Italy Trip Day Three -- The Wine Continues to Flow

After a free evening last night, and trying to sleep through the sounds of nature in the form of very loud tree frogs, some of us got up early for a morning hike. Blue skies, crowing roosters, and farmers' fields gleaming in the sunlight beckoned. We wandered into people's backyards and into the hills full of hazelnut and fruit trees.

After breakfast we left for the charming town of Barbaresco for a tour of the Gaja Winery. Arriving early, we walked around the town. Resident artist, Sergio Omedé, has art works all over town, all interesting and some very intriguing. Sonia, our delightful wine guide at Gaja Winery, took us through the renovated facility that includes the use of an old castle next door. Formerly a bar and a disco, the castle now serves as a cellar for fabulous wines. The Gaja family is still running the company after four generations. In fact the daughter is named Gaia Gaja. We learned how Clotilde, grandmother of the current owner, realized that high quality wines would be better for them to produce than great quantities. She proved to be right. We loved the wines. Sonia served us a 2007 Camarcanda, an oaky super Tuscan with lots of earthiness and and black fruits. We also had a 2007 Barbaresco and a 2006 Dagromis. The 1999 Sperss was a stunning mix of Nebbiolo and Barbera with lots of spiciness and deep fruit.

Lunch was in the hill town of Neive at Ristorante "La Luna nel Pozzo." The local food is very rich and delicious. We had ravioli, quail, foie gras, and gnocchi--all excellent. A quick get-away was required because Barbara Sandrone, daughter of Luciano Sandrone, had a meeting in Alba and wanted to meet us before she left the winery.

We had a fascinating visit at Sandrone. We met not just Barbara, but also Luciano himself and his brother, Luca, his wife and grandchildren. It is truly a family operation and the love they have for the wines is evident. A new winery--Luciano harvested his first grapes in 1978, the building was built entirely to his specifications and works perfectly for his operation. Alan, who guided us through the buildings and explained all the workings of the winery, led a tasting of five wines that all reflect Luciano's attention to detail. The first, a Dolcetto d'Alba was a barrel tasting that Luciano drew just for us from his 2010 vintage. It shows excellent promise. We also had the 2009 Barbera d'Alba and the Valmaggio Nebbiolo from 2009. Alan described the "Le Vigne" Barolo as Audrey Hepburn and the 2007 "Cannubi Boschis" Barolo as Sophia Loren. They were both lovely ladies--the Cannubi lush and dramatic and the Le Vigne, spare and sophisticated. We were just happy to have a taste of all those great vintages.

On the way back to Alba, we stopped at the small town of Grinzane Cavour where the truffle auction is held in November each year. Beautiful views and an enoteca with great photos of the truffle dinners from years past make it a worthy stop. Especially considering the great buys some of us made.

I'll have the Tour Bus Special.

We drove to Diano d'Alba for dinner tonight. That may sound  easier than it was. Our big nine woman van on skinny little roads with no turnarounds or pullouts met a 54 passenger bus head on. When the stare down between Karla and the driver ended, we pulled back a little way and the bus driver reversed enough for Karla to pull through. It was a draw, well played. With the excitement over, we settled in for dinner.  The anchovies in hazelnut sauce came first followed by prosciutto crudo with fritters and a celery salad with peppers and local cheese.

Clearly it was going to be another feast--and we began watching the table of East Europeans who had come in on one of the big buses to try to figure out what our next course would be. Sure enough everyone was getting more or less the same meal. Our fourth dish was asparagus with cream sauce, the fifth a dish of tiny ravioli. Next came tagliatelle with meat sauce, and a huge platter of risotto. When the server realized that we were slowing way down, she asked, "Basta?" Enough? Yes, in deed. We'd had enough and went straight to desserts--the best lemon sorbetto ever and hazelnut gelato semi-freddo with caramel sauce. The table next to us got a platter of meat and potatoes and we felt no remorse for having declared, "Basta!"

The trip to the hilltop restaurant was well worth it. The food was delicious, the artwork on the walls entertaining, the view across the valley simply stunning and the service attentive.  Except for the harrowing drive, we'd do it all again.