Looking to Bring Back Wine from Piedmont, Italy or Beyond? Take it back on the plane.

International travelers returning home who want to fly back with a taste of our region can bring back some wine with them. There are a number of practical reasons to do this.

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* You will unavoidably discover small, family run wineries, which don’t export to your part of the world.

* Even if the producer can be found at home, there are specific vintages that may not be available.

* Alcohol shipping laws are restrictive and it is illegal to ship to many countries without an alcohol import license, making the process complicated.

* Shipping costs are high and parting with your wine opens you up to other risks, like temperature fluctuations during transport, long shipping durations, and potential damage.

Transporting wine with you on the plane is a great alternative. Here is what you have to know to do this:

In general, you may take wine on the airplane providing it’s checked (as hold baggage). This is because liquids in carry-on (cabin) luggage are prohibited unless they’re in containers with a capacity of less than 100 ml; hence full size wine bottles are a no-no.

Watch Your Weight

Standard airline weight limits will apply, which is typically 23 kg (50 lbs) per baggage for international travelers. A typical bottle of wine weighs between 1.2 and 1.8 kg (2.5 and 4 lbs). Consider grabbing one of these useful portable luggage scales to know the weight of your suitcase before you head out to the airport and avoid excess baggage fees.

Duty-Free and Duty

Each country has a duty-free limit for alcohol, and may charge duty when you bring more than this duty-free limit. When travelling between two E.U. countries each traveller can take up to 90 litres of wine duty-free if it’s for personal consumption. The U.S., for example, has a duty-free limit of 2 bottles. If you bring more, you technically face duty of only $0.35 to $2 per bottle, but because this is such a small amount duty officers rarely bother to charge you and simply wave you through. See this travelling with wine and alcohol guide and check the details for your country. 

Always Use Protection

It’s critical to ensure that your wine bottles are well protected in your suitcase to avoid any unpleasant surprises at the end of the trip. If wrapping your wine bottles in clothes is not worth the risk, there are a number of products that will give you peace of mind. Remember it’s not just the bottles you may lose if they break, but your suitcase’s contents as well. For one or two bottles there are bottle protection sleeves, some of which use bubble wrap type technology, while others inflate around your bottle to protect them. You can use a Styrofoam bottle protector, which comes in a variety of sizes for different numbers of bottles.

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For those wanting to bring back a larger number of bottles, it’s worth investing in the Lazenne’s Wine Check luggage. This easy-to-transport, airline approved carrier features wheels and a handy strap, and can carry 12 or 15 bottles of wine depending on the model chosen. With the bottles packed, the carrier still meets the airline’s international checked-bag weight limit of 23 kg (50lbs).

You can order the abovementioned wine travel products and more from European online retailer Lazenne. They can ship directly to your hotel throughout Italy and Europe.

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Typical Italian Food - Sarde a Beccafico

by: Amanda

If you like fresh sardines you will love this recipe. It is super simple and very delicious a true Sicilian dish.

What you will need:

1 lb fresh sardines or anchovies

1/2 cup bread crumbs

4 anchovy fillets (optional for a less salty version)

zest and juice of one lemon

1 tsp sugar

chopped parsley

3 tbs raisins (soak them in warm water for 10-15 minutes)

3 tbs pine nuts

bay leaves cut in half to use in-between each sardine

salt and pepper to taste

EVOO

Preheat oven to 375°F 

Clean the sardines removing the head, bones, and guts. Place on a plate until ready to stuff.

In a frying pan add a tbs of EVOO warm up then add anchovies, the bread crumbs and cook until fragrant. Turn off the heat, then add lemon juice, zest, sugar, parsley, raisins, pine nuts and salt and pepper. Stir around a bit, if the stuffing is too dry you can add a touch of water or white wine until it is moist and the ingredients stick together. Think of a meatless meatball consistency. 

Take an oven dish pan and coat the bottom with EVOO. 

Once the filling is ready, take your sardine add one tablespoon of filling to the center and roll like a cannelloni. Add you're filled sardine to the pan and place a half of bayleaf on its side to separate from the next sardine. Do this until the pan is full and you have finished your sardines. 

Then pop them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes and serve. You can drizzle some EVOO on top for an extra finish. 

Buon Appetito!

