Where to Eat and Drink in Barolo:

There is something very special about the wine region of Barolo, located in the Piedmont region of Italy (“Piemonte” in Itailan). Maybe it is the beautiful rolling hills, surrounded by vineyards. Or maybe it’s the laid-back atmosphere of the people who live and work here. It might also be the care, passion, and authenticity of the winemakers and their wines. No matter, Barolo is a “must visit” for wine lovers everywhere. 

 My husband and I visited the Barolo region in early September. We stayed for a weekend and visited a handful of carefully-selected wineries. We stayed in a charming farmhouse B&B, situated amongst the beautiful Piedmont hills. Our B&B also happened to make their own wines. The entire experience of our weekend in Piedmont can be summarized in a few words: romantic, educational, unfussy, picturesque, and memorable. As a wine lover, food and travel enthusiast, and blogger, I’d like to share with you my favorite Barolo wineries and eateries!

Cantina Mascarello Bartolo: Perhaps the most highly regarded winery in the Barolo region, Cantina Mascarello Bartolo is a “must visit” for all wine lovers. Why? Well, the Mascarello Bartolo wines are nearly impossible to find in Italy or internationally. The winery produces a relatively small number of bottles each year, and they are sold out well before the wines are even bottled. They take special care to produce their wines using traditional methods, and they have an extremely loyal following of wine-loving customers around the world. Despite the high demand for their wines internationally, the owner of the winery, Maria Teresa (daughter to the late Bartolo Mascarello), makes only enough wine to comfortably sustain her business, her family, and her employees. Moreover, she refuses to substantially raise the price of the wines, as she believes it would be unfair to the winery’s long and loyal customers. There is no greed or pretense here – just a passion for producing high quality wine in a traditional way. Due to the high demands for Mascarello Bartolo wines, you can’t buy the wine at the winery. Fortunately, you can still have a free tasting and tour of the cellars. If you’re a true wine-lover, don’t pass up this opportunity to experience the Mascarello Bartolo wines. You must call ahead to make a reservation. The winery does not have a website. Phone number: +39 0173 56125.

Podere Ruggeri Corsini: Podere Ruggeri Corsini is located in the country, nearly halfway between Monteforte d’Alba and Barolo. Our tasting here was perhaps the most educational experience we had during our visit to Barolo. Podere Ruggeri Corsini is a wonderful family-run winery with reasonably priced wines and excellent customer service. The tasting was free, and it was extensive. The wines were all very high quality, with my favorite being their Barolo from Bussia. The entire tasting experience at Podere Ruggeri Corsini was laid back, relaxing, informative – and delicious, of course! They also have the cutest little dog that likes to join in on visit. Call or email to make a reservation. +39 340 6741204.

Brezza Giacomo e Figli:Located in the town of Barolo, Brezza is a popular winery that also owns a hotel and restaurant. As the name would suggest, the winery is owned by the Brezza family. The Brezza estate spans over 22 hectars and dates back to 1885. Brezza had by far the most wines of any of the tastings, with multiple Barolos that I loved. Bonus? The wines are all sold at very affordable prices! You can reserve a tasting and tour by appointment only. Check out their website for more information.

Tenuta Montanello: This is the farmhouse B&B we stayed at during our trip to Piedmont. The location is perfect, nestled in the heart of Castiglione Falletto. The prices are reasonable, the scenery is unbeatable, breakfast is included, and the rooms are very comfortable. If you’re looking for a relaxing and authentic place to stay during your visit, I highly recommend Tenuta Montanello. Above and beyond having a wonderful stay here, Tenuta Montanello is also a very small family-run winery. Their wines are all quite elegant and very inexpensive when compared to other wineries in the area. They have an outdoor seating area that overlooks the surrounding vineyards. My ultimate recommendation for Tenuta Montanello? Stay here. Have a complimentary wine tasting. Buy a few bottles of their amazing wines. Crack a bottle (or two) while relaxing outside and taking in the views. Then – voila! You can walk right to your room and go to sleep when it’s time ☺

Scarzello: This was the last wine tasting during our stay in the Barolo region. In this case, it’s appropriate to say “we saved the best for last”. In my opinion, Scarzello’s wines were by far the most elegant and high quality of all of the wines we tasted. The price tags are a bit higher on their wines, but it is completely worth the additional cost. Scarzello is a family run business, located in the town of Barolo. The setting for our tasting felt like we were casually enjoying wine in someone’s living room. They make very few bottles of wine per year when compared to other wineries in the region, so definitely pick up a few bottles while you’re visiting! Tastings by appointment only.

La Case della Saracca (in Monforte d’Alba): La Case della Saracca is a small restaurant and B&B, located on an otherwise very quiet street in Monforte d’Alba. It’s a locals favorite, and for good reason. This place is just cool. It’s where I recommend you eat for aperitivo or dinner – but you MUST make reservations. In high season, you might consider making reservations a week or more in advance. The building itself was restored to preserve a medieval atmosphere, but with a modern twist. If you’re lucky enough to score a reservation for dinner, you will be guided upstairs, where there is only one table on each level, for a total of 8-10 tables max! The small number of tables is also why it is very difficult to score a dinner reservation. The restaurant sounds fancy, but it’s not expensive, and their wine list is WONDERFUL (they even had Mascarello Bartolo wines). The food was great. If you can’t score a reservation, come for aperitivo anyway. They have the best aperitivo around. You buy a drink (they have a great selection of wine by the glass, cocktails, and so on) and you help yourself to the very generous and extensive buffet of snacks. More information can be found here

Trattoria Cascina Schiavenza: We lucked out and got a table for lunch without a reservation here. Cascina Schiavenza has superb wine, food, and views. Established in 1956, Cascina Schivenza is a family-run restaurant and winery located in the region of Serralunga d’Alba within walking distance from the castle of Serralunga. Mum Lucia and her daughter prepare typical Piedmont dishes, specializing in home-made pastas. This is a great option for lunch or dinner. Make sure you try some of their Barolo wine with your meal! Reservations can be made HERE.

The vast majority of Piedmont wineries (including the Barolo region and other regions) require reservations for tastings. Additionally, the wine region of Piedmont is quite large. If I were to do the trip all over again, the only thing I would do differently would be to hire a local guide. First, local guides know how to pick the best wineries based on your tastes and budgets. You would not have to worry about any of the planning or making reservations at individual wineries. Secondly, hiring a local guide is great because you don’t have to DRIVE! There is no “easy” way around the area – taxis are not common (and they are very expensive). Therefore, you must typically drive around the region. There is a lot of wine to be drunk, and having transportation taken care of is a HUGE benefit – for your enjoyment and for your safety! I highly recommend reaching out to Amanda for your wine and food tasting and tour needs!

For more posts like this (and delicious authentic European recipes), visit www.thetravelingcookabroad.com

Name: Cammy Romanuck Murphy

Blog: The Traveling Cook Abroad

Site:

www.thetravelingcookabroad.com

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/thetravelingcookabroad

Instagram: @thetravelingcookabroad

In love with farmers market - "I Mercati" not to miss

by: Amanda

I love going to the weekly farmers market, to see the seasonal fresh produce and to watch the little old nonni bartering with the vendors about the things they are planning to buy for lunch that day. Here is a list of some of my favorite mercati in the area.

Monday -

Mango - Piazza XX Settembre - Via G. Marconi - Mango is a quaint little medieval town and this market is quite limited in things it offers but has all the basics. Situated in the Piazza where the castle is located, if you are here in the season when the Moscato d’Asti Enoteca is open I recommend stopping in for a nice refreshing glass of Moscato d’Asti.

La Morra - Piazza Vittorio Emanuele - A great Monday market with just the basics to get you started in the week.

Monforte d’Alba - Piazza Mons. Dallorto - A well curated smaller market with just the basics to get you started in the week.

Tuesday -

Alba - Piazza Cagnasso - Here is a smaller version of the market on Saturday. It is located under the covered parking area and is a bit limited on things that is offered but is good if you are in a pinch.

Canale - Via Roma - Piazza Italia - Via Gravier - Piazza Martiri L. - Via Malabaila - Piazza Vittoria - Piazza Castello -  This market is here everyday in the mornings it is open only for the restaurants in the area and after 4pm it is open to the public. On Tuesday all day it is open to the public.

Canelli  - Piazza Gancia - Piazza Zoppa - This is a very versatile market, great produce and many things to choose from. Great cheese, fish, and poultry stands.

Wednesday -

Bra - Piazza XX Settembre - Corso Garibaldi - A nice market to visit, typically has many different vendors for local products and great produce.

Neive - Piazza Garibaldi - A smaller market with many produce vendors, great cheese vendors, and if you have a craving for rotisserie chicken this market has got you covered.

Thursday -

Alba - Piazza Cagnasso - Here is a smaller version of the market on Saturday. It is located under the covered parking area and is a bit limited on things that is offered but is good if you are in a pinch.

Castagnole delle Lanze - Piazza S. Bartolomeo - Via Roma - Via Casetta - A great market and if you are in love with seafood they have a great fresh fish stand that offers the daily catch. The gentleman working the stand will gladly clean the fish for you too!

Friday -

Bra - Piazza XX Settembre - Corso Garibaldi - Piazza Carlo Alberto - A nice market to visit, typically has many different vendors for local products and great produce. Another plus is this market is very close to the most wonderful cheese store Giolito. Located on Via Montegrappa 6, and they have cheese courses and cheese tastings!

Murazzano - Piazza Cerrina - Piazza Umberto I - A small local market, and being in the heart of the Alta Langa cheese protection area, here there are some wonderful Murazzano D.O.P. cheese vendors.

Canelli - Piazza Gancia - Piazza Zoppa - Viale Indipendenza - Great market with lots of things to choose from. They have fresh seasonal vegetables, cheese, poultry, fresh seafood, clothing and other miscellaneous things that could be interesting.

