Tag Archives: wine visit

Piemontegirl is going to Bourgogne

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It is true I have a soft spot for Italy and the Barolo region, but I also really like Burgundy. I am going to Beaune this summer, hopefully visiting a few wineries and eating lots of good food. I really wanted to visit Marc Colin but it is proving to be very difficult. IMG_2805

When I was in Burgundy last time we visited Matrot and Liger-Belair. I have previously tried Matrot’s wines but not Liger-Belair. The tasting experience with LM Liger-Belair was incredible. LM is a really interesting guy and his passion for wine is very contagious. The whole tasting was done out of the barrels in the cellar and I had the pleasure of trying his white wine that was only a project at the time. It is now for sale and I frequently drink it at Territoriet in Oslo.

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This year I hope to visit LM again, but other winemakers are on the list as well. It would be great to visit Matrot again, Elsa and Adele are always a treat. My parents also met some winemakers at a wine tasting so maybe we will go to one of their wineries.

 

 

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It should be a fun trip no matter what, and Beaune is such a beautiful town. I can’t wait to wander around the town, visit the wine shops and have a glass of wine at one of the restaurants along the streets. Hopefully I’ll buy a bottle or two to bring back home. Or maybe 10.

Fratelli Revello

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I have been the Piemonte region quite a few times, and each time I try to visit some new places. On the list this time was Revello. My good friend Elena is the daughter of the winemaker and she was able to arrange a visit, a tour of the cellar and a tasting of some of their wines. Elena also works at the winery.

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Fratelli Revello, Carlo and Enzo, had their first vintage in 1992. The previous years were a mix of selling grapes to other producers, producing wine for their father and even pausing the winemaking to pursue other professions.  Recently, Carlo and Enzo split, and so going forward Enzo will be the sole winemaker with the help of his children Elena and Simone.

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My favorite part of the visit was the tasting room. One side of the room was completely covered in floor to ceiling windows, and the first thing you see is the beautiful ceder tree. And with this view we tried Barbera d’Alba Ciabot du Re 2013 and Barolo Giachini 2012. Both wonderful. I personally preferred the barbera, but probably only because the barolo 2012 is still quite young!

If you want to read more about Revello check out their website.

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Day 2

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First whole day in paradise!

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The day started “slow” with a cappucino at Corte Gondina and some “sightseeing” in La Morra.

I ended up having lunch at Osteria Dei Vignaiolo in Santa Maria, one of my favorite restaurants. The Panna Cotta there is to die for. The sun was out and I sat outside enjoying a bottle of Cavallotto Pinner. Life could not be better.

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After lunch I went to More e Macine and shared the rest of the bottle with the staff there. I love spending time there. Always someone to talk to, always a good time. After  a quick stop there I went over to Revello for a tour and a tasting. It was my first time there, although not the first time drinking their wines.

Ended the day at Mangé with a bottle of Mauro Veglio dolcetto and some very good food. Excited for tomorrow, should be a hell of a birthday celebration!

 

 

My upcoming trip to Barolo

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With the trip fast approaching, many plans have fallen into place. This time I would like to try a few new things as well as revisiting my favorite spots and my favorite people. Here are some of my stops this trip.

More e Macine

This osteria has become a staple during my trips, usually with multiple visits. Lunch, dinner, aperitivo, coffee; whatever it may be, this place always welcomes you. It also happens to be where I am celebrating my birthday!

Manzone

I always try to do something new, visit someone new or try something different, and this time I am visiting Manzone. Manzone is located in Monforte and the family has been making wine since 1925. Today it is Mirella and Mauro along with their father Giovanni who are working at the winery. I’m excited to meet them!

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Centro Storico

Tucked away in Serralunga you find Ciccio at his wonderful restaurant Centro Storico. I already reserved a table and I can’t wait to sit down and watch him carve prosciutto at the counter.

Silvia Altare

I can’t wait to wrap my arms around my dear friend Silvia. It has been way to long since I saw her! And, they got a new puppy at the winery! The picture below is Silvia’s mother, Lucia, with their new puppy.

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Osteria Veglio

Since the new owners have taken over, this is one of my favorite places to go. Sitting on that balcony overlooking the vineyards while eating one of the best panna cotta’s ever know to man is always on the list!

 

 

Azelia

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IMG_5607I recently discovered, and befriended, the winemakers at Azelia. Located at the bottom of Castiglione, next to Paolo Scavino, you find the not so small winery of Azelia. It just so happens that Azelia, Cavallotto and Scavino are all related– welcome to Barolo!

