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About Piemontegirl

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.

Breaking news!

Giovanni Corino Nov 2018

One of my favorite producers, Giovanni Corino, has started making a new cru barolo! Can you guess which cru? It is always exciting to see a winery evolve and grow! I got a sneak peak at a recent tasting, and let me tell you, the wine is really good!

Barolo Bricco Manescotto!

The vineyard, located near the Ceder Tree of Cordero di Montezemolo, gives the wine a mix of the characteristics Giachini and Arborina. Paolo Scavino, Revello and Cordero di Montezemolo also grow grapes in this vineyard, but so far the only to produce a cru is Giovanni Corino.

I tried the 2015 vintage of the Barolo Bricco Manescotto, and it honestly might be a new favorite! On the nose the wine is very similar to Arborina – floral, fruity, fresh. But in the mouth it resembles Giachini, with more aggressive tannins.

Giovanni Corino Langhe Nebbiolo Nov 2018

Piemontegirl Tasting

Piemontegirl tasting 2 Table

As you probably already know, I’ve started to host some wine tastings! Mostly basic tastings, differentiating between 3 grapes: dolcetto, barbera and nebbiolo. I think it is a good way to learn the difference between the 3 main grapes in Piemonte.

The dolcetto from Andrea Oberto had the typical purple color of dolcetto. On the nose it had kind of a strange smell. I think there might have been something strange with this bottle, maybe some reduction, because I’ve had this wine many times before and it did not smell like that. In the mouth it was as it should be – fresh, fruity, light.

Alessandro Veglio’s barbera had a ruby red color, slightly opaque. The nose was a little closed at the beginning, but came to after a while in the glass. It was fresh, fruity and had a good amount of acidity.

Lastly, the Perbacco. Color was brownish red, typical of the nebbiolo grape. On the nose there was roses, violets and earth tones. As Vietti makes their nebbiolo quite similar to their barolo, there were tannins present, as there should be with nebbiolo.

Piemontegirl tasting 2

Autunno con il Barolo di La Morra

During the month of November you can taste a vadt variety of wines from the town of La Morra at the Cantina Comunale! Every Saturday in November there is a big tasting, featuring a dozen wines from the surrouding wineries. For only €15 you can taste over 40 wines from great producers! If you’re in the area you should check it out!

Some of My Favorite Champagne

It is true I mostly stick to Barolo, but sometimes life calls for champagne. So for those occasions I have a few champagnes that are my go-to. Keep in mind I rarely drink champagne, so when I finally have some bubbles, they are pretty good ones.

Champagne (2)

Ciccio in Serralunga introduced me to Pierre Peters champagne. When I come to think of it, Ciccio has been a key player in my champagne education. The best champagne list outside of France is at Centro Storico. Of course it is not actually a list, but he has one of the best collections of champagne. He often has them by the glass, a perfect way to start a lunch and try something new.

Below you see a picture of me and Charles Philipponnat. I attended a winemakers dinner in Barolo, where he presented his wines. I think my favorite champagne is his blanc de blanc.

philipponnat

Favorite Friday Pizza Wine

As most of you know, I make pizza on Fridays. And along with my pizza, I usually have a glass of wine (or three). Here are some of my favorite wines to drink with my pizza (or honestly just any time).

Burlotto Barbera & Barbera Aves
Marengo Barbera
Cavallotto Dolcetto
Andrea Oberto Dolcetto
Trediberri Langhe Nebbiolo

Some of these wines are available at Vinmonopolet! If you can’t find the wine you like, let me know and I can help you track it down. If you want more suggestions, you can subscribe to my Newsletter!

 

Recipe Baci di Dama

Baci di Dama Step 1

Ever wanted to find those cookies you find at the breakfast buffet when you are in Piemonte? Well, look no further! Here is the recipe, so you can make Baci di Dama at home. Perfect for #WorldDessertDay

You’ll need:

  • 100g Hazelnuts
  • 100g Sugar
  • 100g Butter
  • 100g Flour
  • 100g Dark Chocolate

Baci di Dama Step 2

Here is how you do it:

  1. Crush the hazeluts until it becomes fairly smooth, but be careful so it doesn’t get oily
  2. Add in butter and sugar, mix together.
  3. Add flour little by little, start mixing it together with your hands. Add flour until the dough becomes quite firm
  4. Set aside in the fridge for about 1 hour (or more if you’d like)
  5. After about 1 hour, take the dough out and start forming little balls. You can choose the size, but they should we quite small
  6. Place the balls on a baking sheet, and bake them in the oven at about 180 degrees celcius until golden brown. Take them out of the oven to cool
  7. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate.
  8. Once the balls are cool, add a little chocolate in between two of them, and set aside to cool.
  9. and voila! You have made delicious Baci di Dama!

Baci di Dama Step 3Baci di Dama Step 4

Barbera the Mario Fontana way!

Cascina Fontana Babera d’Alba 2016

wow cascina fontana barberaWine: Barbera d’Alba

Producer: Cascina Fontana

Region/Appellation: Piemonte, Italy

Grape varieties: Barbera

Vintage: 2016

 

Eye: deep ruby red

Nose: roses, cherries, red fruits, spices

Mouth: fresh, dry, good acidity

Price Point: $23

Available at Vinmonopolet: no

Available at Systembolaget: no

Cru – Arborina

Cru – most of us are familiar with them, right? If not, a cru indicates a certain vineyard. And each cru has specific characteristics based on soil, altitude and exposure. When it comes to different cru, I think Arborina might be one of my favorite! It helps that many of my favorite producers make Barolo Arborina, like Altare and Giovanni Corino.

Arborina is known for it’s elegance and freshness. It is one of the more “feminine” wines, with a intense bouquet of fruits and berries.

Location: Frazione Annunziata
Size: 10.81 hectares
Soil composition: marna stone with clay, limestone and sand
Grape variations: 68% nebbiolo, 15% barbera, 15% dolcetto, 2% langhe rosso
Exposure: south, south-east
Characteristics: fruity, fresh, elegant
Arborina

Part of Arborina (From Elio Altare’s Winery)

Producer’s of Arborina include:

  • Giovanni Corino
  • Elio Altare
  • Renato Corino
  • Nadia Curto
  • Mauro Veglio
  • Bovio

Summer 2018

Summer is over, and many memories have been created! Here are some of my favorite experiences this summer.

Baroliadi

 

Baroliadi Team

Cascina Fontana

I love new experiences. My first visit to Cascina Fontana was amazing. Mario not only makes great wine but he is a wonderful person as well. I highly recommend you to visit his winery!

Cascina Fontana Mario

Chandarfei

In the middle of nowhere in the mountains, Castelmagno, you will find a beautiful hotel called Chandarfei.

Chandarfei view

Gardening with Elio

Oda and Elio Gardening

Dinner with my friends

Dinner with the crew