Saturday -

Alba - Centro Storico - This market is great because you can get just about anything. They also have a great little area called “Mercato di Terra” in Piazza San Giovanni, which sells all local, organic, specialty products all grown and produced from a very short distance from Alba.

Asti - Piazza Alfieri - Piazza Campo Palio - Piazza Libertà - Another great market to visit and this one is very large that is is held in 3 Piazze. At this market it is not uncommon to find antiques and other random things for sale.

Mondovì - Piazza Ellero - Another great assortment of fresh produce, locally made salame, cheese, and oven baked bread. A large and vast market to visit.

Saluzzo - Concentrico e Via Don Soleri - Saluzzo could be one of my favorite towns to visit that is located at the foot of the Alps. A historical town with plenty of great restaurants, wine shops, and lots of shopping. But with the addition of the market you now get an array of fresh produce, cheese, honey, bread, everything to make your home cooked meal even better.

*photos courtesy of Letizia Cigliutti

Moscato d’Asti - What you really need to know

by: Amanda

I am going to let it out, the good, the bad, and unfortunately the ugly about the Moscato grape and it's wines. I talk to a lot of people and well, most people tell me that they are not fans of Moscato d’Asti. When they were younger and willing to try this slightly sweet, fizzy wine they were quickly surprised by how sweet and unbalanced many of the wines that are easily accessible at the local liquor store are. There are many reasons as to why it is easier to find a bad Moscato than a good one. I am going to point you in the right direction to finding the best Moscato.

When Moscato is picked it is harvested by hand, because here in the Asti - Langhe areas we have very steep slopes that are dangerous to drive tractors so hand picking is essential, and once in the vineyards the workers will go through each bunch one by one to make sure there are no rotten or raisin like berries. Those will come off. Then the grapes will be placed into small plastic baskets that are filled with holes for breathing purposes. This is important as during the warm summer days, you don’t want the grapes to be to hot or if one berry does break you don’t want that to start to ferment when you are on your way to the cellar. (This could create problems)

[video width="480" height="848" mp4="http://www.amandaswineadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/3ba67cdb-0121-4bdc-b47d-37679f8b2276.mp4" loop="true"][/video]

If the grapes are hot, you will wait until they cool down to crush or use dry ice to lower these temperatures. The grapes need to be cool in order to maintain the most aromatics in the wine. Once the grapes have gone into the crusher de-stemmer they are moved immediately into a press to get the juice off of the skins.  From there the juice goes into a temperature controlled stainless steel tank where the temperature will remain under zero centigrade. This is important that the wine does not start to ferment until after it’s two filtration.These filtrations are to help take off the dirty sediments that might be left after the crush and pressing. The first filtration is used to take off the larger sediments and then after a much finer filtration to take off any sediments that might discolor or leave an off flavor to the wine. This process happens immediately in order to obtain a must as clean as possible. After this process has finished the grape must will stay in the tanks under -1° degrees centigrade until that barrel is needed to make wine. They can keep these barrels like this for months until the time is ready for the Moscato to be made. This is important because the longer the must stays in contact with the fine lees the more aromatics and complex the wine will turn out.

Once the wine maker decides it is time for some Moscato they will slowly raise the temperature of the tanks at about 10 - 15 °C to get the fermentation going, at this point there will be selected yeast added to help with the fermentation process. Because this wine has been taken off the skins and filtered twice before the initial fermentation the select yeasts are very important for the wine. Without these yeasts you might wind up with a wine that has off aromatics and has too much trouble making the alcoholic fermentation.  The fermentation takes place in a autoclave* and this process can take 30 - 40 days total. Slow soft fermentation allowing the bubbles to gently integrate with the wine and making sure to keep those wonderful fruity flavors in the wine.

*An autoclave is a pressurized tank that has double walls to keep the bubbles in the wine.

Once the wine has finished the fermentation and the pressure of the bubbles in the wines do not surpass 2.5 bar of pressure then the wine is ready to undergo a sterile filtration that will remove any yeasts that might start to ferment in the bottle. Remembering that there is still a high content of sugars in Moscato, it is important to not have fermentation starting up again in the bottle!

After this filtration process the wine is then ready to be put into bottle under pressure. The wineries will have to have a special bottling machine to keep the bubbles in the wines.

Just to stress a bit more, Moscato is a wine that needs a lot of care. I only spoke really about 3 filtration but in reality there are over 10 that will happen to the wine before it makes it into the bottle. This is a very delicate wine and runs a high risk of becoming spoiled, both in the winery and after the final product is finished. So from this it is best to know your wines and here are some things you should look for. To make a Moscato the winemaker must have a lot of passion for this grape as during the harvest the time to relax and have a good night sleep are few. (I know this as my husband painstakingly makes Moscato every year and thus late nights and early mornings)

Understanding that reading labels is not easy it is even harder to read and understand Italian labels. But I am going to help you to understand. Here are some quick pointers.

First if a Moscato is coming from anywhere else than Italy, then it is not a D.O.C.G. Moscato d’Asti. These three words Moscato d’Asti D.O.C.G. are very important for the quality of the moscato. The  D.O.C.G. is a set of very strict regulations, in order to have this label on your wine it must pass a series of sever tests. In the vineyard, a chemical analysis, a blind tasting by other winemakers, etc. So when you see this you know you are at a good starting point.

If you see the name just Moscato written on the label without any other designation, this means they can make the wine how ever they would like and you could wind up with something flat, or overly sweet. Unfortunately this plus the overload of producers who need to have a Moscato to complete their catalog are some of the things that makes it very hard to find a good quality, hand crafted product. Moscato Madness if you will.

Some of my favorite Moscato d’Asti DOCG wines on the market today:

Gianni Doglia: A small family run winery it’s just Gianni and his sister Paola taking care of the winery. They make about 80,000 bottles a year in which they have 2 Moscato wines, both of very high quality and both very different.

La Spinetta: One of the larger wineries in the area, but one of the first to take Moscato to another level of quality. Giorgio Rivetti and the beginning of his career was making up to 5 different single vineyard Moscato d’Asti wines to show off the differences from each vineyard. Today they only have 2 labels and maintain a consistent product every year. More about La Spinetta here!

La Caudrina: Another great family run winery, Romano Dogliotti in the 1970’s took over the family farm and put La Caudrina on the map with high quality Moscato d’Asti and also an amazing Asti Spumante. The next generation wine team for the Dogliotti family has added a few more wines to the family portfolio and have been maintaining a great quality. More about La Caudrina here!

Scagliola: The fourth generation of winemakers for this family has been recently taking over this absolutely beautiful property. Working together with the 3rd generation, family Scagliola are making still traditional wines as well as trying some new techniques. The wines are fresh, clean, and high quality! Also try their Brachetto.

Elio Perrone: A very small family producer working with only indigenous grapes from the Asti area, Stefano Perrone became famous for his wine Bigaro. A blend of Moscato and Brachetto grapes, made the same way Moscato is made so a bit fizzy and sweet with a great rose color.

Barbaresco Master Class

by: Amanda

Let’s dive into the rules, regulations, and some myths and tales about Barbaresco wine growing area. Barbaresco is a smaller appellation to it’s bigger brother Barolo, and even bigger neighbor to the north Roero. Barbaresco appellation is made up of 3 villages and a fraction of Alba calle San Rocco Seno d’Elvio. The 3 other villages that make up a part of this winemaking area; are Barbaresco, Treiso, and Neive. From these three areas Neive is the largest land area in all of Barbaresco but Barbaresco has them beat with the most amount of Nebbiolo planted in the area. This makes much sense because the quality level of the growing area in Barbaresco is much greater and greater quality to the other regions.

In Barbaresco alone you have the most amount of what we could compare to the French Grand Cru vineyards. In Barbaresco the Grand Cru vineyards would be considered Asili, Pora, Bricco, and Montestefano. Followed by Ovello, Rabajà, Riosordo, Martinega, Roncalini, Roncaglietta, and Trifolera, then Bernino, Vincenziana, Moccagatto, Ronchi, and Faset. The Barbaresco area is the closest to the river Tanaro, it is practically touching the river bed and thus this is very helpful in case of a storm coming from the north area Roero, before the storm will reach Barbaresco it will have been taken up the river by its current.  The soil in Barbaresco village belongs to the Tortonian period, where a bluish marl - clay that is very compact, which is defined as Sant’Agata Fossils.  Barbaresco here is sharing the same soil structure as the neighbors in Barolo villages Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. Here, because the soil is more compact and more difficult for vine growth we are left with a product more rich in tannin and with more complexity. Which could be why there are the most amount of growing areas of Grand Cru quality.

Neive my home and I cannot tell you how much I love to live here, and you must come to visit! Like me you might not want to go home. Neive is a bit more north east respect Barbaresco and Treiso and the soil structures vary quite a bit.  The more southern part of Neive where you have more Moscato, towards the area Mango you will have more Tortonian-Serravallian with veins of Lequio formations, here you will find more of a grey marl mixed with sand. The vineyards that are on the boarder of Barbaresco share the same Tortonian bluish marl and thus are more complex than the latter. Towards the northern bit you have more sandy soils, better for younger drinking wines. There are only 2 Grand Crus in Neive and that would be Gallina and Cottà with Bordini, Chirrà, Gaja, Balluri.

Treiso shares a lot in common with Barolo, towards the south western part of Treiso you will find wines that have a lot of the same complexity as Barolo. With this said you will find a lot of the same soils as you will in the Barolo area. Tortonian and Tortonian-Serravallian, lots of clay, grey marl, and iron rich soils with little or no sand. There are less grand crus in Treiso but some vineyards to keep an eye out for are Rombone, and Gresy. Also Montarsino, Varaldi, Castellissano, followed by Rizzi, Bongiovanni, Marcarino, and Stella. Treiso and San Rocco Seno d’Elvio are a lot of the same vineyards, for instance Rizzi, Montersino, and Meruzzano.

