Women in Wine

Today, there are tons of women in wine. Just typing this statement feels weird, because why would there not be women working in wine? But rewind about 50 years; it wasn’t that common.

We all know (and love) Chiara Boschis, who today is one of the most important winemakers in Langhe. When she first started out, she was “sort of an exotic fruit” because the fact of the matter was, “there were no women in the winemaking.” Thankfully, it’s not like that today.

These days, there are so many incredibly talented women in wine. There is Carlotta Rinaldi, who is working tirelessly to “leave to the next generation a better place, a better soil or at least as good as our grandfathers and our fathers gave to us.” Then you have Diana Snowden Seysses, a badass woman doing everything in her power to be as sustainable as she possibly can. After experiencing extreme heatwaves in 2017, she started “learning about climate change with maternal fervor.” Her knowledge on climate change and C02 emissions is incredible, and I think we can all learn a lot from her!

Women in Wine – every step of the way

Women in wine are working in every step from the vineyard to the wine stores. And although the actual winemaking is a very important job (otherwise we wouldn’t be drinking really good wine), the other aspects of this industry are also very important. Marketing, Sales, Shipping, Logistics, Design – these are all areas involved in getting the wine out of the winery and into our cellars.

So you have Marta Alessandria and Nadia Curto, who spend a lot of time working in the vineyards and in the wine cellar. And then you have Isabella Oddero and Jenny Battaglino, who work mostly with getting the wine out of the winery and into wine stores (or your wine cellar). Which means you’ll likely find them in the tasting room showing their wines to people from all over the world, or in the office, trying to keep up with the many e-mails that pop up in their inbox every day. Honestly, you wouldn’t believe all the paperwork and bureaucracy that goes on in a winery. But someone has to do it! Which makes it a very important job. So thank you, Isabella and Jenny, and all the other women working in this industry, for all the hard work that you do!

More Wonderful Women

Nadia Curto, a hardworking farmer, doing everything in her power to avoid using chemicals and working sustainably.

Marta Alessandria, an energetic winegrower, who spends most of her time in the vineyards, working in harmony with nature.

Maria Teresa Mascarello, a force to be reckoned with, who makes some of the best wine this world has ever seen!

Swantje Rausch, a persevering young woman, who uprooted her entire life to come make wine in Barbaresco.

Clothilde Lafarge, a young, fierce winegrower, making some of the best wines Burgundy has to offer.

Silvia Altare, an incredibly intelligent woman, who has taught me so much over the years.

Veronica Corino, a passionate and kind winemaker, working hard in the vineyard, the cellar and the tasting room.

1992 – the year I was born

The year is 1992. In a cold, rainy little town called Stavanger, Oda Emilie aka Piemontegirl was born. Around the same time, in what seams like a different world, the cold also encompassed Piemonte. For the family and their bundle of joy, weather mattered very little. But to the farmers in Piemonte, weather matters. A lot. It can be all consuming.

1992 has a reputation for being a bad vintage. Starting off cold, warming up slightly in May and June, and lots of rain during the second half of the year does not add up to an “easy” vintage. The wet weather can be very problematic, bringing with it diseases and other issues. It was not looking very good for the 1992 vintage. Many estates did not bottle wine.

But I have a question for you? Have you tried a 1992 recently?

I have. Barbaresco 1992 from Produttori del Barbaresco. And guess what? It was MAGNIFICENT!

You should probably not keep them for very much longer, if you find any at all. I plan on drinking mine soon, probably for my 30th birthday! But my point is, that 1992 is not bad. Maybe it never was bad? I was not old enough to drink back then, so I’ve only ever had “old” 1992, but was it really that bad back then? Elio and Silvia Altare don’t seem to think so.

It was cold rainy difficult vintage but super smooth elegant wines were made. Pure magic for the wines made by the winemakers that are farmers first.

Silvia Altare

Save the date!

Mangialonga 2018 – August 26th

Mark your calendars people! Mangialonga 2018 will take place August 26th. Sorry for using the same picture over and over, but come on – how cool are those women! Both Silvia and Jenny are truly amazing women, taking the wine world by storm! Can’t wait to see them again soon!

Mangialonga

Ladies of Mangialonga

Next stop – Piemonte!

Piemonte – It’s been too long!

After a sort of “hiatus” I am finally going back to Piemonte! Since I moved back to Oslo it’s not as easy to take a quick trip for the weekend as it was when I lived in Milan. But the time has finally come! Yay! As per usual, my schedule is jam-packed with lunches, dinners and winery visits.. And this time I will be visiting new wineries. Should be interesting!

ja

Since the trip is short, I will mostly be eating at the same places and seeing many of the “usual” people, but I am not complaining!! I can’t wait to eat at Osteria Veglio, More e Macine and Osteria Vignaiolo. Ciccio is of course on the itinerary along with some champagne! And I will probably be hanging around Annunziata with my friends (Altare, Corino, Veglio – and the geese!!)

If you’re in Piemonte October 12-15 let me know!

 

tbt – what have I been up to lately?

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?

Fun Fact Friday

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Photo by Torstein Harildstad

Elio Altare is known for his amazing wines, but what you may not have known is that on the side he also makes salami! If you sneak away during one of the tours at the cellar you can find his salami hanging form the ceiling, waiting to be “harvested”. Elio has tons of energy and he puts all this energy into many “side” projects. Everytime I see him he has something new in the wings. I wonder what it will be next time!

Fun Fact Friday: Elio Altare and his side project

Elio Altare is more than just a wine maker

Elio Altare is known for his amazing wines, but what you may not know is that on the side he also makes salami! If you sneak away during one of the tours at the cellar you can find his salami hanging form the ceiling, waiting to be “harvested”. He doesn’t really  sell them, they are mostly for family and friends. He is a farmer, to the core, so these projects are never about the money.

Elio Altare

Photo by Torstein Harildstad

What is next for Elio Altare?

Elio has tons of energy and he puts all this energy into many “side” projects. Everytime I see him he has something new in the wings. Last I heard he was thinking about making bubbles. I wonder what it will be next time!