una buona annata: Grand Scale Gluttony in Barolo and Barbaresco

Tis the season of visitors here in Bra, and one of the most anticipated visits was that of Rasoul, executive director of the winery I worked for in the Okanagan, and his wife Sara. It had been a devastating week for me personally, to put it mildly, so the timing for a distraction couldn't have been more fortuitous. They arrived beaming from ear to ear on the 17.32 train, bearing generous gifts - the Singaporean pork and beef jerky still haunting my taste buds - along with raging colds caught in Milan.

No matter - a long night's sleep and they were ready to check out the region. While many of these famous hill towns are accessible in thirty minutes or less, a rental car is definitely required. And in truth, I'd really only spent 7 weekends of the previous 17 in town, many of those as an over-eager student frantically reading and paper-writing, so the three of us were really playing tourist together. And while Rasoul adamantly professed the need for a "wine break", he sheepishly admitted over pizza the first night that he'd set up some private tastings . . .

We wandered through gorgeous little villages perched on cliff tops, careened down some admittedly sketchy one lane tracks down steep hillsides, sneakily sampled DOCG grapes in random vineyards, feasted in grand style on more than one occasion - particularly the night of the '87 Barolo and '95 Barbaresco - and experienced memorable tastings at Paolo Scavino and Brovia.

It was a beautiful weekend that lifted my spirits immeasurably, not just in the activities but in the brilliant company. I was reminded yet again the blessings that my friends can be, and can only hope to return the favour in better times. Or at least when I have a regular paycheque again...

For this weekend, I'll let the pictures do the talking as my words couldn't do it justice.

Tasting at the Wine Bank on campus - a white that has tannins!

In Barolo!

Barolo

Inside the Barolo Enoteca, comparing four Barolos

At Brovia for our private tasting

The first of the reds - we ended up doing a vertical
barrel tasting of my favourite - the Ca' Mia

The courtyard of Paolo Scavino

Weston giving us the royal treatment at Paolo Scavino

Dolcetto vines on the way to Treiso for our Michelin-starred
dinner at La Ciau del Tornavento (see next blog posting)

In La Morra

Views from La Morra, the highest point in the region

Monforte d'Alba, home of the Conterno empire

You know it's harvest time when . . .

In the amazing old-school cellar at Ristorante
Il Centro in Priocca, the preserved fruits and
compotes share privileged real estate with
the biggest names in wine