Interesting story about San Rocco seno d’Elvio is this fraction of Alba is where an Emperor of Italy was born. Elvio Pertinace and you will find his coin on the bottles of Produttori del Barbaresco labels as an ode to the Emperor who represented this area. Pretty cool?

In the area of Barbaresco there is not only Nebbiolo grapes, it is a major part of this wine making area but not the only one.  There is even more of a history with the grape varieties of Dolcetto, Barbera, and also Moscato in these areas.  Historically these other grapes were the wines that were consumed most. More as table wines for everyday consumption, and while Nebbiolo would have been the more affordable wine to drink, the people at that time paid a little bit more to have Dolcetto and Barbera. It is funny because today we talk about Dolcectto and Barbera like sports teams, not many people like both varietals. This is because Dolcetto starts of fruity and floral and then has a finish with a little bit of tannins and some almond skins, this flavor gives a bitter aftertaste. Most people don’t get along with this aftertaste but in terms of pairing with food it is very important and thus Dolcetto pairs well with most types of food.  Barbera on the other hand has no tannins at all has lots of red fruits and a bit of iron flavors, and is famous for its bright acidity that cleans the mouth. This wine is then paired with fattier foods, meat dishes, and cheeses.  Then we have Moscato which in the two towns of Neive and Treiso can make Moscato d’Asti, a lightly fizzy sweet wine that pairs well with Panatone, and with fresh fruit like strawberries and peaches, or just on its own as a pick me up in the late afternoon. We will talk more about Moscato in a later blog post as I would like to explain all the hard work and sleepless nights that goes into every bottle of Moscato d’Asti.

After all of this talk about the areas and what makes them so special lets take a minute to talk about the rules and regulations of Barbaresco area. To make a Barbaresco starts at the slope in the vineyard where you can grow Nebbiolo grapes on an East, South, or Western facing slope and you cannot growthe Nebbiolo higher than 550 meters above sea level. This excludes all together the North facing as when the DOCG was put into place the reasoning was that the late ripening variety Nebbiolo would not finish its phenolic ripening process. The maximum amount of grapes that can be harvested per hectare is 8 tons and the alcohol must be higher than 12%, and the vine training must be Guyot. After all of these specifications once the grapes have been brought into the cellar the fermentation and maceration depends on the grower, but the wine can be released on the 3rd year after the harvest and 9 of those months in cellar must be in wooden barrels. From there you can keep the wine in barrel longer and in bottle longer and can release when you would like but the basis is 9 months in wood. The wines when they are finished will need to go through a series of exams, one is a chemical analysis and the second is a sensory analysis where many wine makers who are part of the Consorzio will attend a blind tasting to make sure these wines are meeting the necessary standards.

Once all of this has taken place the government will issue banderols to place on each bottle of wine as proof of its legality. Now the wine is ready to drink! Just kidding, one question I get asked a lot is when should you open a bottle of Barbaresco to maximize its full potential in this wine. Like taste, this answer is not so simple, also there might be many winemakers who have a different idea I would like very much for them to share their experiences. I cannot answer for everyone but I hope to make a diplomatic approach to my answer. Once upon a time Barbaresco and Barolo were wines that were to dink with at least 20 years of age. Because of climate change, and new technologies in the cellar I feel as though these Nebbiolo based wines can be enjoyed at a much younger age. As much fun as it is to save a bottle in your cellar for the next twenty years to one day take it out to share with your friends and loved ones I am of the type that I just can’t wait.  To many things can happen to this bottle of wine from today to the next 20 years and I am not wanting to take a risk.  So I say to many people that the best time to enjoy a Nebbiolo wine like Barbaresco and Barolo is after the first 5 years the wine is in the bottle. Here is the tricky part, how do you know when the wine was in the bottle? Well the safe way to go about it, is unless it is a Riserva you can be safe to say that the wine was bottled near the year it was released, but unless you talk to the winery it is hard really to know. So here is my cheat sheet! About 10 years from the vintage in the bottle is the best time to start to drink your Barbaresco or Barolo. It is not a rule of thumb but it is pretty close to getting you to optimal drinking potential. The first 5 years the wine is growing developing, then after this period the wine starts to age, just like people. Some of us get better while others of us just get a bit worse. Thus my fear of not wanting to wait to long. With this said there are plenty of wines that age amazingly and have a longevity that could out live all of us.

Neighbor to the North, Roero.

Here in the Langhe we talk a lot about Barolo and Barbaresco and the Langhe wines in general. What is Roero, where is Roero, and for an English sake how do you say Roero? The saying of Roero is pretty simple, especially if you grew up watching Scooby-Doo. RUH ROH. Ro-e-Ro you say? The Roero is located north of the Langhe on the Right side of the river Tanaro. Here in Roero the soils are much younger containing much more sandy soil than what you would find the the Langhe.  Also many times when the wineries are working in the vineyards they will find sea shells, and also fossils. Cool, nè? Many places when you go to visit will want to show of their findings and it is pretty amazing to see life that was here over 4 million years ago. The Roero was forever better known for its fruit production, peaches, apricots, strawberries, cherries, asparagus, and of course my beloved Arneis grapes. Today Roero is becoming more popular for it’s Nebbiolo growth as well and is making some wonderful world class wines from it too.

Let’s take a minute to talk about this crazy grape they call Arneis. Arneis was once known as Nebbiolo Bianco or Barolo Bianco, some say because it is a genetic mutation of Nebbiolo or if it was cultivated alongside Nebbiolo as a way to deter the birds. The Arneis would ripen quicker and would be much sweeter to the nose so the birds to flock to those grapes first, and by the time the Nebbiolo was ready for harvest the birds were long gone to it could ripen in peace. Anyways once people of this area started to vinify this grape they changed it’s name to Arneis. A word in the Piemonteis dialect meaning menace.  When I tell this to people they either laugh or are horrified that I used the word Menace to describe a grape. The reason for this is because once people started to vinify this grape they realized that it was very fussy in the cellar and needed much attention to make a light, mineral driven white wine.

Today you can find Arneis in many different styles of wine from sparkling, to still, to no skin contact, to maceration up to 30 days. There are also many high quality producers working with the Arneis grape today and the better examples of this wine are coming from the Roero region.

One producer that I recently went to visit for the first time I would like to take a minute and let you know about them. It really was an amazing visit and the wines were even better than I had remembered. Giovanni Almondo is the name of the winery and they are well known in this area for their Arneis coming from the cru Bricco dell Ciliegie.  In this vineyard Stefano spoke to us about the families older vines and that have been in their family for generations. As a matter of fact his father was born in the small house that is on the top of this vineyard so there is much meaning and importance to this family for the Bricco dell Ciliegie vineyard. Arneis is a grape that grows well in sandier soils as it is easier for the grapes roots to grow in these types of soils and does not stress the vines to much. The Bricco dell Ciliegie is mostly made up of sandy soil but has some veins of clay and also limestone which help to give this wine more of its wonderful mineralic characteristics. When we were there Stefano explained to us that we were tasting from their last tank and it was the last bottling they will make for the 2016 vintage.  He said for him the tank that stays the most time in contact with the fine lees makes the wine much more interesting, and more complex. I would have to agree, this was was smooth, notes of stone fruits and pears, with a salty finish.

I would highly recommend a visit to this wonderful estate and make sure to try their Arneis as well as their Nebbiolo based wines. You can find them at:

http://giovannialmondo.com

Via San Rocco 26 - 12046 Montà (CN)

Winemaking 101

Harvest can be done either by machine or by hand. Most vineyards in the Langhe and Monferrato areas because of the steep hills tend to harvest by hand. While in some flatter vineyards for the use of Moscato there has been some experimenting going on with machine harvesters. So far the results are quite good.

Once the grapes arrive into the cellar you have a few options:

• to de-stem or not

• the amount of sulfur dioxide to use

De stemming

In the Langhe there are very few producers who will not de-stem. This is because of a few reasons, the stems of Nebbiolo if not ripe give off a very bitter green tannin which is unpleasant to the wine. Only if you leave the stems to ripen (when the wood changes color from green to brown) then the tannins will be sweeter. In order to do that, you will need to let the grapes hang longer on the vines or in some cases will have a temperature controlled room to store the harvested grapes until the stems are completely ripe.

With that said most producers will de stem their grapes. Most will use a machine that will take off the stems, but since the Nebbiolo berries are more attached to the stems than the other varieties, you will wind up with some bits and pieces of stems during fermentation.

On the other hand there are a few producers who take the berries off by hand. One in the area who started to work in this method was Silvia Altare from Elio Altare, today there are more and more producers working in this way for some of their higher end Barolo’s.

To Sulphur or not to Sulphur

As winemaking trends change there has been much discussion about adding sulfites to wine and when or not at all. The advantages in addition of sulphur to Nebbiolo grapes are:

• antiseptic - by adding sulphur to the grape must this will protect against bad yeasts on the grape skins and protect against acetobacter (vinegar bacteria).

• antioxidant - to help control oxidation within the wine.

If you do not add sulphur before the alcoholic fermentation starts, typically the producer is then going to have an indigenous yeast fermentation and would want more oxygen in contact with the must to promote growth of the native yeasts.

Alcoholic Fermentation

After you have crushed, now you are ready to ferment. Depending on your winemaking choices some producers use selected yeasts* or indigenous yeats found on the skins. If this is your selected method many producers will make a starter culture (pied di cuve) to help have a strong population of yeasts to start the fermentation.

*With selected yeasts, these could be ones that have been selected from the wineries vineyard and is special to the house or they can chose and active dry yeast that they like. By selecting the yeasts they are stronger and will not have trouble to finish the fermentation when alcohol levels arrive above 4% ABV.

