Rinaldi

 When I was i Piemonte in July, I had the pleasure of visiting Rinaldi. They had just gotten a very cute puppy and we ended up playing with it for a while. After, we went in the winery Mrs. Rinaldi gave us a tour, while "Beppe" ran around working. They don't produce as much wine as some wineries in the area, but it certainly is worth getting a hold of. After the tour, we had the pleasure of  tasting some of their wines.

I am currently in Piemonte, and I went back to Rinaldi, mostly to play with Carlotta Rinaldi's dog, and of course to say hello to the family. The puppy is so big, but still so cute. Carlotta took me on another tour, and we tasted some of the wines yet to be bottled. I absolutely loved the dolcetto, and the barbera is smooth and easy to drink. However, the wine that was most interesting is their Rosae.

The story goes: Carlotta's grandfather, Rinaldi, was in the second world war and met another winemaker from Piemonte, in Rocche. They made a deal that if they met each other back in Piemonte, they would exchange some wine plants. Rinaldi would give away nebbiolo and receive rocche. And, they both survived the war, and exchanged plants. Because Rinaldi's Rocche is planted outside the Rocche region, they had to make up a name, and since the wine is very floral, the named it Rosae (rose). They only produce a small quantity, mostly for the family and for fun, but I thought it was really good.

Vietti

Vietti has made wine since the 19th century, but it was not until the 20th century the winery really started to produce wine for the market. 
Today Luca Currado and his wife, Elena, run the day to day, Luca in the vineyard overseeing the grapes, and Elena the marketing and public aspect.
They have over 35 hectares today, but even though they are quite large, theu are still a family winery, taking excellent care of their grapes, producing high quality, natural wines.
For more information about Vietti, check out their website. 

Castiglione Falletto

My family, and maybe especcially myself, LOVE the Vietti family. Luca and Elena are fun, passionate poeple, and their love for their wines is contagious. A visit with Elena is fun and educational, and the tasting that follows is fantastic. If you are ever in Piemonte, Vietti is a place to stop by. Located in Castiglione Falletto, a beautiful town in the Barolo region. 

Luca Currado                            

I have even worked with Vietti. First with Luca in the vineyards, then with Elena in the cellar (wine visit mostly). The whole wine thing is rather new to me, but it was fun being part of the process, while learning more and more about how the wine actually gets into the bottle. 

Vietti makes a variety of wines, a Moscato, a white Roero Arneis, and of course Dolcetto, Barbera and Barolo. To learn more about their wines, look here.

DIY Gift: Cork Key Chain

When visiting someone, I try to bring something. This time, I brought Key Chains for everybody. Easy and simple, yet a nice gesture. You can see how to make them here.

Off I Go!

Last summer, I had the pleasure of working at Vietti Winery in their vineyards. Now I am off again! I don't know what I will be doing, but I know it will be great! 

The main task last year was Green Harvest, where we reduced the number of clusters of grapes per vine. The reason behind this is to maximize the quality for the remaining grapes, and to get rid of any ruined or underdeveloped grapes. 

 

 

Wine Gear: Blind Tasting Sleeve

My family loves to blindtaste, and when we found these sleeves in Beaune and just had to have them. They come in these four colors and orange, and this way we can blindtaste many wines at a time.

You can buy them here. They are made by Manacrea, and you can read more about them here.

Cappella del Barolo

Cappella della Madonna delle Grazie, or Capelle del Barolo as it is also refered to, was built in 1914. It was originally built as shelter for the farmers, but was soon left to nature. The chapel is located near Brunate, which is an important cru. The Ceretto family purchased vineyards in the area, and bought the chapel as well. The family soon wanted to do something with the chapel, and thought of renovating it into a "tempel for wine". 

David Tremlett and Sol LeWitt designed it together, Tremlett the interior and LeWitt the exterior. Trewlett wanted to create a something that "would attract people to spend a pleasant day; to sit, drink a glass of wine, read a book, talk, maybe pray too".

 

DIY: Wine Cork Key Chain

I have had the same key chain since I was in middle school, a pink heart with a flower inside. I thought it was time to get a new one. And what could be better than a wine cork key chain?!

All you need is:
Your key
A key ring
A screw eye
And a cork

 

You take the cork you want, and screw the Screw Eye into the top, as far as it will go. Then you thread the key ring on, and of course your key, and VOILA!

 

Winemakerselfie

 

 

Wine Gear: Wine Glass Identifier

For large parties, with many guests and glasses, it can be hard to remember who had which glass. So, someone somewhere came up with a way to identify them. These little colorful rubber thingies help with that. One color for each guest. I have yet to use them, but can't wait!