What a journey it has been

It started the summer of 2011. I was on vacation with my family and some family friends. A beach vacation type thing, with a whole lot of relaxing and sunbathing. And for those who know me, know that I can’t lay around on a sunbed for very long. So when my dad, who had already started his wine journey, invited us on an outing to meet a winemaker, I didn’t hesitate to say yes.

And so I learned my first ever full Italian phrase, asked for the next ferry to Corniglia, and off we went. I remember approaching the dock in Riomaggiore (we weren’t going to Corniglia…) and seeing this small figure in a straw hat waving at us. This eager man was Elio Altare. He greeted us, and quickly headed toward the little town. We soon found ourselves trailing Elio, who was walking at an incredible pace, through the winding streets of Riomaggiore, sometimes so narrow that my shoulder would brush against the walls. This journey brought us to a truck, which in turn brought us to the top of a hill.

We climbed out, and began the descent toward the ocean. Mind you, I am wearing a short blue dress and beige ballerina shoes, not exactly dressed for the occasion. And while we are tumbling down this steep hill, Elio causally calls out “Watch out for wild boars. They are very dangerous.” while continuing down the hill. We all look at each other, but there’s no time to process this information if we want to keep up with him. But I soon found myself on the cliffs of Cinque Terre, watching Elio tend to his vines while he told us about the magical world of wine.

This probably sounds cheesy, but listening to what has to be the most passionate person I’ve ever met talk about the circle of life on the cliffs of Cinque Terre was a game changer. Wine became so much more than that disgusting red liquid my parents sometimes drank at dinner. He opened up a whole new world, filled with wonderful tastes, interesting people and incredible adventures.

Fast forward 8 years. After a lot of nagging from my friends about how I should do “this” professionally, I started seriously thinking about it. But what was I going to do? Did I want to import? Be a journalist? Event planner? Tour guide? Arrange tastings? I had no idea. So I reached out to some people in the business. And I will forever be grateful to those who took the time to talk with me. I will never forget how Merete Bø spent 40 minutes on the phone with me, answering any and all of my questions. Or Hege Pedersen-Fröjd who took the time to meet with me and give me insight into the import business. And thanks to them I did get a little closer to figuring out what I wanted to do.

February 27^th 2019

It’s February 27^th, 2019, and I have just submitted the documents to start my own company. I skipped a bunch of stuff here but just imagine 8 years filled with all kinds of wonderful wine moments, from working at a vineyard in La Morra to taking a wine course at college. I had also started a website where I wrote some stuff. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, I just knew I wanted to work with wine.

So I began organizing wine tastings, arranging trips to Piemonte and inviting winemakers to Norway for promotional events. I was also writing a little bit, and started getting invitations to tastings with importers. It was looking good. But if you take a look at the date, most of you will see what is about to hit me. Hard. Covid. 2020 rolls around, and come March, I have to cancel everything I had planned. And as we all know too well, this would go on for a while. I started digital zoom sessions with winemakers, which kept me busy, but I was basically toast.

Things eventually opened back up, obviously, but to be honest Piemontegirl never really recovered. I got other jobs, which meant I didn’t have the same amount of time to dedicate to it, and so it sort of just exists now. Every now and then I organize a trip or host a tasting, which I love. I pay bills and report the minimal earnings to the government, but I am not sure what the future looks like.

Bright future?

If I am being honest, this business is brutal. For several reasons. If you know, you know. And I don’t know if I have the fight in me.

I won’t dwell on this, mostly because it doesn’t do me any good. Instead, I am going to focus on the poistive. Like the many wonderful people in the business, who are kind, welcoming, including and passionate, like the people at Moestue. And then there are the winemakers of course. The ones who make it possible for all of us to do what we do. I think sometimes we forget about them a little and take them for granted. So here’s a friendly reminder to not.

Piemontegirl tuned 6 this year. I don’t know what the next year, or next 5 years will bring, but I will keep doing the things I love. Drinking wine with good friends. Eating good food. Travelling to Piemonte to learn from winemakers. And I’ll keep telling people about the wonderful world of wine.