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Sunday Dinner

I really enjoy cooking. The only problem is that I am a super picky eater. But being able to cook for myself is allowing me to expand my horizon and experiment with different foods and flavors. And it's been really fun!

On today's menu is Rosemary Chicken with Asparagus and Roasted Potatoes. The Asparagus is cooked in oil and lemon with some pepper. I wrap it in tin foil and put it in the oven with the potatoes. The potatoes laid in boiling water for about 10 minutes before i put them into a pan with olive oil, garlic, rosemary and pepper. 

  
The end result was pretty good. And with some Bartolo Mascarello Dolcetto, who can complain?! Happy Sunday!!

Tre Bicchieri 2015

 

 Tre Bicchieri is Gambero Rosso's annual Wine Tasting, where they show wine that got the "Tre Bicchieri" that year. Tre Bicchieri is the highest award. 
I went last year, but this year it was much better. Probably because I knew more about wine and I knew more people. And of course, Luca Currado was here this time!

Luca Currado, the winemaker of Vietti, won the Wine of the Year from Gambero Rosso, and so he was there this year. As you may know, I have worked for Vietti two summers in a row, and so it felt natural to help out. I spent the majority of the event behind the table, helping to pour the wine while telling the people about it. Luca brought with him the 2011 Barolo Castiglione, 2011 Barolo Brunate and of course the 2007 Villero, which was the Wine of the Year. You can read more about the Villero on the Vietti Website.

Although I spent most of my time behind the Vietti table, I also got to taste some wine. Among the wines I tasted was the Oddero Barolo. I was sad that Isobel was not there, but maybe I'll get to meet her next time!

L'Insieme

L'Insieme was founded in 1997 by Elio Altare. The project includes 6 other wineries: Mauro Veglio, Gianfranco Alessandria, Corino, Grasso, Morando, Caviola and Revello. Each winery chooses their best crus and makes the L'Insieme wine with those grapes. 

For every bottle produced, 5 euros goes to the fund. And each year on November 11, the fund is given to a charity. The beneficiaries include many types of charities, and the fund has given to over 42 different causes so far. 

What is the significance of November 11th? It's St. Martin's Day. St. Martin is the patron saint of warriors and winemakers, and a guardian of the unfortunate. He symbolized charity and compassion.

Altare L'Insieme. 
Revello Fratelli L'Insieme. 
Gianfranco Alessandria L'Insieme.
Silvio Grasso L'Insieme. 
And check out the L'Insieme website! 

If you want to learn more, Dan Gorge wrote about L'Insieme on his blog.

Conterno at La Pizza Fresca

La Pizza Fresca is hosting yet another winemaker from the Barolo region. This time Roberto Conterno with Giacomo Conterno will be joining them, hosting a tasting of his Barolo's. 
The wines include his Barbera Ceretta and a Barolo Cascina Francia 1993. 

As last time, there will be a choice of 4 course or 5 course dinner. The 4 course dinner features 6 wines, and the 5 course features 10 wines.
If you're in New York, you should check it out.  

The 4 course dinner is $225.

The 5 course dinner is $485 

Christmas Recap

This Christmas was filled with even more good wine than the last, ranging from the familiar Altare and Vietti wines to less familiar Comte Lafon and Lechenaut. They all range in quality and price, and of course some were better than others.

I love decorating the table in the dining room. We rarely sit there, which makes eating there special. For christmas it's always silver, white and a little bit of green, as you see in the picture above. 

  

 Larigi is one of my favorites. Altare is always a good choice. And Christmas is about family, and I consider them part of mine. Elio, Lucia, Silvia, Leone and Polpetta!

Barolo and Friends Oslo

February 23rd, there is a wine event for Wine Enthusiasts in Oslo. This event took place last year as well, and was so successful it's happening again this year! 
If you are not in the wine trade, don't worry! There are events open to the public, so anyone can go!
There are tastings, seminars and dinners, so there is a lot to choose from! 
If you are interested, check out the event here!