At the Azelia winery, Lorenzo the son is now the 5th generation of winemakers. Lorenzo, named after his grandfather, works with his dad at the winery. When you go on the tour, you will pass by a corner with a bunch of wine stacked. This is wine from the vintage Lorenzo was born, and it will be saved until a wedding or a birthday. A very nice idea, I wish my parents had been into wine when I was born.

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Azelia makes a fairly wide range of wines, red, from Dolcetto to Barolo Riserva. What is interesting about Azelia, is that a large portion of their vines are very old. The vines used to make the Barbera Punta is around 60 years old. So the Azelia barbera is rather different from a lot of other barbera’s from the Barolo region.

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If you want to visit the winery, you can call ahead or send an email. Check out their website for more information.

Oddero

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Isabella Oddero and I have been friends online for a while, and I figured it was time to meet in person. And what better way thank to do a tasting at the winery. She was kind enough to show me around even though she was sick, and I got the grand and Manhatten, her golden retriever, joined us in the cellar.

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The Oddero winery is an old one, one of the historical ones in Piemonte, dating back to the 18th century. At the start of the tour there is a little museum showing the old tools used to make wine. I just have to say “Thank God for technology.”

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Today, Christina Oddero is the main winemaker, with her niece Isabella doing most of the travelling and wine marketing. The first recorded bottle of wine made is in 1878. Another interesting fact about the Oddero winery is that they have a vineyard in Barbaresco, and make a Barbaresco wine, but they are one of the few who are allowed to bring the grapes back to La Morra and make it there. Usually, if you have vineyards in Barbaresco you can only call the wine Barbaresco if the wine is made within the borders of Barbaresco. The exception was made because Oddero started making Barbaresco before the rule was set in place.

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After the tour, we of course tasted some wines. We started with their White wine, which is a blend of Riseling and Chardonnay. It is an unusual blend of grapes, but it was very good and refreshing. We went on to the reds, starting with Dolcetto, then Barbera, then Barolo of course, their Barbaresco, and at the end I tried their Moscato. I LOVE Moscato, especially in the summer! And their Moscato Vineyard was the dowry from Isabella’s grandmothers wedding.

Roberto Voerzio

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This is one for the books.

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I had met Roberto at a Champagne dinner earlier this month, and decided I needed to visit his winery. I have tasted very few, if any, of his wines before, and so it was time. And it was a very good decision. Naturally, I did not expect him to be there. He is a busy man, and as always I try to not expect to much when I visit, as I know it’s a busy business to be in. His daughter in law, Miriam, showed me around (we were a group, it was not just me).

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We started in the vineyard. Few wineries do this, but I think it’s one of the best ways to start a visit. Because, after all, that is where the winemaking starts. And Voerzio is a firm believer in that the winemaking is mostly done in the vineyard. The work done in the cellar, once the grapes are picked, does not have an enormous effect on the wine. And as they add nothing to the wine, it’s really the vines, soil and grapes that makes the wine what it is.

“The wines are an expression of the soil” (paraphrased, but nonetheless what Miri said.

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We of course went in the cellar, where we ran into Roberto. He was doing a tour simultaneously. An example of how busy they are. After the cellar, we went to the beautiful tasting room. We tasted Barolo 2008, Barolo Riserva 2005, Barbera Pozzo 2010 2008 2004. Of all the wines my favorite was the Barbera 2008. Extremely good. They treat this barbera like a barolo, which is probably one of the reasons why it was exceptionally good.

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Now lastly, I want to mention the label. I think this is my favorite label so far. And this is why: As you can see, the label in 2004 does not have a star in the upper left corner, but the 2008 and 2010 do. This is because Roberto’s wife died of cancer. So the star represents her. A beautiful way to commemorate a family member.

Elvio Cogno

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Today I visited the Elvio Cogno winery. Nadia Cogno showed me around the beautiful cantina that sits atop a hill just outside Novello in Barolo. Cogno used to be partners with Marcarini in La Morra, but in 1990 they decided to move to Novello. After 4 generations of winemakers, it is Valter Fissore and Nadia who run the winery today.IMG_5370

During my visit I got to taste the Anaschetta, Dolcetto Mandorlo, Barbera “Bricco di Merli”, Langhe Nebbiolo Montegrilli, Barbaresco Bordini, Barolo Cascina Nuova, and the Barolo Ravera. I think my favorite was the Barolo Ravera. Although the Nebbiolo was also very good!

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I thought it was interesting how they put the barbera in oak but not their langhe nebbiolo! In my mind it’s wonderful that each winery has it’s own quirks and ideas.