Italy is always great. How can you go wrong really? Last weekend we were in the Piemonte, with my sister Molly and her boyfriend Billy. The Piemonte is truly the heart of Italian food and wine (there was an aritcle about it in the NYT food section last week.) I will admit though, my Italian wine knowledge is not anywhere near that of my French, which I find very frustrating. With almost no time to research, and not a very big budget for wine buying, we just decided to enjoy our time there, and not obsess over tasting and meeting producers. Unless I have a contact, I am not big on scheduling winery visits and tasting wines at the winery itself. I think, if you really don't know your producers well, the best thing to do is find an "enoteca" (wine-bar) and settle in for a few hours of wine tasting. It's a great way to get an idea of what is going on in the region, especially if you're not very familiar with the wines. This is something we are also quite good at!
We spent a day at the Slow Food "Salone del Gusto" which was quite overwhelming. Four years ago we went with some good friends and it was great fun. This year, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. First of all we waited in line over an hour to get in, the lines barely advancing, people pushing, not the greatest start to the day. Once inside we breathed a sigh of relief and headed to the sushi bar where we sampled some delicious sushi and drank some saké to calm our nerves and appease our stomachs. Sushi? you say? Why sushi? Well, Japan was the country of honor this year, and living in the south of France we don't get the opportunity to eat much sushi. Don't worry, there was lots more to be consumed that day. Aisles and aisles of food products from Italy, France, England, Mexico and many many more countries, a food-lovers delight. I have to admit though, that this year I felt that Slow Food had outgrown itself, and that there weren't as many little artisanal producers as there had been 4 years ago. Their major sponsors included De Cecco pasta, Lavazza coffee, and San Daniele parmesan hardly small producers. The wines were the same, they ranged from small producers to semi-industrial wineries. I had to ask myself, were there any criteria to participate or was it just a case of bigger is better? The more products they had on display the better the event seemed? Don't get me wrong, we still had a great time and stocked up on our favorite balsalmic vinegar (the real stuff), pasta, risotto, and polenta, all the things that we find hard to get here in southern France, I just think it's a shame that the organizers seem to have lost focus on the original idea. The price you pay for popularity I suppose.
After that we went to a wonderful place that was definitely slow. Azienda Agricola La Rovere, is a farmhouse perched high up in the hills above the town of Cossano Belbo, in the heart of Moscato d'Asti and Barbera country. They have a total of 6 hectares of land, about 1,5 planted in vines. We loved their wine. Pure blue fruit, fresh acidity and a touch of oak, we quaffed a bottle with the owner upon arrival. The house is entirely heated by a wood-fueled boiler, and they are just putting the finishing touches on an eco-friendly farmhouse that they rebuilt for vacation rentals. If you are going to the Piemonte anytime soon, I highly recommend La Rovere. There were walks in the hills, visits to Bra, and Alba with a quick walk through the truffle market, and a great evening at a wine bar called Momenti di Vino in Cossano Belbo. All in all it was a great weekend away, much needed for all of us.
On the way home, back in France, we took a break from the autoroute and spotted a beautiful castle perched on a mountainside not far from Mont Blanc. I insisted we go see it. The Chateau de Miolans was like a story-book castle - the dungeons and dragons type - it was so beautiful and still in such good condition it was easy to imagine the knights
defending the castle against barbarian invaders! Another must-visit in my book. There were lots of families visiting since it's fall break here, and you could just see the wonder and delight in the kids faces. It's a place you rarely experience these days.
OK- there you have it a little cultural detour, now back to winemaking and grape growing!