Me and Elio Altare

Some of the producers that are attending include Elio Altare (http://www.elioaltare.com/) and Cordero di Montezemolo (http://www.corderodimontezemolo.it)

Mangialonga 2015

Mangialonga will be on Augusy 30th this year, 2015. 
For those of you who don't know what the Mangialonga is, it is a "4km non-competitive enogastronomic hike along the wine pathway of La Morra."

I have been lucky enough to attend for two years, and will hopefully get to go again this year! 

You can read about my experience last year here.

Wine glasses - Riedel

When I finish my Bachelor at Boston University, I will move home to Norway, and will most likely move into an apartment in Oslo. As I am a person who plans ahead, I have started buying (and collecting) things for my new apartment.

Obvious necessities are wine glasses, and I am a fan of Riedel. I already have a bunch in my apartment in Boston, many of which are Tumblers. I will of course bring them back to Oslo, but most of my glasses are Bordeaux, so for Christmas I got a pair of Pinot Noir glasses! I am now on my way to an exhaustive wine glass collection! 

Of course, many types of glasses are missing, like Sauvignon Blanc glasses and Montrachet (Chardonnay) glasses, but the time will come one day! For now I am happy with the collection I have.

If you want to look at a guide to Riedel's wine glasses, check out their website.

DIY: Blindtasting Sleeves

My most recent DIY project involved knitting. It's something my grandmother taught me, and I actually quite enjoy it. Since we do a lot of blindtasting both at home and when we are in Piemonte, I've started making my own Wine Sleeves.

It's quick, you can use any color and do whatever pattern you feel like. Since I am not an advanced knitter, I make my patterns up as I go along. However, I am thinking of learning to do a pattern. You can look them up online or go to a knitting store. We'll see how that goes. 

2015 Bucket List

As it is a new year, a year filled with possibilities, I have reflected on some of the things I never got to do in 2014. So here's a list of  few things I want to do in 2015.

1) Harvest. Ever since I started really getting into wine, I have wanted to be part of the Harvest. Eventually I want to have experienced every aspect of the wine making, but the next one on the list is the Harvest.

2) Champagne. I'd like to do a tour and a tasting, perhaps learn some more about Champagne.

3) Tartufo Hunt. There are two types of Tartufo hunting (allegedly): the one where it's a real hunt and you may not find any, and the one that is staged, and you find a clean truffle ready to be eaten. I would not mind either, because regardless it sounds fun, and you can't be a Piemontegirl and not have been on a Tartufo hunt.

4) Barolo Night. Another event I have yet to try, usually due to really bad timing. From what I hear, it's tons of fun, and you might spot Guiseppe Rinaldi in his green velour suit!

5) Take a class. Last year I took a wine class, Level 2, a class that covered everything. This year, I'd like to try something more specific. I know both Eataly and Otto give different classes. Otto's run Sundays or Tuesdays, and vary in wine topics. Eataly also has classes, however they are food related. Both sound good to me. Check out Eataly's classes here and Otto's classes here.
 

New Year 2014: Felice Anno Nuovo

It's been a good year, with lots of good wine, great food and incredible people.
I've tried more new wines this year than the year before, met new people in the wine industry and tried different types of winery work. Safe to say it's been an amazing year "wine wise". 

Hopefully next year will be equally great or perhaps even better. Maybe I'll get to try Harvest, something I always miss due to school. Since I graduate in May, I hope that I'll be able to go to Harvest, even though I'll have to go to the gym everyday if I want to be any help at all. 

 

Thank you to everyone who made this year great! Especially my friends in Italy! I miss you guys and hope to see you soon!

Felice Anno Nuovo!

Wine in Brazil

I have been so lucky when it comes to wine. I started with Barolo and Burgundy, at the top. It's a blessing and somewhat of a curse, because I missed out on the journey of trying other wines. 


 


Now that I am in Brazil with the Dias family, I am surrounded by  restauranteurs and winemakers and wine people, all who are from Brazil or Portugal. 

So, in the next few days I will be trying a lot of different wines, expanding my horizons and experiencing different cultures. 

Safe to say I am super excited!

