Category Archives: Uncategorized

What were the favorite wines?

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In a weekend with A LOT of good wines, there are bound to be a few favorites! I enjoyed most of the wines, but like always there are ones you love and ones you maybe don’t like as much. For me round 4, the last round, was the best one. The Veglio 1997 and Altare 1996 were by far my favorite – we all know how I LOVE old barolo!

Barolo Night Oslo 2

Picture from Barolo Night Oslo

In case you missed it, here are the tasting notes for all the wines in each round.

Round 1: Gianni Voerzio la serra 1998, Massolino Margheria 2008 and Renato Corino Arborina 2014

Round 2: Altare Barolo 1993, Aldo Conterno Barolo 2006, Gianni Voerzio la serra 1999

Round 3: Renato Ratti Rocche dell’Annunziata 2011, Mauro Veglio Gattera 2006 and Burzi Capalot 2013

Round 4: Mauro Veglio Rocche 1997 and Altare Unknown 1996

Top 5 Experiences Summer 2017

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Tour at Altare

We took the whole Norwegian crew to Altare and Silvia gave us a beautiful tour of the vineyards and the winery. Check out that awesome staff!

Repubblicca di Perno

Pylsa & Barolo Piemonte Edition

Every year for my dad’s birthday we have Pylsa & Barolo. This year we brought the whole crew to La Morra. It was quite the weekend!

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Meeting Giovanni Corino’s geese

This was a very strange but fun experience. Those geese were crazy, but they loved Giovanni. FYI I did not pet the goose. Not even close.

Giovanni Corino and the Geese

Just casually petting his goose

Lunch at Ciccio

Imagine 30+ crazy norwegians signing at the top of their lungs in Serralunga. Ciccio couldn’t believe his eyes. I wonder if we’re allowed to come back?

I am excite to see what this summer will bring! Stay tuned!

Top 5 Hotels in Barolo

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Not in any particular order, these are some of the best hotels in the barolo area. And remember, since I usually stay at Corte Gondina or in an aribnb, my hotel “knowledge” is somehow limited. But if you are looking for a hotel, these 5 are good ones.

  • Corte Condina
  • Rocche Costemagna
  • Palais Cerequio
  • Relais le Rocche
  • Le Torri

Corte Gondina

No doubt this is my favorite (we all know I love this hotel and the family that runs it). If you want more info, check out my previous post.

Between €100 – $200 per room

 

 

Rocche Costamagna

This is a very good option right in the center of La Morra. It’s always nice to stay in the center where everything is walking distance.

Between €140 – $280 per room

 

Palais Cerequio

This is probably the most luxurious hotel in Langhe, and I’ve only ever had dinner there but WOW. You’ll find this gem a little outside of La Morra – gorgeous rooms with a breathtaking view.

Between €190 – $700 per room

 

Relais le Rocche 

I have never stayed here myself, but from what I hear (and have seen) this is a beautiful hotel.

Between €250 – €310 per room

relais rocche

Picture borrowed from their website

Le Torri

Le Torri is located in Castiglione Falletto, right next to Vietti, and has a beautiful view of Langhe. And there is of course the amazing restaurant Le Torri attached, so that’s a reason to stay there (in case you had trouble finding one)

Between €80 – €150 per room

Le Torri front

 

Piemontegirl Style DIY

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Piemontegirl makes Christmas Gifts

In true Piemontegirl style I decided to make homemade candles out of the used wine bottles quickly accumulating in my apartment. I am not a super crafty person, but it turns out this is quite easy. And owing the right gear helps. I happen to have a bottle cutter lying around, so that part was quite easy. And look at the results: not bad right?

Piemontegirl DIY

What you need:

  • Candle Wax
  • Wine Botles
  • Wicks
  • Wine bottle cutter (or another genius way to cut bottles)
  • Optional color and scent

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How to proceed:

You need to cut the bottles, and you do that however you want. I use the bottle cutter you can see in the photo below. Very easy to use and works very well! Bought on amazon a few years back. Then you need to melt the wax. I think you should follow the directions on the box (if you buy one) but I just put it in a kitchen bowl, put the bowl in a pot with boiling water and let it melt. You can add colors and scents if you want, or just make them regular white. I did a mix of colors, scents and sizes of the bottles. When the wax is metlted and ready you pour it into the bottle where you have attached the wick and then let it set. I am not sure there is an easy way to make them stay in the center (mine certainly did not) but they look good anyways! And voila, Piemontegirl had homemade Christmas gifts!

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London Baby!

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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.

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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!

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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!

Barrel Tasting: Throwback to my first wine tasting

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My first barrel tasting was also my first wine tasting

Lucky me. Barrel tasting with Elio at his winery in Cinque Terre was an extraordinary experience and was the catapult that has led to so many wonderful experiences. My family was vacationing in the area and coincidentally Elio was there tending to his grapes. My dad managed to arrange a visit, a visit that turned out to be legendary.

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The visit started with a trip in the vineyards. Have you ever been to Cinque Terre? Let me tell you, it’s steep and rough terrain, so how they do vineyard work is beyond me! There’s no way to bring a tractor down, so they have to do everything by hand. Yikes! And harvest time? Carrying all those baskets of grapes up and down that steep uneven hill? It’s only for a certain type of superhuman!

Barrel Tasting

After the trip in the vineyard, he brought us to the cellar, where we proceeded to barrel taste! Keep in mind, I was only 18 at the time and this was my first wine experience whatsoever. The whole concept blew my mind and I marveled at the man standing before me. How could this (older) man have so much energy (and be in such good shape)? I had never met a person like him before and I was amazed at his passion and love for what was to me only grapes back then. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I started to love wine shortly after we met Elio.

Barrel TastingIf you ever have the chance to meet  him (and his incredible daugther Silvia) take it! And I recommend traveling to Cinque Terre, if not for the wine then for the beautiful landscape!

tbt – what have I been up to lately?

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tbt – throwing it back to the past few weeks

Who doesn’t love a tbt? I know I am very fortunate to be able to look back on these wonderful memories. You’ll see that I make pizza very often, both by myself and with others. You’ll see that I went for a joyride with Lorenzo and his girlfriend (and that we made Lorenzo sit in the back!)

Looking back I get a smile on my face. Especially when I see the picture of my dad hugging the kick ass chef at Centro Storico. Or Silvia working hard in her garden (as usual). Oh, and when the grandmother of Bruno (the owner of Corte Gondina) cooked and egg with me in the kicthen. How cool is that?

Throwback to picking onions in Elio Altare’s garden

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Elio Altare and his garden

As a farmer, Elio Altare does not only grow wine, he also has his own garden. If you are lukcy, you will find him braiding onions or picking fruits of the trees beside the winery, and he will most likely be sporting this wonderful red outfit (pictured below). And if you know Elio, you know that he doesn’t grow fruits and vegetables to make money; he does it because that way he’s certain they are organic. Besides, I think he enjoys it! Once a farmer, always a farmer.

Elio’s Onions
Elio Altare

 

Where does all of Elio’s produce go?

What I’m guessing started as a small garden for the family, has grown, and the Altare family has more produce then they can eat. So, they sometimes give it away! My family and I were visiting Elio Altare one day a few years ago and we found him in the garden braiding onions. (Btw, braiding onions is just braiding the green “leaves”, a way to make them stick together). Anyway, he was nice enough to give us a few bunches to bring home.

And here I am (a few years ago) proudly holding Elio Altare’s onions in front of my family’s house in Norway! If I remember correctly, we did actually eat them. How many people can say they have had Altare onions for dinner?