can choose a variety of
dishes ”à la carte” and two menu tasting. My advice is to put yourself in his hands, order the ”White Paper” menu (€120) and be amazed by an amuse bouche that could easily be a game: soft buttermilk, toasted mackerel and salmon roe, then a trout fario flanked by Ossola bacon, leek and ginger and finally a donkey sirloin with caviar and salsify. On the side you may try the “Classics” (€80) and “Seasons” (€100) menu.
Consistent sauces and tasty flavors with accelerations and contrasts find a proper balance. Stefano’s cuisine is an imaginative and creative gastro-nomic one. In the cellar you can choose among over 500 references cata-logued in two wine lists, one dedicated to the wines of Conterno (Barolo, the Barbera Francia and the Gattinara) with a depth of love that few brands manage to achieve, and one with deep space for local wines, from Piedmont and from around the world, proposed at a very accessible price. Eventually a meal at Cucine Nervi is an involving experience which deserves many visits for those who are intrigued to try all the seasonable tastes.