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!

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.
 

Elio Altare Dinner

Fantastic. Just fantastic. 
The Elio Altare Winemaker Dinner overcame all expectations. First of all, it was great to see Elio again. Second of all, the restaurant La Pizza Fresca in  New York, was quite nice. I have never been before, but I was quite impressed and their wine list is quite impressive.

We sat at our own table, was served a four course meal and had 7 glasses of wine.
Dolcetto
Barbera
Barolo (La Morra) 2004 and 2010
Barolo Arborina 2004, 2007 and 2010.

Elio looked great as always, was modest as always and still believes he can't speak English. He still made a speech, in Italian, and one of his Skurnik representatives translated. 

If you want to know more about La Pizza Fresca, check it out here.

Mangialonga 2014

I'm back!!!

Since it was so much fun last year, I just HAD to come back. 
Last year I had the pleasure of volunteering, and I worked at the Start Line. This year I was at the ticket office, replacing Silvia Altare, since she was out of town. 
I didn't actually get to do the Mangialonga this year because I had to fly back to Norway, but it was still fun! Hopefully next year I'll be able to do the whole thing. 

 For those of you who don't know, Mangialonga is a wine event that takes place in La Morra, Piemonte. You sign up, get a glass and a "bib", and you embark on a 4km adventure where you get to taste world class wines, while experiencing the beautiful land Piemonte has to offer.

If you want to read more about Mangialonga, check out their website: here. 
Follow them on Facebook.  

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.

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".

 

Burlotto

This was my first visit to Burlotto, and it was a great one. The wines were of excellent quality, the wine maker was wonderful and the visit was fun.
Burlotto has been making wine for about 6 generations, and to this day, they still stomp their grapes by feet. As seen in the movies. 
Tradition is a huge part of the wine making, as you can also see in the labels. 
I will definitely be going back here. 

Mario Veglio and the World Cup 2014

UNESCO

The vineyard landscape of Piemonte has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.
The are covers 29 towns and over 10,000 hectares across 5 regions in Piemonte. Barolo, Barbaresco and Barbera d'Asti is within the area.

Susage and Barolo

Another tradition at Cantina Granveien: Sausages and Barolo.

An assortment of sausages and a magnum Barolo, different producer each time. 

Today: Andrea Roberto, Barolo 2006.