Vinhulen.dk's Barolo tour 2008
There are vineyards as far as the eye can see, both up and down. Castle towers stretch towards the heavens from the few settlements, while other towns nestle in the valleys far below us.
The best view can be found in La Morra where a viewpoint on the highest spot in the area gives a breathtaking perspective in clear weather. Quite an experienceÂ…
The whole Barolo trip started way back in the preparation phase, and believe me, there was plenty to prepare for. We had to fit visits to nearly 20 producers in one week, after a road trip of a mere 1640km, not to mention the return trip of 1640km again.
Why didnÂ’t we fly?? Ask Sterling!!
Why did we bring a GPS? It was useless – satellites can’t see the layers of mother earth from above. This was a big problem as the wine producers are stacked on top of each other on the steep hillsides!
Our Barolo tour wouldnÂ’t have been the success it was without help from a few good people. Their good will, helpfulness and stubbornness meant that we arrived at the right places at the right times.
Without all the people who pulled strings for us, the project just wouldnÂ’t have been the same. We are extremely grateful for all your help!
In the picture from the left: Henrik, Thomas, Frank and Michael in front of our lodgings La Giolitta.
A Barolo tour couldn’t be without a permanent address. We chose to stay at La Giolitta where we had our own downstairs apartment with room for six. Every morning we had a sumptuous breakfast involving fresh eggs, salami, ham, bread, a fire, a huge terrace and a family. Daniela and Francesco always made sure we were well prepared for the events of day ahead. La Giolitta can be found in the middle of Barolo town in relaxed surroundings, and we warmly recommend it. It is also possible to rent single and double rooms, and the price is fair considering the quality – which is high!
The town of Barolo didnÂ’t have a central place in terms of our visits to producers, except for Sergio Barale. But since it is the essence of the Barolo region we felt we had to stay there, and take longer excursions to Monforte d'Alba, La Morra, Serralunga d'Alba, Casteglione Falleto and more.
Vinhulen.dk under the castle in Barolo town, western style by night.
The program for the week was quite pressed for time, but we soon found out that it was no bad thing as many areas didn’t offer much other than wine, wine and more wine – glorious!
The status for whom we visited and special articles can be seen below:
Barolo 2008 & 2009 - 45 pictures from the tours.
Barolo 2008 initial article - Online 19.11.2008
Giovanni Manzone - Online 25.01.2009
Giovanni Manzone - English version - Online 25.01.2009
Conterno Fantino- Online 25.01.2009
Conterno Fantino - English version - Online 25.01.2009
Schiavenza - Online 06.12.2008
Schiavenza - English version - Online 06.12.2008
Ettore Germano - Online 29.11.2008
Ettore Germano - English version - Online 29.11.2008
Luciano Sandrone - Online 17.10.2009
Aldo Conterno - Online 07.06.2009
Fratelli Barale - Online 22.05.2009
Brovia - Online 26.12.2008
Renato Ratti - Online 22.02.2009
Rocche dei Manzoni - Online 08.02.2009
Cascina Baricchi - Online 28.07.2009
Bruno Giacosa - Online 19.04.2009
Luigi Pira - Online 27.07.2009
Giacomo Conterno - Online 21.02.2009
Cascina Cucco - Online 22.03.2009
Guiseppe Mascarello - Online 20.12.2008
Splendid restaurants in Barolo and the neighborhood
After a day with three tastings, there is nothing better that a hot shower and a good meal in one of the small towns. And the best thing was - we ate and drank at fantastic prices.
The first evening we had the pleasure of drinking some of the wines we knew we wouldnÂ’t be tasting on our visits.
For example, we drank a bottle of Barbaresco 2000 from Ca’Roma (Barbaresco just that once!) and a bottle of Barolo Pajana 2004 from Dominico Clerico. These were accompanied by 11 courses of antipasti, primi and secondo, coffee and cake. The bill came to about 1500DKK for four people – unbelievably cheap!!
Barolo and antipasti isnÂ’t the best combination, so we quickly switched to Dolcetto from top producers, and drank Barolo with the main course only...
Mrs Schiavenza’s keepers – lock us in with them please!
ItÂ’s important to get the balance right when on holiday. A holiday lets you learn the value of the simple things in life, and this is what the Italians are good at. Everything takes place at an easy tempo, and just as the pace starts to increase around midday, everything shuts from 12 to 15 to prevent stress. This was particularly unfortunate for one of Vinhulens team who requires lunch at that time :-)
Anyway, no one dies from a single missed meal, so we all survived.
In such a quite area, one asks the question “is it them or us who most enjoy life?”. The answer is without a doubt – the Italians. No stress, no disturbances, no disharmony, no bickering – just service, when it fits into the program. When shopping at the local supermarket, it’s not some indifferent teenager at the till. No no, it’s the 70 or 80 year old owner (redundancy pay doesn’t exist in Monforte d’Alba). You talk with the locals and take your time, but then, who doesn’t have time to queue for a lemon for 1½ hours when on holiday? While waiting, one can enjoy the range of olive oils, the array of religious figurines and all the varieties of meats and cheeses. Then there is the small handwritten sign in Italian giving congratulations for being the shop owner for 43 years. Take that Denmark! No running from the position.
A good warm up for the 2001 vintage!
ItÂ’s also obvious that the Italians use a larger portion of their income on clothes and shoes than the Danes. One really has to make an effort to fit in with the crowd when dining out, especially the women.
Don’t misunderstand me – upon entering a restaurant you get a big smile from the owner despite your dress sense, though I suspect that the smile turns into a laugh afterwards. They really do dress well in Italy, and every time I visit I have to remind myself that that’s the way it is down there, but I am impressed every time.
Here, a 60 year old man can go out with a 30 year old lady, and everyone is fine with that. No one chokes on their ravioli when the pair holds hands over the table. There is space for everyone :-)
Nebbia – the famous fog!
Stay tuned! Next week there will be dew-fresh updates for the individual visits with the newest taste results.