Wine & Food Piemonte

"American Wannabees" In Italy

2013-05-14T17:47:00.000+02:00

The American dream is still alive in Italy and every day I chuckle at American influences here in the old world. On Sunday, Claudio sponsored a local "motorfest" in Bra, which meant lots of "Italian" harlisti as they call them here. Although I was surrounded by patriotic American gear, the Italianess still shone through no matter how hard they tried! American flags everywhere!!! A SFPD

Mirto: The Sardinian Taste of Hospitality [Guest Post]

2013-05-07T18:44:00.000+02:00

“Fancy a Mirto?” is the offer you cannot refuse. In any case. When a Sardinian offers you a shot glass of Mirto (simply called “a mirto”, or dearly “mirtino”), there is a good chance that it is homemade: self-made, or prepared by mom, brother, friends… The homemade procedure is not a standard one: there are lots of small differences in making Mirto, in order to have it more or less

Vinum 2013 Alba

2013-04-29T15:19:00.001+02:00

While my teacher colleagues were enjoying their long "ponte" holidays abroad and at sea, I was here in Piemonte working overtime at the winery. To uplift our spirits on Sunday afternoon, Claudio and I faced the cold rainy weather to blog about the annual wine event in Alba called Vinum. One of the perks of blogging and making contacts was getting free passes and glasses! Woohoo! Vinum is a

Barolo On A Tuesday At San Biagio

2013-04-20T17:57:00.000+02:00

I have to admit I am one of those people who goes through short-lived obsessive phases, especially when it comes to food and wine. My latest one is a light fruity and peppery wine called Verduno Pelaverga like I talked about in my last post. So my friend Matteo suggested another producer who is actually based in La Morra, called San Biagio and interestingly owns a Pelaverga vineyard right on the

Fratelli Alessandria - Verduno Winery Visit

2013-04-17T19:40:00.000+02:00

The feel of the warm sun finally caressing my pale winter skin filled me with the energy and positivity that I needed. With a much needed weekend off and the sun shining, my inclinations took me to the land of Pelaverga in Verduno, where we could taste a light refreshing and spicy red Piemontese wine. Right in the heart of the old town, we were greeted by Alessandro (Alex) in the front

"Blind Date" At Boccondivino Bra

2013-04-09T19:39:00.001+02:00

As Richard mentions in his blog post, Saturday night we had an exhilarating sort of blind dinner date! Just recently after reading a comment from a British guy on my blog post, I found out they were moving to Vergne which is right where I am working at the winery! Almost without hesitation, we planned on meeting last weekend at one of the best restaurants in Bra, Boccondivino to see what all

Moving Towards Wine Geekdom!

2013-04-02T22:20:00.000+02:00

I guess I have left out some important info on my blog about what is new around here. Nope...not pregnant! But something nearly just as exciting for a wine lover like me, I have started the Associazione Italiana Sommelier course here in Italy! Through meeting winemakers at the recent Moscato event, I found out that there was actually a AIS course starting literally 5 yards from my

A "We" Weekend American Style

2013-03-26T18:29:00.000+01:00

Much ado about nothing. Me, the one who is always gladly running around, finally appreciated last weekend for the sake of doing NOTHING! After working 6 days a week at my various jobs, I just needed to CHILL and unwind. The rainy non-Spring-like weather which depressed most, ended up being a blessing in disguise for me. With a rare Saturday off and dreary weather, it was the perfect excuse to

Moscato and Colomba: Sweetness in Bitter Times

2013-03-14T18:50:00.002+01:00

When a fellow blogger from Alba, Cucina Precaria, invited me to the event #DolcediNatura on Sunday, I was thrilled to get back into the bloggersphere. With Easter right around the corner, I thought it would be a great opportunity to taste some Moscato together with the seasonal colomba (panettone), and plus, we were even offered a free dinner together with the bakers and winemakers! So why not?

Organic Sicilian Wines: Guccione

2013-03-05T18:01:00.000+01:00

Petit with jet black hair, Gianna generously poured us the last of her wines left at the Fiera Golosaria 2012 in Milan. The buzz was going around about this incredible tiny production of Sicilian wine from the winery Guccione. Just like you would expect from Sicily, we became friends right off the bat and Gianna was kind enough to send us a taste of some of their wines. I was anxiously awaiting

Fritto Misto Piemontese

2013-02-26T19:35:00.001+01:00

As much as we all want to be as healthy as possible, especially me, sometimes you just feel the need for some fried food. Since poor Claudio has to constantly adapt to my vegetarian diet, detoxes, and daily lemon water, sometimes when he sees something really greasy on a menu, the temptation is just too strong. In fact. last Saturday he was immediately drawn to the traditional dish, FRITTO MISTO

Cabin Fever Cured On A Sunday Night Out In Bra

2013-02-21T19:26:00.000+01:00

Talk about cabin fever! I have gone through 2 rounds of the flu and just as I finally got better...BAM... Claudio got hit hard. That meant staying inside and nursing ourselves back to health. Unfortunately, between my 2 jobs and our illnesses, we haven't been getting out much. When Sunday came up and Claudio's fever went down, I begged him to meet a friend OUT instead of in for an aperitivo.