Want to have a one of a kind authentic Sicilian experience, eating and drinking along the whole way? Well now you can, check out here my exclusive Sicilian experiences. Take me to Sicily My Love

Briccolina - a small secret in the heart of Serralunga d'Alba

Making a lot of noise in Serralunga d’Alba. The Grasso family for many years and many generations were only known as grape growers of the complex but sought after Nebbiolo grapes that likes to grow in the foggy rolling hills of Langhe. All of the family’s vineyard holdings are in one plot in the town of Serralunga d’Alba called Briccolina. It was in 2012 that the Grasso family, Tiziano along with his son Daniele and wife Simona decided for the first time to produce some wine from the vineyard that they knew all so very well. Their first year was a success, producing a modest 3,000 bottles, it was enough to get everyone in town and around the world buzzing about their first vintage. 

It was in 2014 sadly and suddenly that Tiziano passed away, just shortly after bottling their first vintage. It was a shock deep in the family as well as to all their friends, family, and townsfolk. Today Daniele and his mother Simona have taken over the reins of the family business, because of such high demands, they are slowly adding on to their small family winery in hopes to be able to produce another wine to add to their lineup. 

Amanda's Bolognese, trust me its the BEST!

by: Amanda

After my first time making this Bolognese for my Italian husband Gianni, it is now my duty to always make the Bolognese for the Italians. This could be the biggest compliment ever!!

My one little secrete is to make sure you have the whole day, no rushing on this recipe, you want the flavors to slowly come together. And, trust me everyone will appreciate it. A little PRO tip, I always make way more than I need for that dish so I can freeze the rest and use later.

Ingredients:

3 tbs. EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)

6-8 garlic cloves

3/4 cup pancetta coarsely chopped

1 cup soffritto (EVOO, onion, carrot, celery)

1/4 cup double or triple concentrated tomato paste

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (make sure it has got some fat)

1/2 pound ground pork

salt | pepper | nutmeg to taste

half a bottle white wine or white vermouth or whatever you think is best

3 cups stock veg or chicken is perfect

1 cup milk whole milk

First step | Soffritto

If you have one at home the Le Creuset pans are perfect for slow cooking your soffritto in.

A good dose of EVOO a little less than one cup to coat the bottom of the pan. Then add to the oil while cold 1 2 cup finely chopped white onion, 1 cup finely chopped carrots, 1 cup finely chopped celery. Turn on the heat to medium and cook stirring often for about 3 hours. Until the soffritto is a deep brown color and the vegetables are almost melted.

Life after Soffritto

Once you have finished your soffritto place in a bowl and set to the side for later use. With the Creuset already seasoned from the soffritto, take and add the pancetta and chopped garlic to the pan. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly so you don’t burn the garlic. Then take the soffritto and add it to the pan. Cook for about 1 more minute. Move the vegetables to one side of the pan and on the cleaned part add the tomato paste. Stirr around the paste for about 1 minute so all of it can caramel slightly. Then add your meats, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg and stir around a bit. Cook the meats for about 10 minutes until the juices evaporate a bit. Then add the wine, increase the heat and cook for about 10 minutes, until almost dry. After add the stock, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and let cook slowly for another 2 hours. Give it a stir every once in a while (good excuse to taste). When you feel ready after the 2 hours it is time to add some milk. I like to put in one cup, but I go by the color of the sauce. Continuing to cook for another 30 minutes on low heat stirring quite frequently.

From there your Bolognese is ready. You can enjoy it on your favorite pasta or even Tajarin, or you can make pasta al forno (lasagna).

recipe adapted from Mozza cookbook

Azelia. Need I say more?

Everyone loves Lorenzo!

As he is smart, well spoken, fashionable, and handsome. Everything you want in a winemaker, right?  Lorenzo is the youngest generation of the Scavino family, working alongside his father Luigi and his mother Lorella he is learning to one day take over the family winery.

The founder of Azelia was in 1920 to Lorenzo’s great great great grandfather Cavalier Lorenzo Scavino. Lorenzo is the 5th generation and is the first son to take the name of his grandfather (lots of responsibility). Luigi (the big boss) as Lorenzo calls his father, really saw an opportunity to utilize some of the modern techniques both in the vineyard and in the winery. Thus allowing Luigi with his keen eye for quality and light touch of elegance allows Azelia to produce some of Castagnole Falletto’s most exciting wines. While they are neither traditional nor modern, a bit of both I would say. They work in a way that shows the strength and elegance of the Barolo area. 

