Summer 2014

The calendar is filling up, mostly with wine visits. Earlier, Italy has been the only place on the agenda, but this year I am expanding my horizons, and the adventure continues in France. The whole family is renting an apartment in Beaune, allowing me to experience wine there as well. 

I believe we are visiting Louis-Michel Liger-Belair, and attempting to visit a few others. One of my favorites, Matrot, is high on my list of wineries to visit. 

foto: piemontegirl

elio altare, summer 2012

And, of course, Piemonte is on the agenda. As previous years, Altare is first on the list. Bartolo Mascarello, Vietti, Cavallotto and Ettore Germano are also on the schedule. We are trying to add some new wineries to the list, since we rarely visit new ones, but I love seeing old friends again. 

With the vacation fast approaching, the excitement is growing and growing. I can't wait!!

The Beginning

Summer 2011, I went to Cinque Terre, Italy, with my family. There I met Elio Altare, the winemaker behind Altare wines, and it was one of the most memorable moments in my life. Señor Altare showed me the love he has for his wine, and it sparked something in me. Interest, curiosity, passion, love; call it what you want, but this initial meeting has started me on a sort of journey, a journey that evolved the next summer.

Cinque Terre

Summer, 2012, I had the pleasure of experiencing a wine tasting for the first time, in Piemonte, Italiy. My Dad has long been interested in wine, and finally I had the opportunity to see what all the fuss was about. Because to me, wine was just wine. Alcohol. Some tasted good, some tasted not so good. But in the end, to me, it was just a bottle with alcoholic content. After last summer, I no longer see it that way. And I will tell you why.

I am not sure where to begin. But I soon figured out that the bottle sitting in front of me had more to it than first meets the eye. The people I met, the farmer who produce the wine, they are some of the most wonderful people I have ever met. Their passion for what they do is contagious. They tell their story, using their whole bodies, explaining and elaborating on the long process behind the bottle sitting in your home. These people care for their grapes, they care for their wine, and they treat the whole process with lots and lots of love. They light up when talking about their wines, and it is clear they really love what they do.

After meeting some of the winemakers in person, it makes all the difference, at least to me. When I open a Vietti wine, not only do I enjoy the taste, but I recall all those incredible moments I had with Elena, one of makers of Vietti wine. And I think maybe that for me, that is the point. I’m not that interested in all the details of the actual process of making wine. I am interested in the people, the story, and the passion.

Rejoice.