Piemonte Round-up (a.k.a. La Spinetta parte due)

If Giorgio Rivetti saw that picture I'm sure he would not be happy. There's a very good chance he may, in fact. But, rest assured after he goes racing into the cellar at Grinzane Cavour, where his precious Barolo rests in brand new barriques (that, as you can see in the photo, I have marred with an over-flow) he will find no trace of the err. That's because Stefano can make miracles happen. (If only he could do the same to so many shirts I have!)

My last week at Spinetta I worked mainly in the cantina filling and emptying barriques. I would like to say that I got pretty good at it, but evidence exists to fight that statement. Not to mention, it's not necessarily difficult, it mainly requires patience, though the filling of the barrel is definitely the harder task of the two. For one thing, it's a listening task - you musk keep your ear by the opening on the barrel to listen for when it's almost full. But let me tell you, there's nothing like keeping your face over the only outlet for all the acidic fumes coming off of freshly fermented barbera - Mamma Mia! My eyes would burn, and my nostrils tingled! All the same, it was a task deemed appropriate for the girl from New York who has no experience working in a winery.

However, lucky for me, I was able to enjoy some time in Piemonte that did not include wincing over barrels of fresh barbera. My first weekend there, for example, Suzanne returned from Milan (where she is studying for a masters at Bocconi), and we headed to La Morra, in the Barolo zone, for a sunday degustazione at Mauro Molino with Martina Molino. When we were there she informed us that there was actually a big festival going on in town with almost all of the producers in La Morra tasting the masses on their 2005 Barolos (and usually their other wines, too). There are some pictures of this in the album here, amongst others (the first few being from before I arrived at Spinetta - whilst we were still in Northern Piemonte.) Like the previous albums, be sure to watch the captions for a better explanation, though my favorite picture definitely hails from Enzo Boglietti's booth where we were served by a boy (presumably his son) who was probably 9. Only in Italy!

La Spinetta & La Vita Piemontese

In the album you can also observe Giovanna Rivetti - my "hostess" in Piemonte, as well as her hens - and the rooster, not pictured, that served as my alarm clock during my stay. It's amazing, in New York I learned to block out the sounds of ambulances, car horns, and noisy bars. In Piemonte, it was farm animals. (I'll have you know, though, by the end of my time there I was successfully sleeping through that damn rooster!)

One thing slightly unfortunate was that I was unable to visit as many producers as I would have liked because it was harvest (vendemmia) and all were busy - including me. I had a rapid tour at Eunaudi (which is really a beautiful estate!) and a wonderful lunch with the Altare's. My last day in Piemonte (a day I was actually supposed to be in Milan with my friend, Tasha, who had arrived the previous day from the States) we got to also visit Chiara Boschis at the E. Pira e Figli cantina - which was much better than anything we could have done in Milan.

Right before I left I was also lucky enough to catch a friend who was an amazing resource to setting up this trip - Mark Fornatale, Italian Wine Portfolio Director for Michael Skurnik Wines in NYC. We got to spend the afternoon at the Bra Cheese Festival, and then that night dive into the ENTIRE Barolo portfolio of Marc DeGrazie for 2005 and 2006 at the cantina of Fratelli Ravello(!!!) (So you know, these were not opened for us, this was in honor of Steve Tanzer's visit - whom I was lucky enough to meet earlier that week during his appointment with Giorgio (I played the sommelier for that appointment :). We were just part of the free-loading crew that came by afterwards to partake in all the open bottles of delicious, amazing barolo.)
The final added bonus of over-lapping time with Mark was attending a dinner my last night with all the Barolo kids. It was a "bring a bottle blind" kind of event, and I'm happy to say that I did pretty well. Go me! But, more than that, it was a wonderful chance to get to hang out with everyone on their own turf versus when they're being dragged around New York. In fact, my luck served me well in that I got to sit with Chiara Boschis, who was every bit as fabulous as you might expect, and the reason for pushing back that Milan arrival one more day to visit her cantina.

All in all an amazing visit in Piemonte. I felt welcomed (and enthusiastically invited!) by everyone I met, and at this time I have many open invitations to return... which I just might have to do before I depart. It was nice to be able to work as well as offer my service skills at Spinetta (not only as a tour guide for english speaking visitors, but also during a few dinner parties and, of course, the Steve Tanzer appointment), as it allowed me to give back a bit to the overwhelming generosity I received. It was definitely an experience I will never forget, and I can only hope to continue the friendships for years to come.

Here are a few short films from the time in Piemonte. They are very rough, but they offer a more real-time experience. Enjoy!

Bra Cheese Festival