The family’s understanding of the importance of the quality of work done in the vineyards to bring in an exceptional grape has been very much engrained even into the 5th generation. If you follow Lorenzo on Instagram you will see that he spends most of his time amongst the vines. A peaceful work he seems to enjoy very much. 

The family works only with red grape varieties, and has a great lineup of the Langhe’s most important varietals; Dolcetto, Barbera, Nebbiolo and of course Barolo. 

Typical Italian food: Agnolotti del Plin

The story of Agnolotti del Plin

This is a story about a life growing up around the table, many different memories but the same narrative, from everyone that I talk to about the history of the food in the region.  This is a story a remembrance, of how the agnolotti was brought to the table.  

The best way to impress your guests on a nice Sunday lunch would be to start with a beef tartar from the Fassone breed of cattle, seasoned with salt, pepper, and your finest olive oil and immediately after a roll of wild rabbit and herbs.  For the first dish is typical to enjoy agnolotti del plin or some Tajarin with Truffles that will always hit the spot. For the main course which would typically be enjoyed over the next hour or two a bollito misto or fritto misto which are typically served piece by piece, always being accompanied by “un bon bicer" of homemade Barbera wine, that would always make everyone happy.

From Grandma’s feast which was always abundant and satisfying filled with stories, laughs, and the memories that would continue to the next day and with it brought the rich smell of when all the unused ingredients were mixed together to make the filling of the Agnolotti del Plin we know today. At the time this dish was rich and considered to be king of foods because for peasant farmers to have such rich ingredients was unknown in every other region of Italy. 

A reminder that basically with all these ingredients together, you have the whole region of Piedmont in one dish.  The first written documentation of the Agnolotti was in 1182 when they were brought to Liguria and were eaten by an Albegniese writer. The first written record of Agnolotti in Piedmont was in Gavi (Alessandria) in 1200 but we believe that this pasta was known also by the Arabs and could possibly have been present in this area before Christ. 

Today we are going to share Gianni’s grandmothers recipe that just by this whole conversation has got Gianni chatting about the memories of his grandmother and how when she made the filling of the Plin he would stand by the bowl eating spoonfuls at a time.  If there is left over filling she would take and roll out some filling on top of Prosciutto cotto and make what we would call a meatloaf. 

For the filling:

200 grams or 7 ounces brut e bun this a part typically used for bollito this is the part

150 grams or 5 ounces rabbit

200 grams or 7 ounces pork capicola

200 grams or 7 ounces spinach

100 grams or 7 ounces escarole 

50 grams or 3 table spoons grana padano

butter for braising the meats

1 onion yellow, chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 celery stocks, chopped

1 garlic clove whole

1/2 cup white wine

sage rosemary nutmeg salt pepper 

1/2 cup risotto cooked separately

2 eggs 

Special equipment: Le Creuset, meat grinder or food processor

In the Creuset melt the butter then add one piece at a time to braise on all sides in the pan, once this is done remove the meat from the pan and place aside to rest. Lower the heat to medium. Once the butter has cooled down a bit add the whole clove of garlic, onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, and sage. Let cook until the onions are transparent and the vegetables are tender about 10 minutes.  Add the braised meats to the pan and stir in the white wine, turn the heat up again to high and let simmer until the wine has evaporated, about 10 minutes.  After add the escarole and spinach, turn the heat to low and cover the pan. Let this cook for about 3 hours, turning the meat every hour or so. This can be done the day before as you will want the meat cooled for the filling. 

In a separate pan cook the 1/2 cup of risotto in vegetable broth following the instructions from the package. Let this cool as well.

The next day separate the solids from the broth (the broth will be used as a sauce later). The solids are placed in a food processor or meat grinder, with the rice. At this time adjust salt and pepper to your taste and add in nutmeg and grana padano. Then after these are mixed and taste to your liking you can now add the eggs. Mix together and your filling is ready. 

