Tag Archives: winery

Winery Wednesday

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Azelia

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Lorenzo is telling us about his wines

At the bottom of the hill of Castiglione Faletto (almost in La Morra) you’ll find Azelia. The winery started producing wine in 1920 and has gradually grown into the winery it is today. Lorenzo and his father Luigi run the winery today, already the 5th generation of winemakers of Azelia.

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As most of the wineries I write about, Azelia takes excellent care of the grapes in the vineyard with green harvest and no pesticides. And in the cellar they try to keep traditions in addition to using more modern techniques. The result is the lineup you see in the picture below!

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From Dolcetto to riserva, they go throught the spectrum. With 3 cru barolo and a riserva they represent a great selection of the barolo cru’s with Bricco Fiasco, Margheria and San Rocco. Check out their website for more information

Winery Wednesday

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Maybe you didn’t know, but Revello Fratelli split in two and there is now also Carlo Revello & Figli. It’s a relatively new winery, however Carlo has 30 years experience since he worked with his brother at Fratelli Revello before embarking on this new adventure.

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Photo from Vinitaly

As you can see, the label is inspired by Carlo and his beard, and it’s one of the more artsy labels I have seen. I myself have actually never been to the winery since it opened, but will probably make my way over there soon. In the meantime you can read more about the winery on their website.

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Winery Wednesday

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In Serralunga you find a few wineries in the center, one of them is Massolino. A beautiful winery with a stunning view, and of course good wines. In addition to the “regular reds” they also make a Langhe Chardonnay and a Moscato. Everyone knows I LOVE moscato, it’s a perfect drink on a warm summer day or with dessert (or just because).

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The estate is now on it’s 4th generation of winemakers, continuing the family business from when Giovanni founded the estate in 1896. The winery has since been “updated” and is very beautiful!

If you are in the area, you should stop by. And if you do go, I recommend eating at Centro Storico while you’re there!

Check out Massolino’s website here!

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IMG_9873In the outskirts of Serralunga you will find Ettore Germano. Sergio, the winemaker, just finished building a new tasting room, and it is beautiful! One of the main reasons I visit Ettore Germano is for his riesling, Herzu! It might sound strange to visit a winery in Barolo to drink Riseling, but Herzu is truly one of my favorite wines!

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The new tasting room has a beautiful view of the Langhe, although we didn’t really get to see anything because of the rain. But I am sure the view hasn’t changed much from the last time I tasted with Sergio so I can assure you it’s beautiful. There’s nothing like drinking good wine with a gorgeous view!

Ettore Germano makes quite a few wines; 14 different ones, including 2 sparkling. There are many interesting wines in the lineup, including Binel (Riesling/Chardonnay), Balaú (merlot) and Barolo Prapò (a fairly unknown cru).

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Check out their website for more informtion. And if you go, say hi to Sergio!

Winery Wednesday

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Her new labels

Last week I suggested Altare, so this week I thought I would keep it in the family. Nadia Curto is Silvia’s cousin, and she has a winery just below Cantina Altare. If you haven’t med Nadia, you definitely should. Energy must run in their blood, because both Silvia and Nadia have plenty of it. I love visiting Nadia. It feels more like you are invited over for lunch than anything else, so warm and friendly, always making you feel at home.

In her lineup you find the “normal wines”, but she is also one of the wineries that makes Freisa. Personally, I think Freisa is a little strange in general, but if you have not tried it you should. You can find Nadia in Annunziata, and if you go, tell her hello from me!

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From a tasting last year

Check out her winery here!

Winery Wednesday

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Giovanni Corino

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Giovanni Corino is a family owned winery located in La Morra, or more precisely, Annunziata, in the Barolo area. The winery is fairly small, they produce about 40,000 bottles a year. They produce the “normal” lineup, meaning Dolcetto, Barbera, Langhe Nebbiolo and a few Barolos. You will also find their Barbera Cibot dù Re, which is their superiore barbera (and personally one of my favorites).

If you are looking for a winery to visit, this should be on your list. The family is so friendly and you will have the chance to taste many excellent wines. To make an appointment you can visit their website http://www.corino.it/http://www.corino.it/ or send them an email: corinogiuliano@libero.it

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View from their winery

Mauro Veglio

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I have been to Mauro Veglio’s winery many times, both for visits and for a coffee break. But I went back again for a visit this time because my brother had never been for an official winery tour and tasting. It’s always a pleasure to spend time with Daniela, and Mauro of course (although it’s easier to have a conversation with him if you speak Italian). Daniela was kind enough to show us Barolo 2013 from the tanks, so we could compare them to the 2012’s. It’s always interesting to compare vintages.

Looking forward to visiting again soon, and of course drink more of their wines!

 

Nadia Curto

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When you visit with Nadia it’s more like a casual aperitivo than a wine tasting. She offers some salami and cheese, opens a few wines and you just sit around and drink together. I always love coming here, I just have the best time. Nadia is wonderful, extremely funny and very kind. It was a while since I’d been there, and one thing that was very different from last time was her labels! She completely changed them, as you see above. Below are her old labels.

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My brother enjoying the wine and salami

The 2012’s are looking really good, it was a treat to taste her 2012 Arborina. She brought out a 2007 so we could compare them, which is always fascinating. The 2007 is showing well. Nadia also makes a Freisa, which is a lesser known wine, but quite a few producers make it. Sometimes it’s fizzy and sometimes not, some make it one way on purpose and others make it so it’s fizzy one year and not fizzy another. Anyways, it was an excellent visit and I hope to be back soon!

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New label vs Old label

Gianfranco Alessandria

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This was my first time visiting Gianfranco Alessandria, although not the first time trying his wines. His two daughters, Vittoria and Marta,  showed us around and tasted with us. Gianfranco took over the winery after his father died in 1986, which happened to be the year of the freak hailstorm that destroyed all the vines, so no wine was produced that year.

Today the family produced about 45 000 bottles of wine spread out across the different wines. They produce Dolcetto, Barbera, Barbera “Superiore”, Langhe Nebbiolo, Barolo and one Barolo Cru.

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We tried the 2015 Dolcetto, Barbera and Langhe Nebbiolo. 2015 is looking good, very powerful and intense compared to the 2014 which are more light. Then we tried the Barbera “Vittoria” 2013, a more concentrated and powerful Barbera due to the age of the vines and the more strict selection of grapes. The 2012 Barolo does not have as strong a structure as the 2011, but it is a more classic vintage. It may take some more time in the bottle, but I though it drank very nicely. Last we tried their Cru, Barolo San Giovanni 2o12. I have tried this before, but a 2000 (it was 15 years old at the time) and it was fantastic. I am excited to see the evolution of the 2012.