Christmas Eve

In Norway it's tradition to eat what we call "stick meat" which is lamb, and it does not really go with any wine. But we chose Bartolo Mascarello's Barbera, because of all the wines, Barbera is one of the ones that goes best with "stick meat", but most importantly, it's because Maria Teresa likes Lamb.

The wine was amazing as always, smooth and easy to drink, yet complex, and you can tell it was made with love and passion.
More winemakers should make wine like this, and if you ever have the pleasure of meeting Miss Barolo Mascarello, she will blow you away with her enthusiasm for her work and her passion for the grapes and her wine. And if you don't get to meet her, Alan will probably show you around, and he is also wonderful, sharing Maria Teresa's passion and enthusiasm for the wine.

Favorite Wine Stores in NYC

Astor Wines
Astor wines has a large selection, and you can find both Cavallotto and Vietti. What I like about Astor Wines is they don't just have the Barolo's, they have Barbera and Dolcetto, and also inexpensive white wine.  Check out their website here.

Moore Brother's Wine Company
Discovered completely by accident, this wonderful wine store is located right next to La Pizza Fresca. To my delight, I found Ettore Germano's wines there! Dolcetto, Barbera, Langhe Nebbiolo, Barolo and his Langhe Chardonnay! I did not see his Herzu, which is my favorite, but I am still impressed! Learn about their impressive efforts to bring great wine to the US here.

Flatiron Wines
This store is small, yet has a great selection. Their burgundy sections is great, along with their Piemonte section. The staff is helpful and friendly, and the prices are pretty good. Definately a go to when in New York. Check out their website.

Chamber Street
Although I have never actually been here myself, I know this is one for the books. At Chamber Street you can find old gems at a decent price, and from what I hear, the staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. It's on my "Barrel list" for sure! You can find more information on their website.

Christmas Wine Wish List

Like many other people in the wine world, I have put together a little wish list for those who are interested in wine.

Blindtasting Sleeve

If you are a blindtasting lover, these wine sleeves are awesome. Many different colors make it so you can blintaste many wines at a time. Learn more about them here.

 

Wine Tumbler
If you live in a college apartment, travel a lot or just in general, wine tumblers are great! I have them in my college apartment and use them when I want to drink on the boat or go on a weekend trip. You never know which glasses you will get when you travel, so I always bring my own. Look at them here.

Wine Skin
Something less fun, but necessary for the wine traveler, is the Wine Skin. It makes it possible to buy wine when you travel, giving you the change to bring home wine that you can't buy it where you're from. You can buy it here.

Wine Glass Identifier
If you have dinner parties with many people, it can be hard to keep track of who has which glass. Here's where wine identifiers come in handy. You can look at a past post about them on my blog. Check them out here. 

World Atlas of Wine
If you don't already have one, or the person you are giving a gift to doesn't already have one, the World Atlas of Wine is a great book to learn about wine. It's the book I used for my wine course. 
You can buy it on Amazon, and you can learn more about it here.

Wine Glass Writer
Another prop that goes well with blindtasting is the Wine Glass Marker, a marker that you can write on your glass with. 
Learn more about them here.

 

Blenheim - Pictures

 Cavallotto Pinner - always a winner

 Home made syrup- YUM!

Blenheim NYC

Blenheim is owned by a Norwegian, Morten Sohlberg. The restaurant, located in West Village NYC, is named after his farm outside of the city, where they grow their own vegetables and raise their own meet (animals). The restaurant takes on a farm-to-table approach, which is impressive for a restaurant in NYC.
The Team at Blenheim include Morten, Min Ye and the chef Ryan Tate. 

The food was incredible, the service great and ambiance spectacular. Their wine list included Cavallotto's Pinner so I was very happy. 

This place is definitely worth a visit. It was just such an amazing food experience. I will be coming back for sure. 

Learn more about them here: http://www.blenheimhill.com/

Sorbet: Thyme, Cider and Citrus

#tbt France Summer 2014

Wish I was back in France, drinking white burgundy and eating amazing food. Hope I get to go back soon!