Butter-less Banana Bread

2013-02-11T10:51:00.000+01:00

Some things are better left to women. Normally I leave the financial, businessy stuff to Claudio because I don't like to deal with it all here in Italy. This time, however, I should have stepped in when our landlady asked whether we wanted a dishwasher or an oven. Claudio innocently chose the dishwasher and while it is timesaving, you just have to have an oven in the kitchen! After months of

Snowshoeing In The Vineyards

2013-01-28T20:26:00.001+01:00

As you know, despite living at the foot of the Alps, I am not a mountain girl. In 8 years, I've gone skiing and snowshoeing just once. But, when my friend Roxy asked me if we wanted to go hiking in the snow... IN THE VINEYARDS, I was all about that! Can't do that in Napa during the winter! So 2 sunny girls from Cali and Texas set off on our winter adventure from Barolo all the way to Monforte.

"Gita" to Geneva

2013-01-15T21:42:00.001+01:00

Pristine green fields, towering snowy mountains, wood chalets, no litter, no crime, and no problems. This is how we imagine Switzerland right? And I was enthused about driving through Mont Blanc to visit our friends Marco and Maria for New Year's Eve this year. They had planned three wonderful nights of meals for us and of course good wine and entertainment. A part of me however was a

Wine Comeback: Grignolino, Rosè Brut, and Barbera

2013-01-08T17:59:00.000+01:00

Ok, so after our wine slump, we were due for a wine comeback! Luckily we tasted some superb wines the last week of Christmas break, and these were all "given" to me. Go figure! #1 Giacomo Bologna "Braida" Grignolino: In the shadow of the big boys here in Piemonte, Grignolino is a traditional grape which is light fun and fruity. This had a cranberry pomegranate aroma and taste with some field

The Wine Gods Were Against Me

2013-01-03T16:32:00.001+01:00

I swear the wine gods were against me last month. Finally after all these years of saving those very first bottles of Barolo ever bought, it seemed like the right time to try and open a few. Part of the intrigue of wine is finding those rare or special bottles, storing them in the perfect environment, waiting...and waiting...and waiting until you feel like the time is right. With Barolo, that

Pre-Christmas Eating and Drinking

2012-12-23T14:31:00.000+01:00

The Italian sagras (food festivals) in Fall seem to ease us into the hardcore eating sessions in December. It is all about the food and drinks now and it is just about to get even more intense. Thank god I am so busy working now at the winery in Barolo that my lunch diet is based on mandarins and crackers, allowing for some big drawn out dinners and desserts. Here are some of our food and wine

Our New Favorite Trattoria: Il Bercau

2012-12-11T20:04:00.002+01:00

"Go to Il Bercau. That is where all the locals go", a resident friend informed me when trying to decide where to take my parents for dinner. In fact, it was a TRUE trattoria --- finally. Old style photos painted on the walls, local wine bottles displayed on the shelves and a casual and simplistic feel that made you feel at home. The people were patient and warm and brought us each dish one at a

Cruising Through The Crus Of La Morra

2012-12-06T20:28:00.000+01:00

Another beautiful and crisp day in front of us and no set plans, my family and I decided to go get some wonderfully smelly cheese at Giolito in Bra and some fantastic breadsticks from a local bakery. Our first destination was La Morra's Lebanese Cedar Tree, a symbol of love, history and nobility. After admiring the tree, we realized there was no place to eat our cheese, and our stomachs were

Rivetto Winery Visit In The Fall

2012-11-27T18:08:00.000+01:00

I am still catching up on all the fun blog posts I need to write about from when my parents were here in the beginning of November. Did I mention that we had the most amazing weather ever!? For the first time they were able to get that WHAM BAM mountain chain view right up in front of them. It was the perfect day to go to Rivetto Winery between Serralunga and Sinio They might possibly have one

Truffle Hunting In Alba: The Real Deal!

2012-11-22T11:43:00.003+01:00

It's REAL truffle time here in Piemonte! Have you ever tried a white Alba truffle, this strange little nugget which is as precious as gold? Well I think you either love it or you hate it but the experience of the whole buzz around this fungus during this time of year is exciting for all. When my parents were here we caught the end of the extended Alba Truffle Fair and got to see all kinds of

A Diamond In The Rough: Agriturismo In Salmour

2012-11-15T10:24:00.002+01:00

An agriturismo in Salmour? Out of all the places I wanted to take my parents to eat on their short trip here in Langhe, Salmour, in the middle of farmlands, was not what I had in mind. But my in-laws were so very kind to take our family out to lunch, therefore it was the right thing to do to let them choose the restaurant. But Salmour!? Come'on! It doesn't even sound Italian and evoked visions

Settled In Bra

2012-11-11T20:28:00.002+01:00

Well, a few weeks later, here I am again back to blogging and with lots to talk about! We have settled into our new apartment in Bra, not a seemless, push-up or strapless but the Slow Food capital city of Bra. The more expansive city gives me a sense of freedom and curiosity and even though they say it is more polluted, I ironically feel like I can finally breathe. I've even been impressed about

No Looking Back! A New Adventure

2012-10-23T20:02:00.001+02:00

8 years ago this week, I had just stepped off the airplane into the unknown. I remember it was rainy and freezing cold. I had no heavy jacket or boots, just my midriff sweater, low waisted jeans and converse. A stereotypical beautiful Italian woman in a matching pink and white suit picked me up, fit everything into a mini audi as big as my luggage and we were off. I remember trying to keep my