Now you will need to make the dough 

For the dough: (if you would like to make half or double you can add or subtract accordingly) 

500g or 5 1/2 cups flour all purpose would be ideal

11 egg yolks 

1 full egg

about 1/3 of a cup of water (you see how much water it needs)

Special equipment: a large wooden board, a pasta machine to roll out the dough, a pasta cutter, kitchen towels

On the wooden board you will need to make a well from the flour.  Inside of the flour well place the one full egg and the 11 egg yolks and a splash of the water.  By hand start to mix some of the outside flour into the eggs creating a dough, if you notice it is too dry add more water.  Be careful not to break a wall of the flour or you will have eggs running all over your kitchen.  If you do not feel comfortable about the egg well, you can place these ingredients into a bowl for safe keeping. Let the dough rest for about an hour under a moist towel.  

*don’t through out the egg whites after you can make an angle food cake for dessert see below for recipe.

To make these pinched ravioli you will need to roll out to dough into very thin sheets. At the edge of the sheet take a full spoon of filling and with the end of another spoon, scoop some small amounts of filling in a row on the sheet close to the edge closed to you.  Then take the edge of the pasta sheet closest to you and flip the sheet over coving the filling. Pat down the edge to close the from of the ravioli, then in between the filling pinch together with your index and thumb fingers the dough to close the sides of the ravioli.  After cut the front part of the ravioli with the pasta cutter and then in between the ravioli. You will want to cut from you away in-between the ravioli so you end up with a little pocket shaped pastas. 

Place the finished ravioli on top of a prepared baking sheet and if you are making many you can place them in the freezer. If not these will be ready to go to boiling water. 

To cook the Agnolotti:

You will need to boil some water with salt and cook the agnolotti for about 2 minutes, then take out the agnolotti and place in another pan with the broth from the cooked meats from before.  Let cook for another 30 seconds to coat the pasta with the sauce and then serve. 

If you would like another sauce you can make the butter and sage. Melt about 1/4 cup of butter in a pan with a couple of sage leaves toss the pasta in the butter and serve.

This can also be done with a ragù or can be cooked in a meat broth brodo di Capone and enjoy like a soup.  During Carnival some people will also add red wine to their brodo and this is called ravioli al vin. 

Burzi - The new kids on the Barolo block

by: Amanda

Barolo is a type of Italian red wine made from the Nebbiolo grape. It is one of the most famous and sought-after wines in the world, known for its intense aromas of rose, tar, truffle, and spices. It is often aged in oak barrels for several years before being released for sale. The best Barolo wines are known for their complexity and longevity, and are often described as “wines of kings and popes”. 

One Barolo wine that I love is coming from the young producer located in the town of La Morra called Burzi. Alberto and his sister Caterina, have taken back the ownership of thier grandparents vineyards to build thier own winery and make a name amongst the great Barolo producers. Starting only a few years ago, in 2013  and since then they have recived many awards for thier passopm and hard work. 

Alberto and Cateria follow every part of the winemaking process from the long hours in the vineyards to make sure the quality of thier grapes are perfect, to the winemaking process in the cellar with laborous hours druing the harvest season. They work with two kind of three grapes, Nebbiolo which makes both thier Langhe Nebbiolo as well as the two Barolo. Barbera which is located in a small vineyard planted with a high density planting experiment to make thier Barbera d'Alba. Then sometimes I see floating around social media a whole bunch fermented dolcetto, that has been a fun experiment from the winegrowers. 

If you are in the Barolo or Langhe area I highly reccomend a visit to Burzi, not only will they give you a great educational tour of the vineyards, winery, but will also have you taste some really wonderful and pure examples of Nebbiolo for Barolo and Barbera d'Alba. See you there!

Typical Italian food: Drunk Risotto

Drunk Risotto or Risotto cooked in wine

½ cup risotto

1 onion  chopped

100 gram / 3.5 ounces sausage 

1 cup Barbera wine

Vegetable stock (use as needed)

Rosemary

Butter

Parmesean or Tuma cheese

Place some EVOO in a medium sized deep pot place the onion and cook seasoning with salt and pepper.  Then add the rice and toast with the onion for about 2/3 minutes then add the sausage.  Cook until the sausage is fully cooked.  Then add the red wine and stir until the alcohol had evaporated.  

Place the spring of Rosemary let cook together for a few minutes then remove the rosemary from the risotto.  Add some vegetable stock once cup at a time until the rice is cooked.  We want a Risotto not a pudding so don’t cook the rice too much.