Fermentation Vessels

Here you have a choice:

• Tine (large oak upright fermenters)

• Cement tanks

• Stainless steel tanks

• Roto - fermenters

Tine (oak fermenters) are the oldest method and the most traditional in the Langhe area. These large upright oak tanks are a great container to have a smooth fermentation, as it is very uncommon for there to be problems with temperatures going too high in the wooden containers. There is plenty of oxygenation and the musts and wine are fermenting in a natural container. The only downside to the Tine is the cleanliness, but this should not be a problem today.

Cement tanks came into the Langhe area in the 1960’s as cement was easy to install and cheaper than having to buy Tine or Stainless steel tanks. The cement tanks are covered with a glass resin glaze that will make it safe for the wines to undergo the fermentation or aging in these tanks. Cement being quite thermal and heavy is very hard to change the temperature quickly, so these tanks are still used today as they are quite therapeutic for the wine.

Stainless steel came into the Langhe in the 1990’s when there was a revolution in the area going on. More about that here. Before the 1990’s steel was very expensive and the average farmer could not afford it. With the new wave of young producers searching for cleanliness and quality they brought in the use of steel. If the tanks are not equipped with temperature control, fermentation can get a bit out of control with temperature making it harder to cool it down. These tanks are very easy to clean.

Roto-fermenters are a stainless steel tank with paddles built into the center of these horizontal fermenters. This design was invented in the Langhe in the 1990’s by the youngster who revolutionized the area. This invention works quite well for the Nebbiolo grape to extract the color and tannin quite quickly from the skins. With the inner paddles that move slowly (depending also on the speed the winemaker wishes) it is typical for one full rotation every 24 hours. By constantly moving the must the winemaker is able to extract more color from the skins.

After the Fermentation:

The winemaker has two choices:

• To remove the skins

• Have an extended maceration

If the winemaker decides to remove the skins, the wine will go on to the next part of this post.

If the winemaker decides to have an extended maceration this can be extended as long as the winemaker feels it should. Typically when they are extending the maceration time for another 20-60 days they will submerge the cap into the middle of the tank so it will stay wet and be free of bacteria formations. The winemaker will then decide if they would like to continue with pumpovers or not, and for how many times a day and how long. By doing this they are able to have a maximum extraction of tannin complexity and color.

Malolactic fermentation aka second fermentation

The Malolactic fermentation is a natural chemical occurrence and every wine will go through this step unless it has been chosen not to, and from there will need to have a fine filtration to take out the micro bacteria that performs this transition.

Basically the Malic acid (the acid in a green apple) gets eaten by good bacteria that changes the malic acid into lactic acid (the acid in milk). From this in white wine you will have a buttery mouthfeel or in red wine you will feel a softer smoother acidity. Still mouthwatering.

Oak aging

In the Langhe you have a few options of how to oak age your wines

• Botti Grandi (large oak casks)

• Barrique (small 250 L French oak barrels)

• Tonneaux (medium 500 - 700 L French oak barrels)

The large oak casks are typical from the Langhe area. It is most common to find them from 1,000 L to 10,000 Liter and were used for centuries to make the famous Barolo and Barbaresco wines. These barrels can be used for decades if kept in good condition when cleaned regularly and restored every so many years. It is typical for these barrels to be made out of Slovonian, Austrian, or Hungarian oak. It is very seldom to find them made from French oak. With these large casks they tend to impair less wood flavors to the wines and helps with a steady and low oxygenation.

Barrique and Tonneaux barrels are something a bit new to the Langhe area. They were introduced in the 1980-1990’s when the “Barolo Boys” first started to experiment with these smaller barrels. Barrique and Tonneausx are made from French oak and can have a range of different toasts to the inside of the barrel. By toasting the barrel helps to shape the staves, but a heavy toast can leave more notes of Vanilla and spice in the wine that some people might not appreciate as it can tend to cover up the flavors of the grapes. With all kinds of experimentation happening with these new small barrels there has been an understanding to utilize different ages of the barrels in order to maintain balance within the wine.

If you would like more information about cooperages please check out my post on my visit to Gamba Botti.

After the oak aging the wine will be placed into stainless steel or cement tanks for a period of time in order to settle any deposits left in the wine before being bottled.

In depths of the Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive (MGA)

by: Amanda

The MGA’s that Renato Ratti has highlighted are as follows:

For the 1st crus

Monprivato - Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili sabbiose

Villero - Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili sabbiose & Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili tipiche 

Rocche di Castiglione - Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili sabbiose & Tortoniano Arenarie di Diano

Gabbutti-Parafada - Serravalliano Formazione di Lequio

Lazzarito - Serravalliano Formazione di Lequio

Marenca-Rivette - Serravalliano Formazione di Lequio

Cannubi - Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili sabbiose & Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili tipiche & Tortoniano Arenarie di Diano

Cerequio - Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili tipiche & Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili laminate

Brunate - Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili tipiche & Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili laminate

Rocche di Annunziata - Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili laminate & Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili sabbiose & Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili tipiche

The other MGA’s he had highlighter for great quality and position are:

Baudana - Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili tipiche & Serravalliano Formazione di Lequio

Cerretta - Serravalliano Formazione di Lequio & Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili tipiche

Brea - Serravalliano Formazione di Lequio

Cucco -

Santo Stefano di Perno - Tortoniano Arenarie di Diano & Serravalliano Formazione di Lequio & Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili sabbiose

Vigna Rionda - Serravalliano Formazione di Lequio

Pian della Polvere -

Bussia Soprana - Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili sabbiose & Tortoniano Arenarie di Diano & Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili tipiche

Bussia Sottana - Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili sabbiose & Tortoniano Arenarie di Diano & Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili tipiche

Fontanile -

Pugnane - Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili tipiche

Cannubi Muscatel - Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili sabbiose

Cannubi Boschis - Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili tipiche

Sarmassa - Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili tipiche & Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili laminate

Rocchette -

Conca dell’Abbazia dell’Annunziata - Tortoniano Marne di S. Agata Fossili tipiche

Le Turnote -

Monfalletto -

Someone pinch me, my visit to Giacomo Conterno

by: Amanda

Ok I am not the type of girl who asks for jewelry or a designer name bags for Christmas, although its not a bad thought.  However if you are going to spend money on me I much rather it be in wine.  And thus every year my only Christmas wish is some bottles of Giacomo Conterno Barolo to be waiting for me under the tree.  Honestly my favorite wine shop who knows me so well, order it specially for my Christmas gift because they know my husband will be there like every year to buy for me to place under the tree. These bottles mind you only come out on very rare occasions, and if I have the possibility to drink them myself we can safely say I won’t waste a drop.  For many years Giacomo Conterno has been one if not the one, my most favorite producer. I fell in love with Nebbiolo when I tasted one of their Barolo Cascina Francia.

So after much courage to meet the man responsible for such amazing (for me) life changing wines, I piggybacked on a visit to Conterno with some friends, who were very gracious to support by almost embarrassing awe. We arrive to a beautiful modern looking structure, where we were greeted with wonderful hospitality and asked to make ourselves comfortable in their waiting room. We were escorted to this cubical like room with huge windows and a wonderful panoramic view, where there were plenty of couches and comfortable seats to be had. We sat there waiting anxiously sipping some some sparking water before being invited into the cellar.

I have never been so nervous in my life, I don’t know I guess its like meeting your favorite rock star.  I felt star struck, I am such a geek. The secretary Stephanie was very professional and sweet.  She took us to their tasting room where we before going into the cellar she had explained to us about their vineyards and some of the history of the estate.  Giacomo Conterno’s first vineyard purchase was a large piece in the vineyard Cascina Francia, a vineyard located in Serralunga d’Alba. This vineyard is prime real estate, great Southern facing exposure and about 400 meters above sea level making this area perfect for Nebbiolo grapes. In Serralunga d’Alba you have the oldest soil structure of the Barolo area. Where the hills from Treiso, to Castagnole Falletto/Serralunga d’Alba hills and then down to the Langhe, reach a ripe old age of over 14 million years coming from the Serrvallian age.  This was the first point of land when the Padano Sea was moving out to later become the Mediterranean Sea. This land formation is made mostly out of Lequio which is seen as alternating layers of sand, sandstone and marl.  As a matter of fact we were talking about the Francia soil being a red sand and a brownish marl, this helps to give the Nebbiolo its complexity and muscle.

They recently have had the opportunity to purchase a few hectare in a vineyard very close to the Francia vineyard, called Cerretta. They purchased this vineyard in 2008 and at the beginning have only made Barbera d’Alba and Langhe Nebbiolo, with the hopes to make a Barolo when the time is right.  Roberto said that at the beginning when they first started to work the land, it takes a few years until you can see the difference in hand on the vines.  Its not that the grapes were of poor quality and they certainly could make a stunning Barolo but like many new things it takes some time to break in.  So for the first few years only a Langhe Nebbiolo would be made from this vineyard.  Now you are able to find on the market a Barolo as well from the Cerretta vineyard.  What I like about the Cerrettais it has so much elegance and red fruit and a sweeter Nebbiolo tannin where the Francia has all the muscle and power.

