I am a wine lover currently located in Boston. I drink wine mostly from Piemonte and Burgundy.
Two summers in a row I have worked at Vietti in Piemonte.
Valentine’s Day is coming up, and you might be on the hunt for a wine to go with your plans. Maybe you’re cooking a special meal for your significant other and need a wine that pairs with your food? Or you’re watching romcom’s with popcorn and want something other than diet coke?
Would you spend 16 days outside a wine store to get your hands on a 2015 DRC?
Bjørn Håvard is currently camped outside Vinmonopolet at Aker Brygge, waiting patiently for the Burgundy release February 7th and the DRC 2015. But this is not the first time Bjørn Håvard is sleeping outside to get his hands on rare and exceptional wines. His first stunt was in 2007, and has become a regular event in the following years. But this year he is taking it to a whole other level. 16 long days outside, breaking the record from last time, which was only 8 days.
In Norway, the wine is regulated with the monopoly, aka Vinmonopolet. So when rare and exceptional wines are available and released, they do so in a special way. Throughout the year they have “releases”. So one release for burgundy, one for riesling, etc. And because the number of wines released is so small, there is a queue system. In order to get your hands on one of these wines you need to be one of the first in line. This is why Bjørn Håvard is sleeping outside, to ensure acquisition of the rarities released from Burgundy this year. Another fun fact is that Norway is the cheapest place to buy these wines. So it might be worth checking into… if you’re not already camped outside.
DRC 2015
This year, the burgundy release is quite special. 2016 Bourgogne produced very little quantity of wine, but the quality is outstanding. And 2015 was a great vintage in Bourgogne, and although most other producers released their 2015 wines last year, DRC did not. So on the menu this year is Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 2015 and all the Bourgogne 2016. What would you do to get your hands on one of those? Sleep outside 16 days in Oslo during winter?
Dedication, patience and guts
Imagine you’re spending 16 days outside. In Norway. In January. It is not for the faint of heart. And as you can see, a lot of equipment is required to make it all the way to the finish line. Apart from warm clothes, you also need sleep gear, like cots and sleeping bags.
Brotherhood – a special bond
One of the most fascinating aspects of this phenomenon is the brotherhood between the participants. There is a mutual respect and understanding between them, which is helpful when one of them needs to use the restroom or get something to eat.
Be on the lookout – you might find me in line soon…
Here are some new additions to Vinmonopolet’s selection. I love that Nadia Curto has made it on the list, it’s been a while since I’ve seen her wines in Norway. Cavallotto and Cascina Fontana are also favorites of mine. Looking forward to a year full of wine!
The year is 1992. In a cold, rainy little town called Stavanger, Oda Emilie aka Piemontegirl was born. Around the same time, in what seams like a different world, the cold also encompassed Piemonte. For the family and their bundle of joy, weather mattered very little. But to the farmers in Piemonte, weather matters. A lot. It can be all consuming.
1992 has a reputation for being a bad vintage. Starting off cold, warming up slightly in May and June, and lots of rain during the second half of the year does not add up to an “easy” vintage. The wet weather can be very problematic, bringing with it diseases and other issues. It was not looking very good for the 1992 vintage. Many estates did not bottle wine.
But I have a question for you? Have you tried a 1992 recently?
I have. Barbaresco 1992 from Produttori del Barbaresco. And guess what? It was MAGNIFICENT!
You should probably not keep them for very much longer, if you find any at all. I plan on drinking mine soon, probably for my 30th birthday! But my point is, that 1992 is not bad. Maybe it never was bad? I was not old enough to drink back then, so I’ve only ever had “old” 1992, but was it really that bad back then? Elio and Silvia Altare don’t seem to think so.
It was cold rainy difficult vintage but super smooth elegant wines were made. Pure magic for the wines made by the winemakers that are farmers first.
Mario Fontana makes a killer Lanhghe Nebbiolo! The grapes for his nebbiolo comes from the historic vineyard of Castello di Sinio and some from Il Pozzo in Castiglione Falletto.
Fontana makes wines in the traditional way, with large casks, as the wine will reflect. I find this wine to be well balanced and fresh – a very good example of a Langhe Nebbiolo. Hope you enjoy it!
Heat olive oil in a sauce pan. Add onion and garlic. Cook until soft. Add thyme and carrot, cook until the carrot is soft, about 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes, with the juice, and bring to boil while stirring often. Lower the heat, simmer until thick as hot cereal, about 30 minutes.
You are now ready to make the lasagne
Add the ingredients you want to the tomato sauce. I use sausage, chopped and cooked, with some salt and pepper.
Fill the pan with sauce at the bottom. Add a layer of the pasta, bechamel sauce and some cheese. Add another layer of sauce, topped with a layer of pasta and cheese. My pan usually only fits 2 layers. The final layer should be covered in cheese.
Cook in the oven until the cheese has melted, and is lightly golden brown.
Here are some of the wine events and tastings coming up:
Tre Bicchieri
Every year Gambero Rosso has a Tre Bicchieri tour where they feature the wines that have received the “3 glass rating”.
Here are the dates and locations:
Munich – January 21st
Stockholm – January 28th
New York – March 1st
London – March 26th
Bordeaux – May 15th
La Festa del Barolo
Have you ever had the pleasure of going to Galloni’s event in NYC? No? Me neither… But I hear it’s pretty spectacular. Over a few days you can attend master classes where many of the best producers from Barolo talk about the newest vintage. There is also a dinner – often held at Del Posto, which has to be one of my favorite restaurants!
When: January 31st – February 2nd
Where: New York City
To read more, check out Vinous.
Prowein
I have never been to Prowein, but I imagine it is very similar to Vinitaly. I won’t make it to this one, because I am celebrating my birthday the following weekend, but hopefully one day I’ll get to go!
When: March 17th – March 19th
Where: Dusseldorf, Germany
Check out the Prowein website for more information.
Vinitaly
This has got to be one of my favorite wine events ever. I have never seen so many wines (or people) at the same time. I was only there for one day, and I didn’t even get to see all the producers from Piemonte that I wanted to… If you go, you should have a game plan! I can’t make it this year, but you can read about my Vinitaly experience here.
When: April 7th to April 10th
Where: Verona, Italy
Check out their website for more information.
I have previously shared a sort of wine bucket list, but as it turns out I only checked off 1 out of the 5 items. Thanks to some wonderful friends of mine, I was able to visit with Conterno.
New year, new goals!
In 2019 I want to try a few new things, both restaurants and wineries. Maybe even some new experiences, like hot air ballooning over Barolo or going truffel hunting.
I love gingerbread cookies. And it always puts me in the holiday mood when making them. This year, for the first time, I decided to try and make the dough from scratch. Turns out it is quite easy!
Here’s what you need:
300g butter
2 dl syrup
4 dl sugar
1 ts cloves
2 dl cream
1 ts ginger
4 ts cinnamon
2 ts baking soda
900g flour
Follow these easy steps to make the dough:
Mix butter, syrup, sugar and cream in a pot. Heat up until it is all mixed. Remove from heat.
When the mixture has cooled down a little, sift the spices, baking soda and most of the flour into the mixture.
Continue to add flour until the dough has a good consistency
Set in the fridge to cool for a couple of hours. Remember to take the dough out a little while before cutting the cookies
I’ve been making quite a few treats this holiday season. Check out my Panettone recipe here.
Wine: Langhe Nebbiolo
PIEMONTEGIRL 