Turn off the heat and add a little bit of butter and the cheese.  Taste and add salt if needed.   Mix together and let sit for a couple of minutes before serving. 

Typical Italian Food: Pasta alla Norma - Sicily

by: Amanda

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti or macaroni 

3 pounds tomatoes (San Marzano)

basil to taste

1 tablespoon of sugar

2 garlic cloves lightly smashed

2 long eggplants, medium size

EVOO

ricotta salata 

If you are planning to make your own pasta, I used 1 pound semolina flour eyeing the water, EVOO, because depending on the day you might need more or less. On a wooden surface pour the flour to make a volcano shape. Add some water and EVOO and mix with your fingers until the dough is stringy, not too much water to form a ball, you want the machine to put it together. 

Once you have reached the coarse texture of the pasta add it to the extruder machine to make the shape you choose. Today I made macaroni, it was fun!

Let the pasta dry out on the wooden board until you need them.

Meanwhile start to make the sauce.

Slice up the eggplant into long strips about 1/2 inch thick. Add them to a colander, cover with salt, and put a bowl onto to weigh them down to squeeze out any access water. To do this will make it so they do not absorb too much EVOO when frying. 

While your eggplant is squeezing, place a pan full of water on the stove till boiling and add the tomatoes for about 2 minutes or until the skin starts to split. Remove them from the water and let them cool enough that you can peel them, cutting off the tops.

In a sauce pan warm up one tablespoon of EVOO and the garlic until it becomes fragrant, coarsly chop the tomatoes then add them to the garlic, stir, lower the heat to a light simmer and add the basil, salt, sugar and let cook until it has reduced a bit and the flavors start to become equilibrated. 

While the tomatoes are reducing and your pasta is drying, take a shallow fry pan add some EVOO about 1/4 of an inch heat up the oil and lightly fry the eggplant until they are crispy. Place them on some paper towels to absorb the excess oil and set aside. 

When you are ready to serve, boil up some water for the pasta, add some salt to your pasta water, cook until slightly under al dente, slightly crunchy. Add the eggplant to the tomato sauce and cook together, remove the garlic cloves, then add the pasta to the sauce and finish cooking the pasta in the sauce, add some pasta water to the sauce to help it cover all the pasta and give it some starch to help it stick to the pasta. 

Once the pasta has been cooked to your liking, plate it and finish with the grated ricotta salata. Buon Appetito! 

Want to have a one of a kind authentic Sicilian experience, eating and drinking along the whole way? Well now you can, check out here my exclusive Sicilian experiences. Take me to Sicily My Love

A one man Barbaresco band - Ugo Lequio

by Amanda

Barbaresco is a celebrated Italian wine produced in the Piedmont region of Italy. The wine is made from the Nebbiolo grape, which is grown in the hills of the Langhe region. This area is home to some of the most famous wines in the world, such as Barolo, and Barbaresco.

Barbaresco is an elegant wine that displays aromas of ripe cherries, violets, and spices. On the palate, it has a light body with bright acidity, firm tannins, and a long, lingering finish. It pairs well with a wide variety of dishes, including red meats, game, and aged cheeses.

Barbaresco has been produced in the Langhe region for centuries, and today it is a DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) wine, meaning that it is subject to strict rules and regulations regarding its production. The wine is made from Nebbiolo grapes that are grown in the communes of Barbaresco, Neive, Treiso, and San Rocco Seno d'Elvio.

Ugo was raised in Neive to a wine making family in the town of Neive, right up the road from where his today's winery is located. He grew up in a family who not only made Barbaresco wine but also some of the other favorites of the Langhe, Dolcetto, Barbera, and Moscato. Because Ugo was the younger son, in a time when you had heiracy within the birth pattern of the children, Ugo was not an heir to take over the family's estate. Thus having to move himself down the street and adjusting his home into also a winery, where he would then be able to practice his art. Ugo has been making wine in his large and comfy home "garage" for the past 40+ years. I guess we can call him one of the first Barbaresco Garagista's.

Today Ugo with the help of his Golden Retriever puppy Joy, he oversees 5 hecare of vineyards in the town of Neive, located inside of one of Barbareso's important geographic mentions Gallina. Many sommelier from all over world who have had the chance to taste his wines would consider Ugo's expression of Barbaresco Gallina one of the purest. He also makes a Langhe Nebbiolo and Barbera d'Alba all coming from his Gallina Vineyard. He is one I highly recommend to keep an eye out for.

