Wine: Langhe Buio
Producer: Enzoboglietti
Region/Appellation: Piemonte, Italy
Grape varieties: 80% Nebbiolo + 20% Barbera
Vintage: 2009
Eye: ruby color
Nose: fruity, floral, leather, earth tones
Mouth: fresh and fruity, full bodied,
Price Point: $23
Available at Vinmonopolet: no
Available at Systembolaget: no
Osteria Tre case id officially on the list of new places to eat!
I always get teased because I usually go to the same restaurants and eat the same things. This summer, I tried a new restaurant in Serralunga! Osteria Tre Case, located in the center of Serralunga, is a relatively new restaurant. And let me tell you: you should definitely try it!
On the menu you will find tajarin, ravioli, panna cotta and cheese from Castelmagno (and many more things). The food was very good, great wine list and wonderful staff – what else can you ask for? Oh, and it’s always fun when you order a wine and then the winemaker shows up! Herzu is my favorite!
Check out the website here. And as always I encourage you to make reservation, not just show up. Besides, a restaurant this good will fill up quickly! If you go, tell Veronica I say hi!
In the mountains, about 2 hours from La Morra, you will find a beautiful hotel called Chandarfei. Elio (along with some friends) has restored a tiny village in Castelmagno (just like a few other wine producers from Piemonte) where you can spend the night, eat, drink and relax. PSA: the road up is dicey, so if you go you might want the number of Chiara, the wonderful woman who works there, and she can come and “rescue” you.
This beautiful hotel is one of the most relaxing places I have ever been. The air is so clean, the rooms are cozy, the food is really good, the nature is breathtaking and the people there are truly wonderful.
One of the most impressive things about this place is the wine list. Should come as no surprise since Elio is in charge. The wine list is better than most of the places I went to in Milan. I will most definitely go to Chandarfei instead of Milan. I hope to be back soon!
You can find Chandarfei on Trip Advisor or you can send me a message and I can put you in touch with Chiara! If you go, say hello to Fritella and Rambo for me! Fritella is the less than helpful herding dog and Rambo is the impressive looking goat!
We all know I am a huge fan of both dolcetto and Cavallotto. So the combination of them both – wow! Cavallotto ages their dolcetto for 6 month in slavonian oak bottim then in cement tanks for 6 months. In my opinion you can store this dolcetto for 5-10 years, but it’s hard to keep them for so long without drinking them!
Wine: Dolcetto Vigna Scot
Producer: Cavallotto
Region/Appellation: Piemonte, Italy
Grape varieties: dolcetto
Vintage: 2016
Eye: ruby red with purple hue
Nose: floral notes, red fruits, hints of almonds
Mouth: fresh, medium body, fruity
Price Point: $12
Available at Vinmonopolet: not currently
Available at Systembolaget: no
This summer I was able to join the La Morra team in their annual competition: Baroliadi!
Picture a sort of Olympics/triathlon with games centering around wine. Sounds like a recipe for success right?! Well it was!
There were 4 different games. First there was the egg toss, where you had to catch an egg in a bag held by two contestants. Second, there was the sack race where you had to carry a bottle during the course and hand it to a team mate. Third you had to slide on a tube while carrying a ball (to make it more difficult I imagine). And lastly, there was the Barrique race. The race starts with chugging a bottle of wine (because why the hell not). Then you have to roll the barrique through a course like a relay race, handing it off to team members along the way. And if you wall, 1 second is added to the time.
It was quite the day! Every year is different, because the host town changes. The only consistency is the barrique relay race. And the party at the end of course.
Oh, and La Morra won. Just FYI.
I tried making Carbonara for the first time ever, and although there are not that many ingredients in the dish, getting it perfect is actually quite hard. But, now I know how to make it even better next time. Because it did taste good! I had run out of guanciale so I used prosciutto instead. Any sort of salty, bacon like meat will work. Hope you enjoy!
Ingredients (4 servings):
Instructions:
It’s been a while since I visited Pira. (Although, if you want to say hello you can just stop by Centro Storico, you’re very likely to run into him there!)
It’s always a pleasure to visit Pira. This time I learned something new: Gianpaolo is an avid truffle hunter! In his new tasting room you will see some pictures of truffles and his truffle dogs. So I hope to one day join him for a truffle hunt. Mostly just because I love dogs. And because I am sure there will be a celebratory glass of wine waiting for me at the end.
This is the lineup we tasted. In 2014, Pira only made their classic barolo. No cru barolo. Actually quite common in the area for the 2014 vintages. So keep this in mind when buying 2014 barolo!
Wine: Dolcetto d’alba
Producer: Fratelli Revello
Region/Appellation: Piemonte, Italy
Grape varieties: Dolcetto
Vintage: 2013
Eye: violet, red color
Nose: fruity, roses, red cherry
Mouth: fruity, fresh, red berries,
Price Point: $12
Available at Vinmonopolet: no
Available at Systembolaget: no
Many years ago, I stood in the kitchen at Casa Vietti and watched Nonna make gnocchi. She told me the recipe, and showed me how to do it, but I never did. I recentky grew my own Sage plant and since I don’t really like sage, I decided that I would try to make Gnocchi for my dad, since he loves Gnocchi with butter and sage. Here’s how it went!
Ingredients:
Step #3
Directions:
Step #4
Now, for the butter and sage: all you have to do is place a ton of butter and sage in a pan, melt the butter and stir in the sage. Place the gnocchi in the pan, mix it up and serve!
The results were pretty good! There was some disagreement on how well they were cooked, but overall I would call my first attempt a success!! Let me know if you try it!
Perno has to be the best kept secret in Piemonte. You will not only find one of the best restaurants, Republicca di Perno, but you will also find Cascina Fontana. And I finally had the pleasure of visiting the winery. Mario Fontana and his son gave us a tour of the small, but beautiful wine cellar while we did some barrel tasting, followed by a regular tasting of the wines that are ready to leave the winery.
Mario is a passionate and kind person, who follows his heart. His wines are made the “traditional” way, except his barbera which is made the “Mario Fontana” way. In his lineup you will find Dolcetto, Barbera, Langhe Nebbiolo and a Barolo. His barolo is purely a blend, no crus, which is the way everyone made wine back in the day. And Mario has chosen to continue this way.
He showed us an old label (unfortunately it was empty…)
The wines at Cascina Fontana are very good. During my visit we tasted Langhe Nebbiolo 2017 (barrel), Barolo 2017 (tank), Dolcetto 2017, Barbera 2016, Langhe Nebbiolo 2016 and Barolo 2014.
Two things stood out to me. First, he releases his barolo one year later than everyone else. Or has he likes to say “everyone else releases their wine a year early.” Second, Mario said “The wine must reflect the season” when talking about the 2014 vintage. He also said to drink 2014, don’t save it. Very wise guy, this Mario Fontana. And you should def pay him a visit! I am going back soon, that’s for sure.
PIEMONTEGIRL 