We had the chance to taste out of barrel and tasted Barbera d’Alba from Ceretta and Francia 2016, amazing, stunning vintage.  Barbera loves the heat and in ’16 it was a hot and dry vintage so these two Barbera were just big juicy and very giving. The Barolo we tasted was also from tank and was 2013, a rocking vintage especially for the Nebbiolo. It was a nice summer, warm and sunny days with cool nights and we got rain when it was time so for the Nebbiolo had a great hang time.  Today the 2013’s great structure both powerful with supplant tannins, we did find out that the whole lot of the Francia for the first time will all be made into Monfortino!  Monfortino is their Riserva so this wine will spend a few extra years in the large oak barrels before being released. I guess I am going to have to be very good that year for santa will have to stock up on Monfortino 2013 :)

I brought up the question about organic farming, this seems like a good topic because it is a buzz word for just about everyone.  I was pleasantly surprised by Roberto’s answer, he simply said “apart from my family here at the winery two things are the most important. One is the vineyards and the second are my clients.  The vineyards are the most important thing for my wines, if I don’t bring in the best quality grapes I am not going to get the best results. I do not want to follow a trend to make organic wines if I cannot be completely in control of what is going on in the vineyards, I want to be more than organic or natural.  What we do here is we work the land as we see is best, then when the grapes have finished fermentation and are ready to be transferred into barrels we do an analysis of the wine to see if there are any residues left, every test comes back with zero. By not having any residuals means that there is nothing in the wine.  This is exactly what we want. This test we do is for no one but ourselves to see that what we are using are good for the vines and leaves no residue. This brings me up to another fact, that we will begin to test other products for the vineyards. Products so natural that you can literally drink this stuff. We are working with a team of scientists, as well as some of the professors from the enological schools here in Italy to study these products to see if this will be the future.  You see we are not organic, we are at the next level.”

I cannot say enough that the dedication and passion for precision and perfection were found in every aspect of the cellar.  They produce about 30,000 bottles and every single one of them was personally looked after and taken care of as though there were an only child.  The winery was completely spotless and not one thing was out of place. Not one stain of wine on the floor and the presentation and tasting were nothing but a wonderful explanation of all the hard work that goes into a great bottle of wine. Thank you.

Things to do in Piemonte in winter months.

The idea to come and visit your favorite winemaking region during winter months when tourist season could be at it lull, is a good idea.  There are plenty of Christmas Markets to visit and and also some things to keep in mind while you are visiting. The pro’s to visiting during off season is you will benefit from the off season rates for flights, hotels and car rentals. The cons are because there is a low in tourism many places take advantage of the quite season as of recently there has been more and more movement in this area, so people are closing up shop and going to their favorite island to bask in some sun.

Winter holiday, here in Italy we take our holiday very seriously and holidays to keep in mind are 8 December Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Christmas 25th and the 26th is Boxing Day or the second Christmas day. The first of January is also a national holiday.  Normally during these holidays it will be hard to find places in the restaurants or hard to find a taxi service or driver services as many people will too be celebrating with their families and friends, or they will be just over booked.   Also keep in mind that if any of these holidays fall on on a Tuesday or Thursday most people will take advantage of having a long weekend and plan to do things in another area of Italy.  With this overload of Italians in circulation it will become more difficult to find tables in restaurants, long lines at the ski lift, difficulties also for making appointments in wineries they will become full very fast, and we must not forget about the traffic.  So keep in mind it is best to do a little research beforehand to make sure you are booked where you would like to go, instead of trying to pop into somewhere.

img_0083

Weather conditions it is winter here, we don’t tend to get to much snow and the temperature does not drop to often below zero centigrade. But it can and it does. So it is a good idea to bring some winter gloves, a nice warm winter jacket with a hood is a good idea incase you need in a pinch, a hat, a scarf, and a good pair of boots that are comfortable for walking and also are good in the snow.   Also here the cold weather doesn’t get us down.  There are plenty of things to do on the weekends, farmers markets, Christmas markets or festivals that will have you outside walking around.  It isn't uncommon to find many people eating drinking and dancing outside in the winter months.  It actually helps get rid of those cooped up winter blues we sometimes can encounter.

Christmas markets are plentiful here in Northern Italy as well as Germany, Austria, and other European countries.  The Christmas markets are nice, they will typically have some traditional music playing, hot dishes to eat, and one thing to keep an eye out for is the mulled wines “Vin Brûlée” that will help keep you warm and get you in the spirit.  Be careful as most people tend to add a little kick to the wine of either a Brandy or Rum.  Usually the people displaying their wares are artists or crafters if you would like to find something hand made this is usually your best bet.  Most of the items will be Christmas themed like tree ornaments, or cookies and candies, but sometimes you can find wooden products and jewelry, etc.

Some markets worth visiting:

Govone

“Il Magico Paese di Natale di Govone” every weekend from 16 November until 22 December 2019.

Torino

“A Torino un Natale con i Fiocchi” located in Piazza Castello - From 29 November unit 6 January 2020

Monday - Friday from 10.30 till 21.00

Saturday, Sunday, and Holidays 10.30 until 23.00

“Mercatino di Natale a Borgo Dora al Cortile del Maglio” - located in Via Vittorio Andreis 18/10 - From 29 November until 23 December

every weekend from 10.30 until 23.30

“Luci d’Artista - located in the center in various streets - From 30 October until 12 January 2020

Neive

Christmas Market - located in the historic center of Neive - 30 November, 15 December 2019

IMG_0332

Torino being the larger city in the area they have a few more things going on than the other parts of Piemonte. Every day starting from the 26th November to the 8 of January they have a Santa Clause Village that is open everyday of the week from 10am until 11pm.  Located in Piazza d’Armi. It offers visits from Santa Clause, ice skating rink, and street food vendors.

You have a more Traditional Christmas market (Torino) open Monday to Friday from noon to 7pm, on Saturday and Sunday 10am till 8pm.  Located in Piazza Borgo Dora 34.  Here they have about 100 vendors, this market is half inside and half outside and there is a large variety of crafts, typical food products, and Christmas ordainments to keep you busy for a few house.  I typically go to this market every year as it has many wonderful things, and if you go on Sunday you can have the added bonus of the Antique market in the near by distance.

The idea of the Christmas market was started in the Germanic countries and to honor the idea in Torino they have an Ital-German market. Located in Piazza Solferino from the 8 November untile the 23 November.  This market embraces the Germanic traditions of Christmas and here you have the ability to taste your way though over 100 different types of beers!

One Christmas market that is very popular in the Langhe\Roero is the Govone market. Located around the Castle of Govone here this market is open weekends and holidays from 10am until 7pm and will run from 19 November until the 26 December.  This market brings in many from all over so be prepared if you don’t find a parking spot right away.  Also there is a wonderful Trattoria right next to the market that is not to miss called Trattoria Pautassi, they make some wonderful traditional dishes and if you are vegetarian have some delicious options as well.

My top 10 Gelato places in Piemonte - Italy

by: Amanda

sam_3020

Some people might call us crazy, but that is just what makes this so fun. We have traveled every centimeter of Piemonte diligently tasting every gelataria that we come across. It was a lot of work, and sometimes a stomachache but we did it. And here are our Top 10 Gelato places in Piemonte - Italy. I am going to be honest Gelato or Ice Cream is one of my favorite things to enjoy. It always has been, as a matter of fact my parents to this day give me a hard time about my love for gelato. As the story goes, on graduation from Kindergarden you had the opportunity to tell the audience of parents what I would like to be when I grow up. The normal things that adults ask kids in hopes to get them ready to make that big decision before they head off to college. As most of the kids would reply “Astronaut, Doctor, or Lawyer” when it was my turn to reach the podium I was one of the last to do so with a last name beginning with W I responded that I would like to make Ice Cream. As it was my favorite childhood memorie. My sister and I would hop in the Van of my father and the three of us would drive over to Haywoods for Mint Chocolate chip, butter pecan, Rocky Road, or Moose Tracks sit outside and enjoy the nice summer days.   That was how I wanted to spend my adult years, bringing joy to families. A few minutes out of the day to enjoy together.

Wanting to bring people together with a smile I have here my list of the Top 10 Gelato places in Piemonte.

unnamed-2

1. #10. Pepino - Torino, I have to tip my hat for Pepino making gelato since 1884. They are a larger more industrial operation today, which isn’t my norm but, they have mastered their flavors and are a staple here in Torino. So that is why they have made it to the list.

Piazza Carignano 8, Torino (TO)   website

1. #9. Cremeria dell’Antico Borgo – Mondovi’ Located in the historic center of this beautiful little town for me it has always been a nice pit stop. Don’t be surprised if there is a line to get their gelato as this place is small and busy.

Piazza Maggiore, Mondovi (CN)

1. #8. Mara dei Boschi – Alba Between Alba and Torino there is a lot of wonderful Gelatarie. This Gelato shop has two locations but the one I visit more often is located in Alba. I typically like to get from them their fruit flavors, they tend to work with more seasonal ingredients and project quite nicely their full flavors.

Via Vittorio Emanuele 17D, Alba (CN)   website

unnamed

1. #7. Conogelato – Torino WHAT Buffalo milk Gelato!! So as it turns out there are also Bufala (the correct name in Italian) here in Piemonte. There is a farm located in the Providence of Torino where they have these wonderful animals and they are not only making milk for this amazing gelato but also cheese. The flavor I recommend trying is Fior di Bufala, they serve this flavor like a soft serve and it is so creamy and delicious, it will pair nicely with Nocciola (hazelnut) or Caramello (caramel). Yum!

Via Cesare Battisti 3, Torino (TO)   website

1. #6. AgriSAPORE – Pralormo When taking a minute to drive some of the back roads of the Langhe/ Roero you will sometimes be pleasantly surprised when seeing a sign for Artisinal Gelato. There are two great gelato places off the beaten track the next one will be listed as number 5, and it is always nice when you can go and visit the cows then enjoy a scoop of their freshly made gelato! It is good too for people traveling with children as there is plenty of room to run and play. The flavors I recommend trying when there are Miele (honey) and Pasta di Meliga (polenta cookie).

Strada della Franca 5, Pralormo (TO)   website

1. #5. Agrigelateria San Pe’ – Porino Another off the beaten path gelateria, and honestly I will make the drive to come out to this one. If you find yourself there on a weekend, be prepared for no sitting room and to wait a bit in line for your turn. The flavors that I recommend there are Torrone (a nugat with hazelnuts and honey) or the fruit flavors like Pesche (peach) or Fragole (strawberry). Because here the fruit grows amazing in this area.