Typical Italian food: Ricotta Gnocchi with Nettles

Nettles and Ricotta Gnocchi

If you cannot find Nettles you can use spinach

500 grams / 17.6 ounces Nettles

50 grams / 1.7 ounces Ricotta

1 cup of flour

1 onion

¼ cup butter

1 egg

parmesan 

sage

salt/pepper

nutmeg

From the Nettles take just the leaves, wash and make sure to use gloves because they do pinch.

Then blanch for a few minutes in boiling water, then remove from the water and squeeze the remaining liquid from the Nettles.  Finely chop the nettles. 

Place the butter in a pan with one chopped onion.  Sauté the onions for one minute then add the nettles to the pan.  After a couple of minutes place in a bowl and add the flour, ricotta, and parmesan cheese with the egg, salt, and nutmeg.  Let this mixture rest for a half and hour and then you are ready to make the gnocchi by hand.

Once you have shaped your gnocchi place in a pan of boiling water and cook until they float to the top of the pan.

For the Sauce

1/3 cup unsalted mountain butter

10 fresh sage leaves

Place butter in a large sauté pan and melt, then add the sage and cook for 1 minute just enough to get the scent of the sage in the butter.

Once the gnocchi has been cooked then add to the butter sage sauce and sauté for a few minutes adding some of the pasta water to the butter sage sauce. 

Serve immediately and season with parmesan. 

Ressia - the beginning of a Classic!

Fabrizio is humble and passionate Barbaresco producer, and anyone who has the chance to meet him in his winery walks away with an unforgettable experience. Working only 5 hectars in the vineyard Canova located in the village of Neive, he grows Moscato, Dolcetto, Barbera, and Nebbiolo. Ressia has owned and farmed their land for 3 generations since 1913 and it was when Fabrizio’s time to take over he decided to build a winery and start to make wine. Little by little Fabrizio started to buy equipment, and expand the family’s farmhouse for the winery. [embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BFYxvKqIdWZ/?taken-by=amandaswineadventures[/embed]

2015 Evien Bianco: a white wine from Moscato that undergoes a maceration of 2 days before fermentation starts, then 70% is aged in Austrian acacia while the rest remains in steel. Fresh, floral, aromatic, light body and great acidity.

2013 Evien Serie Oro: This wine is Moscato taken from a special selection in the vineyard that will then be aged in barrel for 2 years. Much bigger on the pallet, orange peel, floral, tropical fruits. Has the potential to age.

2013 Barbera d’Alba Superiore: 2 years in Botticella (the staves are French oak, and the heads are Slavonian oak). The Slavonian oak helps the fruit, more cherry notes raspberry, where the French helps to make the wine more round.

2012 Barbera d’Alba Superiore: round, sweet, red fruits, floral

2010 Barbera d’Albal Superiore: complex, red fruits, full on the pallet a really beautiful wine

2008 Barbera d’Alba Superiore: black fruit, vanilla, very smooth, rich

2004 Barbera d’Alba Canova: this wine is only aged in stainless steel. Typically when made this way the fruit and acidity is bright and lively. Typically a wine not for aging too long. Here the wine showed notes of cocoa, chestnut honey, bright acidity and a long finish. I am always impressed to see a Barbera of this style age so wonderfully.

2013 Barbaresco Canova: for Ressia’s Barbaresco will stay 26 months in Botticelle before it will be bottled. Fresh fruit, elegant, floral, Strawberries, smooth elegant tannins, rich and velvety.

2012 Barbaresco Canova: classic Nebbiolo, cherries, dried rose, fennel, and currants

2010 Barbareco Canova: red fruits, wild sage, herbs, and absolutely beautiful, long finish with silky tannins.

2009 Barbaresco Canova: great example of 2009, nervous tannins.

2008 Barbaresco Canova: classic fruit, fresh, sweeter tannin

2006 Barbaresco Canova: cherry Jell-o, chocolate, tannins are still hard

2005 Barbersco Canova Riserva Oro: this was the first vintage a Riserva for this house was made. Tobacco, chocolate, tea, blackberries, a full mouth feel, wonderful long finish.

