Tag Archives: piemonte

Margheria: Wine of the Week

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Azelia Barolo Margheria 2004

Margheria is located in Serralunga d’Alba. It has south exposure and a clayey soil. Azelia’s vines are aged about 50 years and the grapes are put in large casks (not small botti) after harvest. All of these excellent traits and make for a very good wine. You can check out Azelia’s wines on their website. 

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Wine: Barolo Margheria

Producer: Azelia

Region/Appellation: Piemonte, Italy

Grape varieties: Nebbiolo

Vintage: 2004

 

Eye: deep garnet color

Nose: black fruits, licorice, earthy tones, mineral

Mouth: fruity, mineral, good structure,

Price Point: $60

Available at Vinmonopolet: yes

Available at Systembolaget: yes

Alessandro Veglio in Oslo

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Alessandro Veglio Winemakers Dinner

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Alessandro Veglio’s winemakers dinner in Oslo last week. The dinner was hosted at Kulinarisk Akademi at Mathallen, a very nice location in the city of Oslo. As you can see we were seated right by the open kitchen which gave us the unique possibility to see the preparation of the food by the incredible chef Marius (also pictured below),

Veglio Middag 6

We were served a multitude of dishes: pasta, risotto, cod, lamb, ragu and dessert. All very good and served beautifully. And the food of course went very well with the wine. Alessandro had brought his dolcetto, barbera, lanhe nebbiolo, barolo classico (2012 and 2009) and the Gattera. I think the Gattera was the favorite of the night, although for me of course way too young. I really enjoyed his Langhe Nebbiolo (as always)!

I have to give a shout out to the wonderful team at Winning Brands, Alessandro’s importer, for organizing such a great event. And of course Kulinarisk Akademi for hosting us. I also have to mention that you can sign up for many cool classes at Kulinarisk Akademi, both wine and food courses. You can check them out here. 

Veglio Middag 4

Bruno Giacosa

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Although I never had the chance to meet him, I know for sure that the wine world has lost a true legend. It has been a pleasure reading what people had to say about him, and I am sorry I never had the chance to experience it first hand.

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Antonio Galloni calls him the “Maestro of Nebbiolo” in his article on Vinous. James Suckling recounts the story when Giacosa refuses to bottle his 2006 Barolo and when asked the reason he says “Because I don’t like it”.

Giacosa was, like Elio Altare, an early adopter of French barrels and single crus. A truly historical figure in the hills of Langhe, Giacosa leaves behind a great legacy and a fantastic winery.

Bruno Giacosa: Wine of the Week

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Bruona Giacosa Langhe Nebbiolo

Bruno Giacosa, tucked away in Neive, is a producer that is appearing more and more frequently at Piemontegirl’s table. I tend to stay within the borders of Barolo, but sometimes it’s nice to venture outside into Barbaresco (hehe). Bruno Giacosa makes 15 different bottles of wine, including a few bottles in Barolo. You see, he has two wineries: one in Barolo and one in Barbaresco. You can check him out here.

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Wine: Langhe Nebbiolo

Producer: Bruno Giacosa

Region/Appellation: Piemonte, Italy

Grape varieties: Nebbiolo

Vintage: 2015

 

Eye: garnet red

Nose: floral

Mouth: dry, good tannins

Price Point: $24

Available at Vinmonopolet: no

Available at Systembolaget: no

Fun Fact Friday: Trediberri Cru

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 Trediberri has a very cool cru to their name, which one is it?

Not sure if you noticed, but Trediberri has become a favorite producer of mine. The wines are good, of course, but it’s the people that make it so great! I have written about Trediberri before, you can read about the winery here. But what I maybe didn’t mention is that they are one of a few winemakers that have a piece of land in a very cool cru. Do you know which cru it is?

rocche dellannunziata

Rocche dell’annunziata

If you guessed Rocche dell’annunizata then you are correct. Not many winemakers have a spot in this fantastic cru, and Trediberri is one of those winemakers! Have you tried it? You can read about the wines on their website.

Trediberri

Wine of the Week

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Elio Altare Barbera d’Alba

IMG_8912Wine: Barbera d’alba

Producer: Elio Altare

Region/Appellation: Piemonte, Italy

Grape varieties: Barbera

Vintage: 2011

 

Eye: ruby red, violet reflections

Nose: violets, black cherry

Mouth: dark red fruits, full bodied, good acidity

Price Point: $15

Available at Vinmonopolet: Yes

Available at Systembolaget: nei

Bottle Variance

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Bottle Variance: A conondrum

This Christmas, I experienced Bottle Variance for the first time. It was the strangest thing. We opened 2 Azelia Barolo Margheria 2004, but they tasted like two completely different wines. Both were good: there was nothing wrong with either of the wines, but when we were blind tasting, no one guessed they were the same wine, or even the same vintage.

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Now, this can happen to any wine maker, any wine at any time. Remember, these are products of nature, so there is very little control over the end products. There is also the topic of storage: were they stored at the same place, at the same temperature? The corks, are they the same? Wine makers tend to experiment with different corks, which then could make the bottles act differently. There are so many factors that can affect the wine, which is why bottle variance occurs.

Nonetheless, Azelia makes amazing wines and both these wines were incredible! If you want to know more about Azelia, you can check out their website.

 

 

Piemontegirl makes Pasta Dough

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Piemontegirl loves pasta

Piemontegirl, that’s me! As you probably know, I love italian food. Especially pasta. Over the years I have had the pleasure of cooking with some local italian women, among those the mother of Elena Currado (Vietti) and the mother of Bruno (who runs Corte Gondina).  These women are amazing cooks, and it is so much fun to cook with them. All in italian of course, and sometimes also in piedmontese… The latter is hard for me to comprehend, so hand gestures and visual aids are needed.

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Anyway, to make pasta dough from scratch you need:

  • Eggs
  • Flour
  • Salt

And all you really need to do is pour the flour (and a touch of salt) into a bowl or right onto the counter, make a little valley where you put the egg and then slowly you mix it together until it becomes a solid dough. Then the fun part: You need to knead the dough for 10 minutes! Yes, you heard me. 10 minutes! Man, were my hands tired afterward. Not sure exactly why you have to knead for so long, but I always try to follow the recipe.

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Above you can see me, Piemontegirl, kneading the pasta dough. Once you are done kneading, place the dough in plastic and leave on the counter for about 30 minutes. Then you can make whatever pasta you want. My favorite is ravioli (recipe to come).

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Let me know if you try it! Or if you need help. Enjoy!

Dolcetto – the often forgotten grape in Piemonte

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Vietti Dolcetto Tre Vigne

I love dolcetto. Always have. It’s easy to drink, refreshing, doesn’t need to be accompanied by food and has little to no tannins. Vietti’s is no exception; a world class wine! Not that their other wines are not good either, I mean all their wines are top notch. Vietti even has a soft spot for Barbera. But I digress.

Why Dolcetto is often forgotten, put aside and left behind I will never know. I understand that Barolo is the big gun in Piemonte, and I can see that dolcetto would be “plain” in comparison. But who says wine always have to be big and expensive? There is no need to open a $50 bottle of wine on a regular Tuesday evening. I usually save my Barolo’s for guests or special occasions, and pick the “smaller” wines on “regular” days.

IMG_8914Wine: Tre Vigne

Producer: Vietti

Region/Appellation: Piemonte, Italy

Grape varieties: Dolcetto

Vintage: 2014

Eye: Purple red

Nose: black cherry, raspberry, blueberry, minerals

Mouth: red berries, soft tannins, moderate acidity, well balanced

Price Point: $20

Available at Vinmonopolet: yes

Available at Systembolaget: yes