Tag Archives: winemaker

Oddero Winemaker dinner

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Yet again I had the pleasure of joining a winemakers dinner, this time with Oddero. The tasting took place at Festningen in Oslo, a very good restaurant, and Pietro from Oddero was present. I only really know Isabella, Pietro’s cousin, so it was a pleasure to get to know him as well.IMG_6219

First of all, the food was incredible! The presentation, the combinations, the sauces: truly wonderful! And with the wine accompanying the food, all you had to do was lean back, relax and enjoy.

The wines we tasted were: Dolcetto, Barbera, Langhe Nebbiolo, Barolo 2011, Barolo Villero 2011 and Moscato.

With the first course, halibut, we were served the dolcetto and the barbera. I personally love the dolcetto, as it is a bit lighter and easier to drink, whereas the barbera is a little bit heavier with more structure. Both were good, and a pretty good fit with the fish.

IMG_6226The second course was a pumpkin risotto, served alongside the langhe nebbiolo. I really like the Oddero langhe nebbiolo, it’s fresh and fairly light, but with structure. Pietro mentioned that they call it the baby barolo because all the same methods are used for the langhe nebbiolo and the barolo, it’s just the grapes that are different and of course the aging.

The main course was a delicious lamb culotte accompanied by the two barolos. The barolos, of course way to young, went well with the lamb and were fun to try. I prefer old barolos as the young ones are a bit to tannic for my taste, but I can’t wait to have the 2011 barolos in about 20 years!

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All in all, a fantastic dinner! It is always a pleasure to drink Oddero wines and it was very nice to see Pietro again! I was seated by myself during the dinner, and the poor couple next to me were kind enough to keep me company for the evening! Thank you!

 

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.

Brezza

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Brezza, a winery, hotel and restaurant, lies right on the edge of the town Barolo. The Brezza family bottled their first wine in 1910. Today, the fourth generation runs the operations, with over twenty two hectares. Brezza also has a hotel and a restaurant.

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Brezza has a Langhe Chardonnay and a Rosé. Not many wineries I have visited makes a rosé and it was interesting to taste. I tasted almost all the wines, and I think my favorites were the Barbera Santa Rosalia, Nebbbiolo Santa Rosalia and Barolo Classico 2011. There were a vast number of wines to chose from, and of course the others were good, but the abovementioned three wines stood out for me.

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Brezza uses glass corks on some of their wine. There are different reasons to do this. One is to reduce the number of corcked wines. It is also said that the glass cork preserves the wines better, and the wine will hold onto it’s freshness longer. I have very little knowledge when it comes to traditional cork vs glass cork, but I know the DOCG does not allow glass corks, at least not yet.

Renato Corino

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Renato Corino is the son of Giovanni Corino and the brother of Giuliano Corino. The two brothers, Giuliano and Renato decided to work separately, instead of working together under their fathers name.

Renato Corino started producing his own wines in 2005. The Cantina is located right in Arborina, a prime location for a winery, and he of course produces a Barolo Arborina. He produces Barolos, but also Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo. Renato works alongside his son, Stefano. Stefano incidently combines winemaking with biking, and participates in several local bike races.

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During my visit we tasted some wines not yet bottled: Nebbiolo 2014, Barbera 2014, Dolcetto 2014 and Barbera Pozzo 2013. Then we resumed the “regular” tasting. The wines have a familiar taste, since they are made in the same areas as the other wines I often drink. It was a very nice visit, the Corino’s are very hospitable and ‘sympatico’. And it was nice to meet someone my age (there are many “old” people in the Barolo area…)