I am very happy that I had the opportunity to taste through this wonderful lineup of great wines. I feel that Ressia has a wonderful representation of the fruit, the vineyard and the vintage. The wines are clean and expressive and have shown wonderfully a decade of wonderful wines. Since they make a very small amount of bottles you will not find Ressia everywhere so it is my suggestion the next time you are in Piemonte to stop by for a tasting.

If you would like other things to do while in the area of Barbaresco you can visit my blog here.

Typical Italian food: Risotto with Asparagus

Risotto with Asparagus

½ cup risotto

1 onion  chopped

hand full of Asparagus

½ cup white wine

Vegetable stock (use as needed)

Mint

Butter

Salt/pepper

Parmesan cheese

Blanch the Asparagus, choosing some of the more beautiful asparagus placing those aside to be coarsely chopped.  The remaining asparagus will be creamed in a food processor with some EVOO salt and pepper.

Place some EVOO in a medium sized deep pot place the onion and cook seasoning with salt and pepper.  Then add the rice and toast with the onion for about 2/3 minutes then add the white wine and stir until the alcohol had evaporated. 

 Continue to cook with the vegetable stock once cup at a time until the rice is cooked.

After about 10 minutes put the asparagus cream and continue to cook.  Once the Risotto is cooked put off the heat and add the rest of the chopped asparagus, butter, parmesan cheese, and some finely chopped mint. Taste and add salt if

needed.   Mix together and let sit for a couple of minutes before serving.

La festa del Ruché – Castagnole Monferrato

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Ruché: a grape varietal found today in Piedmont, it is believed that this varietal has traveled from France but there is no written documentation of this variety.   Ruché is a varietal typically found today in Castagnole Monferrato and has a very unique and special characteristic, an aromatic red grape varietal. Like most red varietals in Piedmont this varietal was always made into a sweet wine, and it wasn’t until the town priest, Don Giacomo Cauda who in 1964 was the first to make this varietal into a dry wine. Today there are a handful of producers working with this grape making it into a dry aromatic style, and here I have listed some of my favorites from the tasting of 12 producers.

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Bosco 2015 Ruché- right off, I think the bottle was just opened because we arrived early. There were tropical fruits on the nose and pallet and at first it reminded me a lot of Gewurztraminer. After we had made the rounds went back to have a proper glass because we enjoyed it so much and at that point had opened up greatly. Did not have that sweetness at first taste but had good red fruit, floral, showed much more elegantly and a long finish. Could be a bottle my husband and I could enjoy easily.

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Francesco Borgognone 2014 “Vigna del Parroco” – Francesco Borgognone has a close connection with priest Don Giacomo Cauda and today produce their Ruche’ from the same vineyard where the priest made his first dry Ruche’. The impression I got from Francesco was he had a great passion and understanding to this grape and was able to display it in its purity. This wine showed black fruits, violets, and peppery notes. This will be a producer I will visit in the next weeks.

Gatto 2015 Ruché – Gatto is an established family run winery since the 900’s in the area of Castagnole Merferrato, and amongst other wines are producing a wonderful example of Ruche’. The 2015 vintage is going to be a promising one for many different wines here in Piedmont. It is a BIG vintage very giving and really showing off the power of some of the grapes varietals. Here we have full mouth of darker fruit, floral wild rose, violets, and spice with some nice tannins.

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I plan to visit some of these producers and will report how the tastings went, with photos of their gnarly old cellars!

Typical Italian food: Tajarin

Tajarin

100 grams / 3.5 ounces Flour 00

150 grams  / 5.2 ounces Durum wheat Flour 

1 full eggs

4 egg yolks

Evo oil, Salt

Measure out the flour and place on a wooden surface, making a whole in the middle of the flour.  Like a volcano! Add the 1 full eggs and 4 yolks to the center of the flour.  With you fingers gently break the yolks and add flour from the volcano a little bit at a time until it forms a dough.

Let the dough rest in plastic wrap in the fridge for about 30 minutes. 

Cut the dough in half and with one half start to roll out with a rolling pin on the wooden surface.  Rotating between rolling either side and adding a little flour to help dry out the pasta.  You will know the pasta is ready to cut when it is so thin you can see through it.  Once the pasta is ready roll up on the rolling pin, gently slide off the pin and cut into Tajarin!