Cascina San Pietro 29/A, Porino (TO)   website

1. [embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BJXHJ-NBg4h/?taken-by=amandaswineadventures[/embed] #4. Sacchero – Alba If you are a lover of Chocolate this is your heaven. The flavors that they make here are so full of flavor and creamy that I cannot walk by this place without stopping for a bite. Some of my many favorite flavors are; Chocolato (chocolate), Chocolato Pesca (chocolate peach), and Menta (mint). The mint is very rare when they make it, but when they do it is amazing.

Via Vittorio Emanuele 32, Alba (CN)

unnamed-5

2. #3. Soban – Valenza Another gelataria with a long history of quality and taste. Founded in 1924 today this gelataria is still family run. Being pioneers of Tradition and innovation it is here that I will take a risk with the wilder more creative flavors. Like Parmesan and Balsamic vinegar, or Candied Orange and Saffron. Here I know I am in good hands and every time I go probably being that is a bit of a ride from my house, I will always have a second helping!

Piazza Gramsci 23, Valenza (AL)   website

1. #2. Gelato I.G.P. – Bra This was a tough choice because there are many places I like to go when I am in Bra, but Gelato D.O.P. I just cannot walk by without stopping. The flavors here are so rich and great examples of the products they use that it is sometimes hard to choose which one. Also I recommend trying their Gelato pops, you won’t be disappointed.

Via Principi di Piemonte 63, Bra (CN)

1. #1. Berlica – Gallo Grinzane Cavour My ultimate favorite gelato place. If you don’t believe me you can ask the people who work there. I am there almost everyday and never get tiered of the flavors they have to offer. Here the flavor selection is limited to a few key flavors that they do so well it will tickle your taste buds. The ingredients that they use to make these wonderful treats are the highest quality out there and you can tell. The flavors I recommend to try are Licorizia (licorice), Berlica (a chocolate, hazelnut), Menta (mint), Pistacchio (pistachio), Dolce Salato (salted caramel), and basically anything else that they might have at the time. You will think you are in heaven.

Via Garibaldi 123, Frazione Gallo- Grinzane Cavour (CN)   website

unnamed-1

Thinking of Touring Alba? Here are some places not to pass up.

by: Amanda

unnamed-2

When taking a minute to drive the hillside roads of the Langhe coming in to the town of Alba Italy, you can see from many vistas along the way, many of the medieval towers that are still standing today. The city of Alba once known as the City of a hundred medieval Towers.  These Towers were built in the 14th and 15th centuries and many of them have been ruined in wars and one in particular was during the attacks of the Barbarians after the fall of the Western Empire.  The city of Alba is now a part of the UNESCO world Heritage and is considered to be the center for the Barolo and Barbaresco vineyards making it the central meeting point for many wonderful things.   Here in Alba you will find the famous White Truffle and once a year during the month of October they host a festival for all things truffle and Alba related.  During this gastronomic festival you can take place at the White truffle auction where the largest White truffle that has been found around the Langhe area will be auctioned off and normally at a very high price.  One other thing not to miss at this festival is the Palio. This race had originated in Medieval times in Siena and has since then made its way to the Asti area. In Asti this race takes place on the third Sunday in September. Alba does things a bit different and uses some Piemontese humor while doing so.  The difference is in Alba they don't have horses they have Donkeys.  Not an animal uncommon to the Langa, but makes a whole lot of fun seeing these guys in a race.

Another wonderful thing about Alba is this is the birthplace of Nutella, the creamy chocolate and hazelnut spread that has made so many childhood memories.  Could also be a nice little treat for adults, too. I know there is always a jar of Nutella in my cabinets at home.  Here in Alba is the Ferrero factory where over 10.000 employees work around the clock to make sure those wonderful little chocolate hazelnut treats get shipped all over the world.  What is wonderful about having the Ferrero factory located in the center of Alba is that about 4 times a week they toast chocolate and that they have to toast so much of it that walking around Alba center you are engulfed with this wonderful chocolaty smell.  It tends to make me a bit hungry.

On Saturday mornings in Alba (Ferrero will be toasting away lots of chocolate) and in the center of the City there will be their weekly farmers market.  This market takes place on the two main streets Via Maestra and Via Cavour and will also be located in a few different Piazzas: Piazza Savona, Piazza Duomo, Piazza San Giovanni, and the Piazza  where the market is located more frequently throughout the week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday) is Piazze Senatore Ovaldo Cagnasso. On Saturday the Piazza where I recommend not missing is the Piazza Pertinace: here they have the Mercato di Terra where there are many wonderful local, organic producers from this area and whom have the best quality products by far. Need some hazelnuts, I recommend going there.

IMG_0332

Now we will shift gears to some other fun things to see and do in Alba.

Places to eat!

Piazza Duomo This is a 3 Michelin starred restaurant and is well deserved. In 2016 Chef Enrico Crippa received from the guide The Word’s 50 Best Restaurants received number 17. Not too bad, if I do say so myself. I highly recommend making a reservation for this restaurant if you wish to visit. You can contact them for either lunch or dinner bookings from their website.

Osteria dell’Arco is one of the sister restaurants a part of Slow Food. Here you will eat very good typical Piemontese food. Things not to miss are the Carne Cruda, and the Tajarin with 40 egg yolks. They are typically closed on Sunday and I recommend making a reservation. You can contact them from their website.

Gusto Madre If pizza is what you are craving then I recommend taking a stop here. It is not your everyday pizza experience when you eat at Gusto Madre. Here I recommend getting one of their tasting menu’s so you can try their different takes on their pizza’s. Take not that is not easy to get a reservation here as they are super booked but with some advanced planning it can be made possible. They are closed on Sunday lunch and all day Tuesday, for booking please see their website.

Bove’s here is where the American comes out in me. If you are having a withdrawal from a great Hamburger don’t worry I’ve got you covered. Boves started as a butcher in it’s first life then realized that they understand meat probably more than the average person and decided to reinvent themselves with hip cocktails and a meat based menu. Another place I reccemend making a reservation here’s the link.

Osteria del Vicoletto is a nice quite traditional place that won’t break the bank. The kitchen is simple and delicious. They are located on Via Barter 6 - Alba, Italy and are only open for dinner. You can make a reservation by phone at +39 (0)173 363196.

Things to do and see:

A walk down Via Maestra - Alba, a pedestrian street only where there are many wonderful caffe’s, gelataria, and specialty stores. If you would like to get some local products or a special bottle of wine you will be able to pretty much find everything Piemontese you are looking for.

Duomo di Alba, Cattedrale di San Lorenzo the original structure was to been built in the 5th century and then rebuilt a few times after in the following centuries. When you visit this Catthedrial you can see the layers of history of the several different constructions.

Underground Alba, to visit the original Alba, the Alba Pompeia. You are able to visit the Underground Alba on Saturday and Sunday by reservation only. Typically it is a tour offered in Italian. You can arrive to Alba Underground at Piazza Risorgimento 2 in front of the Tourist office. Tel:+39 339 7349949

IMG_1109

Sitting at a café having a coffee or an aperitivo and watching the people walk by is something to pass some time and is very relaxing.

Thinking to visit the vineyards in Piemonte, Italy? Why wait!!

SAM_2325

There are plenty of things to see and do and who wouldn’t want to take a visit to a Barolo or Barbaresco vineyard?

I mean the wine is what brought me to Piemonte. The finesse of Nebbiolo, the vineyards of Barolo and Barbesco all seemed so magical. I came to visit to see and taste the wines and meet the winemakers. Then I fell in love. One with the rolling hills covered with vineyards in Langa and two with a charming Italian man. (Ladies watch out for those Italians). I came to Piemonte because I was driven by my passion for the wine and the food. I was given the opportunity to work first hand in a vineyard to help out with the year’s production of Nebbiolo to make Barbaresco. I loved it, there was something about working with the grapes and making the wine and talking to people about what I was doing. There were so many visitors who would come to take a winery tour, come to taste the wines. They would want me to take them on the winemaking journey, to tour with them in the winery talking about what is going on, what we were doing and learn something new. The winery tour and vineyard tour was my favorite part, taking a walk on a crisp autumn morning when the vineyard leaves were beginning to change color. You can tell the grape varietal by the color the leaves change “Gianni one day said to me”, as we were taking a walk in one of the vineyards located in the Asti area.

We would wake up early every morning to be greeted in the cellar by a tractor full of grapes ready for the crush. All of these ruby colored grapes filling every single red plastic crate. When you hold up the Nebbiolo grapes to the sun you can see through them the skins of the Nebbiolo take almost a Rose’ color and in light become transparent.   The Nebbiolo is the king of the grapes here in Piemonte and in all of Italy. The essence of Nebbiolo is like no other, it is elegante, complex, and can sometimes be quite powerful. There is no other grape to compare it to. It is also one grape that does not ever show as wonderful when planted outside of it’s Piemontese home. Even in Piemonte the Nebbiolo grape is quite finicky, it really does not like to go too far away. Just like most Italians, their home is beautiful, their culture is wonderful, and it is hard to find another place in the world as wonderful as Italy.

WP_20150908_003

As the harvest started to come to an end, Gianni and I would take his fast car to the mountains to have a traditional Piemontese mountain meal. We would drive for hours on these windy streets to arrive to a restaurant that looked more like someone’s home and would be welcomed in to have an amazing meal. We would eat Polenta with cheese, braised meats (my favorite was always the wild boar), have a couple of bottles of Piemontese wine and enjoy hours of laughs amongst us as well as the warm and charming mountain people who were feeding us this wonderful meal. We would then finish the meal with some Genepy or some Amaro from the area. Then head off to some quite grassy spot and take a nap. With the wind blowing in our hair and the sounds of the leaves shaking and the slight kiss of the sun amongst our faces. This was heaven.  I will never forget these times, and this was what made understanding the simplicities of life and how it should be.

2013-02-16 20.27.16

It was hard to return to the states, the flat, same old, East Coast that I have always known. Now I knew something different. A new way of life, one for living.

