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Author Archives: Piemontegirl
London Baby!
London Baby!
I think London is becoming one of my favorite places. Piemonte is still at the top of course, but London is an extraordinary city. Apart from the sights, there are many top of the line restaurants and wine shops, so for a wine interested foodie, it’s like heaven.
Apart from doing some shopping and sightseeing, the main topic of this trip was food! Brunch, lunch, dinner – you name it! Ever heard of the Granger & Co? It’s a small chain of restaurants in the London area, with a total of four locations. You can also find some locations abroad. Anyway, fantastic brunch spot! I had the ricotta pancakes and I almost ordered another serving. So good! So if you’re ever in the area, check them out!
I didn’t have time to check out any wine stores this time around, but thankfully my wine fridge is fully stocked. If you have any tips for my next trip to London, let me know!
Granger & Co – Brunching in London
Granger & Co
During my last trip to London, Granger & Co was my favorite stop. It seems it’s a popular spot, because we had to wait in line for quite a bit. But it was worth it once we got inside. Beautiful decor, nice staff and incredible food! I rarely brunch, but since I was on vacation, brunch was on the schedule. It’s usually when I am travelling I do brunch. Last time I think was in NYC with Silvia Altare, at Little Park.
Granger & Co was started by Bill Granger, an australian restaurateur and he has restaurants in four locations in the London area. His restaurants can also be found abroad in Sydney, Honolulu, Tokyo and Seoul.
Even though I had the Ricotta Hotcakes, there are other more healthy alternatives, so that your brunch experience doesn’t have to be all butter and sugar. To accompany my hotcakes I had a delicious glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, which was one of their many options on the drink menu. Yum!
Anyways, if you go to one of Bill Granger’s restaurants or if you have already been, let me know what you think! Always nice to share stories and experiences.
Giada – new favorite barbera
Andrea Oberto Barbera Giada
Andrea Oberto, my newest friend in Barolo, makes a wonderful Barbera Giada. Some may like to call it a Barbera Superiore, which means that it’s made from the barber grapes but vinified differently, most likely either in oak or longer in oak (compared to the classic barbera). Those who understand Norwegian can read SMAK’s tasting notes onAndrea Oberto’s Giada here.
Wine: Barbera Giada
Producer: Andrea Oberto
Region/Appellation: Piemonte, Italy
Grape varieties: Barbera
Vintage: 2015
Eye: deep purple ruby
Nose: plums, berries,
Mouth: tobacco, coffee, balanced, long finish
Price Point: $40
Available at Vinmonopolet: yes
Available at Systembolaget: no
A Cascina Nuova Christmas
Cascina Nuova: A Corino Christmas Night
I love Christmas, and as you can see Cascina Nuova is now all ready for Christmas. And how perfect is Giovanni Corino‘s wine for Christmas? The red label goes great with the Christmas colors!
Early December we had a sort of Christmas Party with food and baking and wine. My danish friend made some delicious danish cookies for us, and a really nice danish christmas meal. I love having such an international friend group; you get introduced to so many different foods and traditions. In addition to my danish friend, there was my dear friend from Bangladesh, a good friend from Canada and a new friend from Russia! Talk about diverse group of girls!
Check out my amazing baking skills! And my beautiful santa hat! See the glitter? This hat was bought at a mall in Pennsylvania when I was maybe 6 years old, and has been my favorite head wear ever since! Anyone have any Christmas traditions or favorite parts of the holidays?
Winery Wednesday – Legendary visit with Andrea Oberto
Winery Wednesday is back! Last October I had the sincere pleasure of meeting Andrea Oberto! It was probably the most legendary winery visit I have ever had.
It started with just me and Andrea, speaking ONLY Italian. He showed me the cellar and we tasted his wines. Then, this swiss couple show up. And guess what? They only speak German and very little English. And Andrea does not speak any English or German. So, the Norwegian (me) had to translate. So, I did the visit all over again! 4 hours later, I left with wine for my cellar and a dinner invitation!
Andrea Oberto started his winery in 1978, and in 2003 the new wine cellar was finished. You can now find Andrea near the town of Verduno, in the outskirts of La Morra. He has 16 acres of vineyards, among them are Barolo Brunate, Barolo Rocche and Barolo Albarella.
If you ever have the chance to visit with Andrea, you should! I can come as a translator! To make an appointment you can email the cantina obertoandrea@libero.it or call 0173 50104. If you go, say hello from me! And stay tuned for more Winery Wednesday!
Happy New Year!
Piemontegirl is back!
Piemontegirl
Piemontegirl is back, and with a new website design and a logo! How cool is that?? Thank you to my friend Elena Baseotto, a very talented graphic designer! Check out here cool work on her website: https://www.baseottoelena.com/conrad
An exciting year lies ahead, so stay tuned!
Ho prenotato? Did you make a reservation?
Ho Prenotato? Did you make a reservation?
These phrases are commonly heard in the local restaurants in Langhe. As the region is becoming more and more popular, the restaurants are of course filling up, especially during the busiest seasons. Restaurants like More e Macine and Osteria Veglio are often very full! So, my advice to you? Make a reservation!
Don’t expect to show up with 10 people on a Friday and have there be a table available. Ok, maybe you’ll get lucky and they’ll have one for you, but you can expect them to say: Ho prenotato? And if you make a reservation you are guaranteed to eat at the place you want, instead of having to find a random place and potentially be really disappointed. And the restaurants appreciate it too 😉
The Veglio family coming together
Veglio has some exciting news
Mauro Veglio and Alessandro Veglio have joined their wineries! Two great producers have now become one! Mauro is Alessandro’s uncle, so they are keeping it in the family 😉 Their wines are similar in styles and they share the same philosophy, so this should be a wonderful adventure! I am very excited to see what the future has in store. Congratulations!
Mauro Veglio, Daniela and Alessandro Veglio
**Picture borrowed from Mauro Veglio
PIEMONTEGIRL 