Chiara and Claudia at Territoriet
Friday Pizza @ Cascina Nuova
Pinot Nero from Langhe
#tbt 10 year old Dolcetto by Bartolo Mascarello at Maialino
Massolino Langhe Chardonnay
Dinner @ Cru drinking PYCM Saint Aubin
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Author Archives: Piemontegirl
NYC Day 2
I woke up at 6… In my defense I went to bed at 21:45, so I got a decent amount of sleep. After walking around in Soho, my brother and I went to Barry’s Bootcamp (which was amazing) before we met up for lunch at Otto. I have been to Otto a few times, and it is a place I like to go. However, today’s experience did not reflect past visits. I was very disappointed. The wine, Langhe by Burlotto, was very good. That is one area where Otto is doing well: they have a very good wine list. Many wines that are good but not so expensive.
The day quickly turned around because I was lucky to have aperitivo with Mauro Veglio, his wife Daniela and a few other piemonte people, including Marta Alessandria. It is always great to see the Veglios and today was no exception. I got to practice my italian, meet some new people and of course drink some wine. I hope to see them tomorrow or Tuesday as well.
We, my family and I, ended the evening at Lupa. As I have probably mentioned before, Lupa is one of my favorite restaurants. The food is incredible, the atmosphere is so comfortable and the staff is amazing. If you go, you should try both the Bucatini and the Tartufo (both pictured above). So good. The wine, Marcarini, was good but should be kept for longer. It was too closed off, not enough freshness.
NYC Day 1
It is so good to be back. I went directly from the airport to my brothers apartment, dropped my bags and headed straight for Lupa! Truly one of my favorite places. I always feel like I am coming home. I had a few glasses of Moscato, said hello to Joel, my favorite person at Lupa and met up with some friends.
After Lupa, my family and I went to Maialino for dinner. Maialinos food is good, but it’s the wine list that has us coming back for more. They have a ton of cool old stuff that is not too expensive and the selection is huge. Tonight we had Herzu by Ettore Germano, Langhe Nebbiolo by Burlotto and a 1994 Dolcetto by Bruno Giacosa. A great start to my NYC trip!
Wine of the Week
Cavallotto Pinner
Wine: Pinner
Producer: Cavallotto
Region/Appellation: Italy, Barolo
Grape varieties: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2012
Eye:
Nose: fruit, apricot, some mineral, citrus
Mouth: subtle citrus, some vanilla
Price point: $20
Available at Vinmonopolet: No
Headed to NYC
Saturday morning I leave for NYC and my schedule is jam packed with lunches, dinners and lots of wine! And of course my brothers gradutation!
French Toast @ Blenheim
I’ll be stopping by many of my favorite places. Those who made it on the list this time are:
These are my regular spots and I can’t wait to be back!
#tbt Cinqueterre
About 5 years ago I was on a family vacation in Portovenere and we happened to be there at the same time as Elio Altare. My dad was able to organize a tour of the vineyards and the small winery Elio has in Cinqueterre. This was my first wine experience ever.
Elio Altare, my brother Ask and me in Cinqueterre
Elio took us into the vineyards along the cliffs of Cinqueterre. The terrain was rough, very steep and there is not really any equipment that can move up and down the hills so everything has to be carried, even the grapes during the harvest.
Wine of the Week
Wine is a very interesting hobby and there are so many different types of wine out there. One of the things I like to do is really taste the wine. Take some notes. Compare. I also have a terrible memory so writing things down is a good way to go.
That is why I got a wine tasting book, designed for taking notes about wine. Moleskine has a wonderful one, that is the one I got. You can buy them here.
Below are some examples of things to note when writing about a wine.
Wine:
Producer:
Region/Appellation:
Grape varieties:
Vintage:
Eye:
Nose:
Mouth:
Price Point:
Available at Vinmonopolet:
Top 5 on my Barolo Bucket List
- La Ciau Del Tornavento
- Truffel hunting
- Pasquetta
- Harvest
- Conterno
La Ciau Del Tornavento
I have never been to this restaurant, but I here it is something you should experience. They have an insane wine list, and a very cool wine cellar. They have over 60.000 bottles of wine from over 450 producers in over 14 countries. That’s quite a selection. Some of the wines are quite old, so if you’re looking for some grape juice with some age, this is the place to go.
Truffel hunting
It may be clichè but I have always wanted to go truffel hunting. Truffel season in Piemonte is very busy as it is a very popular activity. Some *hunting trips* are better than other, or so I have heard. These days the whole thing is very staged. But I think it would be fun, besides the restaurants serve dishes with fresh truffle, and who can say no to that?
Pasquetta
“Easter Monday, also known as La Pasquetta in Italian, is part of the Easter holiday celebrations that are celebrated across Italy. It is a popular time to take short breaks to the countryside with friends and/or family. Easter games include egg races.” Basically, the whole day is set aside to eat and drink as much as you can with as many people as you can. If the weather permits, picnic outside is a must.
Harvest
This is something I have wanted to do for a while, but I have always been away at school during harvest time. Hopefully in 2016 I will be able to go down for at least a weekend to experience it. I’m sure I won’t last more than half a day, it would be nice to tick it off the bucket list.
Toni and Luca Currado (Vietti)
Conterno
This last one might come as a surprise to someone, but visiting Conterno would be pretty cool. It is almost impossible to get an appoitnment and if you are lucky enough to be let in the gate you mostly likely have to cough up about 300 Euros. Many think this is silly, and it kind of is, but Conterno is one of the legends and it would be interesting to both taste the wines but also see the winery and meet the family. Hopefully one day!
Perfect place to spend a day off
As always, Cru was nothing but excellent. I think this is one of my favorite places in the city. They recently changed the menu so I had the opportunity to try some new dishes. And I was pleasantly surprised. I tried the cauliflower soup and terragon gnocchi. And I think I will have it again the next time I go. It was incredible.
Cauliflower soup
Terragon gnocchi with sunroot purré
Our server, Kim, was great as always. He has almost become our regular, not that we are at Cru that often. Kim is very friendly and very knowledgeable about the food and wine. He is always entertaining, not to mention good at his job. I always hope he will be in charge of our table whenever we go, and I was not disappointed today.
I’ll write more about Cru later.
#tbt 1993 Elio Altare
This was one of my favorite wine experiences. At one of our tastings with Siliva she brought up a bottle for blind tasting. My dad was able to guess the grape and the year, one of his proudest moments. Apart from all that, the wine was incredible!
PIEMONTEGIRL 