Even to this day when we go to take a trip even if it is a couple of days, I miss the rolling hills of the Langhe. The picturesque views of the Alps, the windy vineyard lined streets of Piemonte. I am glad that I decided to live here, and I love being able to share with people the wonderful experiences that I have had over the years of life in Langhe. I am glad to be able to tour with people to have more wine tour experience in Piemonte. To get to know much better the area’s of Barolo and Barbaresco and to get to know well the people the families who are behind such breathtaking wines. I now get to know their stories, and can see and feel their passion. But not only for just the wine, but the land, the work that goes into it, their family traditions that have been passed down to them over the years. They like the vines are really attached to the soil, the land, the history. It is amazing to find these things, to be able to share these things with my guests, with you, this is what I love.

Got my fill of Barbera d'Asti and some other little treats!

Got my fill of Barbera d’Asti and some other nice treats, thank you Castagnole delle Lanze for such an wonderful wine and food festival. One thing that I love about living in Italy are the festivals. Every town has their specialty, weather it be foods, wine, or even antiques. Every weekend there is something to do here and people travel from all over to partake in the freshest ingredients.

Last weekend was the Castagnole delle Lanze Barbera d’Asti festival and there were about 23 different producers strategically placed around the historic part of the town. With every producer was live music and a different type of food to pair with your wine. Which means I got to taste a lot of wine, and here are the greatest ones that I have tasted.

unnamed-3

unnamed

Barroero Barbera d’Asti 2013 Azzurra; Marco is the winemaker and makes about 600 bottles a year. Super small high quality production. This wine was wonderful showing fruits of blackberries, plum, iron kind of like raw meat (something very typical of Barbera) had a great acidity and a long finish.

Four friends who had a love for sparking wine during an ongoing dream in enology school had decided to try making a sparking from this area’s most prized grape Nebbiolo. They call them selves Erpacrife for (Eric, Paolo, Cristian, and Federico), and they make a wonderfully dry sparking wine. I have always said if you have fish and chips this would be the perfect wine. What they have been able to show here is the power of the Nebbiolo’s acidity. The 2011 Erpacrife Nebbiolo was wonderful, pink grapefruit, peaches, white flowers. The color they have been able to maintain from the Nebbiolo is the color of an onionskin pink. The vineyard where they collect the grapes is in the area of Alba Madonna di Como and here their vineyards are located in this amphitheater where the climate is a bit cooler, helping to mature the Nebbiolo slower and also maintaining sugar levels lower and acidity levels higher.

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BE1gBRdIdZH/?taken-by=amandaswineadventures[/embed]

Gianni Doglia had a few things to try at his stand, and so I did! First I tasted the Grignolino 2015 strawberry, floral, a bit of tannins showing very rich in the mouth. Everyone in this area seems to be very happy with the 2015 vintage, making bigger, fruit driven wine. The Barbera s’Asti 2015 was the bomb. Black fruits, plum, pleasant acidity (lot less meaty quality than the 2013’s).

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BE3FSsoIddU/?taken-by=amandaswineadventures[/embed]

Dogliotti 1870 as you can imagine there are many generations of winemaking going on in this house. It all started in Castiglione Tinella and not to long after had decided to move their production area to Castagnole delle Lanze where the winery and family are currently today. Barbera d’Asti 2014, elegant, linear, red fruit, and floral respect some other vintages, has a nice clean acidity.

unnamed-5

This festival is always a good time, and I will plan to go again next year. I just hope it does not rain.

Tocca a te Silvia Altare di Cantina Elio Altare

unnamed

Elio Altare 2006 Barolo Classico and the Barolo 2009 Cerretta

Elio Altare is a radical. He woke up one day with an idea to change the name and idea of Barolo once and for all, and well, he did. Barolo used to be known well it used to be not so well known or not known at all in the 1950’s, 60’s, until the mid to late 70’s early 80’s. Elio understood that there was something special about the Nebbiolo grape and something could be wonderful coming out of the Barolo wines. He one day packed up his bags and headed off in his (what is today) vintage Fiat 500, that was not in the best condition at the time.   His direction was France, Burgundy. After a long trip Elio finally arrives at a winery that he was familiar with. Elio parks next to the bright red Porsche and proceeds to the door to ask to have a tasting. A gentleman answers with a suitcase in hand, “Can I help you?” He asks. Elio “I would like to know if I could come to have a tour of the winery?” The reply from the Burgundian winemaker was “we are closed, it’s Friday afternoon and I have my Porsche parked outside ready to go to Nice where I plan to spend the weekend on my boat. “ After hearing this Elio was devastated, but also made him think if this winemaker can have a Porsche and a boat why can’t I?

After this trip he headed home to clean things up a bit. His idea was to modernize the winery to use barrique barrels instead of large botti. To ferment in stainless steel instead of wooden fermenters. To have the winery be sterile and not a mix of a chicken coop, tractor garage and ageing room.  In the middle of the night he would head out to the vineyards where he would for the first time in this area begin to cut off certain bunches of grapes to ensure that the ones hanging would ripen better and have more concentration. This today is called green harvest and is practiced in almost every winery. He would talk about his ideas to his friends and classmates and from this started a gang of modernists called today the Barolo Boys.

Since the year 2000 Elio’s daughter Silvia has been looking after the winery. I think today she has gained full responsibility of the winery as he has a few other projects he has been looking after. I think that Silvia has some big shoes to fill, and I think that she is doing a great job. She is charming, charismatic, and full of passion and excitement for what she is producing. If you are in the area or if she is in your area you should really go to visit her and chat a bit.

13010760_10153701766173802_8075437214450570077_n

I recently had the chance to work beside Silvia at a tasting in Trieste. It is funny because working in a winery really the only time we get to see our neighbors is when we attend tasting events. So I tasted her line up, the 2011 Barolo I have to tell you a lot of the 11’s are drinking great now and this was one of them. Fresh, fruity, elegant, with soft ripe tannins, this bottle would not last long in my house.

The 2009 Barolo Cerretta, this is coming from a vineyard located in Serralunga d’Alba. An area known to make stronger wines, on this wine I got a lot of darker fruits, tobacco, and even truffles. The tannins were well intergraded and they had a bit more presence than the 2011. Which is good because I like a lot the tannins I have tasted in the 2009’s, they are a bit more nervous.

Lastly was the Barolo 2006 Classico, which is a blend of three communes in Barolo. This one rocked the house and could have been my overall favorite from the whole tasting! This 2006 showed very young for being 10 years, it had all the classic Nebbiolo nuances, the red cherries, dried rose pedals, leather, tar, and almond oil. The tannins are soft and elegant and displays great this important classic vintage.

unnamed-1

Bartolo Mascarello - The last of the Mohicans

Maria Teresa the steward of noble tradition, the one who bares the torch of the family crest and one who believes in continuing to make a wine the same way her father Bartolo made, the same way her grandfather Giulio made. 

Following in her families foot steps Maria Teresa makes her Barolo coming from the same prized vineyards as did her father and grandfather; Cannubi, San Lorenzo, Ruè, and Rocche. Where once these vineyards were mentioned on their famous Barolo label, since the new laws placed in 2010 the vineyard names could no longer be mentioned anywhere on the label nor on any other information space. Luckily I can put them here for you. 

Maintaining her families traditions, Bartolo Mascarello winery works with only red varietals coming from the Langhe area. The grapes in which they work with are Dolcetto, Barbera, Freisa, and Nebbiolo. The Freisa grape is something special to the area as some might argue that it is origin is taken from Asti/Monferrato or Chieri, but it is gaining popularity also in the Langhe. 

With all of this talk about how Maria Teresa is keeping her father’s tradition, it is also to be said that she herself has her own mark in the wines she produces today. Yes she is continuing on with the families traditions and the same skills that were passed down to her, but like every winery when it is time to change hands you clearly see a woman’s touch in her wines. What was once big brooding Barolo of her fathers’ has now an elegance and curvature to it. 

Giuseppe Rinaldi - The heart of Barolo

I’m sure if you hear the name Rinaldi you think of Beppe “Citrico” the man who stuck to his guns and kept up with making a traditntal wine, like his father, like his grandfather. But, of course with a little bit of a “Beppe” twist. Typically Barolo was always a blend of vineyards, it was never, up until the 1960’s a single vineyard expression. The wine was as the famers would always hold many different plots of land and sometimes not in their commune but the surrounding ones, a blend of those vineyards. This would bring to the wine its complexity, as the soil structures are so diverse you could have a wine both with complexity and elegance. Beppe had his own way to show these traits, he decided keeping with tradition to blend vineyards but to choose which ones would be blended together, thus making two Barolo wines. One Brunate - Le Coste (Brunate) and the other Cannubi San Lorenzo - Ravera (Tre Tine). The names in parentheses are the new names given to these wines when they passed a law in 2010 stating that only one vineyard name could be placed on the label, and inside that wine must be 85% coming from that named vineyard. 

Just as his name “Citrico” means acidic, Beppe was one with quite a strong straight forward personality, kind of like his wines. Beppe states his philosophy this way: “I don’t want a wine that pleases easily ... when someone says I like it or I don’t like it and that’s it”, he told The Art of Eating’s Edward Behr in 2000. Beppe wants Barolo that is “austere, severe, that demands research. It takes time. You have to study, to think, to understand, like all of art. It isn’t simple but complex; it doesn’t please right away. It’s the opposite of a mass-produced product. It has angles, not curves. It’s not easy. A good Barolo ... is adapted to long aging.” 

Having had the pleasure to enjoy some dinners amongst the company of Beppe as well as other colleagues/friends, I can attest to his above quote. When it was time for him to open his wines at the dinner table, I can recall, it was a 1998 magnum of Barolo Brunate, the label was not their typical label you will find on the wine shop shelves, but a manilla paper hand written label, with a piece of string tied around the bottles neck. This bottle was coming from his private stash to share with us that evening. While I was filled with the “someone pinch me” sitting at a table with one of Barolo’s most sought after producers having a rare opportunity to enjoy a glass of their wines, I recall even today (years later) the intense aromas of dried rose, tea leaf, and tar and could have happily sat there all night pondering over this glass of wine. 

Today the winery is run by Beppe’s two daughters; Marta and Carlotta, who are continuing in the footsteps of their farther. Marta oversees most of the winemaking part while her sister Carlotta looks after the vineyards. 

The Harvest Report 2012 - Should I stay or should I go??

WP_20150908_001

Harvest work didn't scare me away as now it is my first official year here in Piedmont. I came in 2011 to work harvest but had arrived in the end of August. In 2012 I was here during the summer months and got to see the year build up. The vintage 2012 was a big year for me I got married, I moved out of the country, and I got my first foreign speaking job. Mind you I did not speak very good Italian but it was helpful when finding a job that my English is pretty good. I had in mind to work in a tasting room tasting and educating guests on Piedmont and even more on Barolo and Barbaresco. My first job-seeking stop was a hit, I drove up the steep driveway to Brezza knocked on the office door and luckily there was Enzo Brezza in the office, by himself, and not on the phone (nor did the phone ring during our meeting). In my super broken Italian I asked if he was looking for some help in the tasting room and he kindly invited me in to the office and then for a tour in the cellar. At the end of his explanations of the winery he asked me if I could start the day after. Of course I agreed. I went home super pumped, and so it began.

That summer as I remember it, in Neive it was super hot during the day the temperature was between 35-40, I remember like it was yesterday I was wearing my blue dress talking to my mom on the phone telling her that I have never been so hot in my life I was suffocating.   Then September came finally, and so did the rain. It hailed a few times in Barolo damaging a good amount of the fruit in some of our vineyards. But the rain never seemed to halt. I remember Enzo pacing back and forth in the office rubbing his head every time he walked toward the window and saw that it was still raining.   Finiamo questa vendemmia, mai. “We will never finish this harvest”, he would say in a worried tone to me. “We cannot harvest during the rain, we need to wait at least a day for the grapes to dry off before we can start to harvest, and if this rain does not stop and the sun does not come out we could also have problems with mold.” The sun did not come out, the rain did not stop, and every once in a while we would have a surprise of hail. In the end we did finish. We finished the harvest late.

WP_20141031_003

We fermented and kept separate our vineyards of Barolo and had aged them like we normally would. Enzo would come into the office every once in a while after tasting the barrels and would say “I don’t know if we are going to make cru Barolo for this vintage I might just blend the vineyards together and make a Classic Barolo.” So we waited until August 2015 when we decided to bottle. Normally before we bottle Enzo will set up numbered glasses for me to taste and give him my opinion. When I started to taste through the 2012 I was completely blown away by the elegance and the sweet Nebbiolo fruit that hit my tongue. At the end the Nebbiolo in this vintage turned out to be spectacular, power with elegance and a real great expression of the terrior, tasting the lineup today you really get a feeling of a classic vintage a bit more of the sensations of a cooler year. I see a great potential for these wines and I think that they will have the age ability of the 2010’s but will be able to be enjoyed younger, thanks to that great fruit.

Enjoy!

WP_20141217_003

Giuseppe Cortese - Elegance in Rabajà

Giuseppe Cortese Rabajà

IMG_0052

Giusepps Cortese as far as I can remember has always had a good name.  It has been recently that I have been taking more notice to the exceptional quality and dangerous drinkability of these wines. On several occasions both the judging panel and I have been completely wowed by how amazing these wines are showing.

The story goes that from the mid 1800’s the Cortese family has been farming the land in the vineyard Rabajà growing grapes to sell off to other wine producers. During that time they did not have the means to make wine themselves. It was in 1971 when Giuseppe decided to produce wine himself from his high quality grapes. The winery is run today by Giuseppe’s children Pier Carlo, Tiziana, and the gentleman I see quite often Gabriele, but it turns out you sometimes will still find Giuseppe working in the vineyards.

The vineyard Rabajà is located right in the heart of Barbaresco, with it’s calcareous soil and south western exposure is a great place for the difficult Nebbiolo grape too grow. There are a few key producers who have holdings in this wonderful vineyard and we will talk about those later on.

unnamed copy 2

The most recent wine that I have tasted was the Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà 2008.  Their reserva’s go above and beyond the minimal ageing requirements for Barbaresco Riserva. They age their reserva’s for 3 years and 3 months in barrel and then another 3 years minimum in bottle. So when the wine is released it is almost ready to be consumed. Nebbiolo likes about 3 to 5 years in bottle before consumption. This 2008 was showing amazingly, I really enjoy the friendliness of the 2008 vintage. It has a sweet tannin and great fruit, fresh red berries, sweet tobacco, and some candied orange peel. The finish was long and the tannins were just lovely. When a Nebbiolo wine shows like this for me it is my favorite, it’s like heaven.

A few months before now I went to have an aperitivo with a good friend and we just so happened to see a bottle of their 2004 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà and we said, why not? I can tell you that bottle between the two of us did not last too long. I might be sounding a bit like a lush but when a wine is really good even for the people who don’t like to drink too much, it drinks quite quickly. It was a complete painting of how the 2004 vintage turned out. How the vineyards basked in the perfect weather conditions the slight breeze on a foggy morning in the autum, all of this was present in the glass. Sweet tobacco, violets, and autumn undergrowth.

Malvira’ Roero 2004 Superiore Trinita’

IMG_0446

Thanks to the great reputation Malvira’ has given to the Roero region. Today we are going to talk a little bit about a region not so well known. Roero is the region located on the left side of the river Tanaro where the Langhe is on the right. As history has it the Roero used to be more famous for it’s fruit and nut production than its wines. Here the soil is much younger than the Langhe and as a matter of fact when the Langhe was under water about 10 million years ago Roero was its sandy beach. Today things have changed and tasting some of the Malvira’ wines you understand the importance Roero plays not only for the white grape Arneis but also for the Nebbiolo grape.

Malvira’ is a 3 generation family run winery located in Canale the heart of Roero. The two brothers Massimo and Roberto are the main force behind the Malvira’ winery and are doing a fantastic job. They have the winery, a restaurant, and a hotel all nestled in their vineyards. Their vineyards Trinita’ is composed of 14 hectare facing south southwest, of which they grown several different grape varietals. The vineyard name has derived from a small church located on the property SS. Trinita’.

The vintage 2004 for many critics, enthusiasts, and journalists was a life-changing vintage. Very “classic” a wine that is best to be aged. However after talking with Massimo about the vintage he had mentioned that in the Roero a lot of their vineyards were struck by hail all except the Trinita’. And a relief at that, this wine was wonderful, it had a lot of elegance to it the tannins from this wine remained soft and subtle. There were the classic notes of Nebbiolo fresh red cherries, licorice, and mint. This wine for me was showing wonderful but also said that it could age another 10 years easily. If you have not had the chance to taste a Nebbiolo from Roero I highly recommend doing so. Also a note: that the Roero wines you can drink a bit younger because that sandy soils help to make more elegant right from the start. Enjoy!

Sometimes you just need a cocktail

Living in the Langhe can sometimes make you all wined out. And trust me after a long day of tasting wine sometimes you need a drink.

Here are some of my favorite cocktail bars and what to drink.

Manhattan:

Coming from the homeland of the perfect Manhattan, I find a lot of Italian bars just don’t know how to do it right. Could be the resources I mean here we don’t get a choice of 50 different small batch Bourbons and if you ask for a Rye Whiskey be prepared for a funny look.

Cocktail and Dreams: Castagnole delle Lanze (AT) - Via Roma 9

Tel: +39 338/7485745

The owner of this bar won an international cocktail competition and can shake up some wonderful things other than just a Manhatten.

Moscow Mule:

In summertime this drink is my all time favorite, it’s cold refreshing and uplifting. When I first arrived to Piemonte 5 years ago no one had heard of it, and let me tell you it was very difficult time for me. I mean, I had to drive over an hour to find ginger beer. Today there are a few key places that make this libation and the results are how I remember them back home.

Aromatario: Neive (CN) - Piazza Negro 4

Tel: +39 0173/677206

The bartender here worked for a hot minute some of the top bar/restaurants in London and has brought back to Italy a few tricks.

IMG_0500

Negroni:

This Italian classic is not always easy to find. A well balanced one that is.

The bar that I am going to talk about is my hands down favorite bar in this area. They are located in Santo Stefano Belbo and really you cannot go wrong with what you order, from the beer to the wine to the cocktails. Everything they have on their list is just wonderful and the brothers who own it are a riot!

 Bar Roma: Santo Stefano Belbo (CN) - Via Roma 16

Tel: +39 0141/844252

                        p.s. ask them about their Moscow Mule it’s also fantastic

Gin Tonic:

The English love Italian wine and the Italians love English Gin. The Italians love Gin period. Many of them today are making it a passion to collect as many different Gins they can find. Sometimes they even ask their friends to bring some bottles back for them from their travels.

unnamed-1

Degusto: Neive (CN) - Via Cocito 7

Tel: +39 0173/67380

Really if you come to Neive you don’t have to leave there is plenty of wonderful things to do here.

Soda: Alba (CN) - Corso Italia 6

Tel: 346/5938838

This is a vegetarian restaurant where the owner worked and lived for a few years in Santa Monica California and has taken his knowledge of interesting foods and passion for Gin here to the Langhe.

Wine Stories: Again in Castagnole delle Lanze (AT) - Via Ener Bettica 2

Tel: +39 0141/1766381

The owner of this restaurant is half Italian from Castagnole Lanze and half English. He grew up in London and has worked at some of the top restaurants in the city. This quaint little place has a wonderful patio where you can sit and enjoy your beverage.