Massolino, the first vineyard we visited on the Piemonte wine tour. Franco Massolino, the very charming wine maker and owner, was waiting for us at the gate. He greeted us individually and apologized for the construction work that’s going on. He said next year, at around this time, there will be a proper tasting room for guests. I laughed and said in Hong Kong, we cannot wait for 1 year.
Franco at the cellar
Franco then led us to the cellar; there were big wood barrels and small French oak barrels. The French oak barrels are used for aging Chardonnay, Dolcetto and Barbera. I asked, “What about Barolos?”
Well, according to Franco, Nebbiolo that is used for making Barolo is a very delicate grape. Being a traditionalist, he believes the big wood barrel is best for aging Barolo. The barrel will not add any flavor to the wine, and will let the wine mature naturally to show its best.
The Cellar
The small French oak barrel is very good for aging Chardonnay, Dolcetto and Barbera. It will add sweet tannin to the wine.
Barrel #17
He then walked to Barrel #17 and shared with us the story behind this big barrel. The barrel was sent to the winery by mistake. It was from Germany and made for beer. It arrived at the vineyard by mistake and it was 40 years ago. He asked us to knock on the wood and it felt like stone. Then we knocked on the other barrels, they were a lot softer.
After the tour, he walked with us through the narrow streets to a small family restaurant overlooking Piemonte. We tasted 7 wines from his vineyard pairing with a 4-course meal for lunch. We sat at the terrace of the restaurant, with the clear blue sky and hilly Piemonte in the distance, it was so easy to relax and before we knew it, we had spent 3 hours at lunch.
The Restaurant
When we were bidding farewell to our host, he gave us a map of the Piemonte vineyard. We were so delighted and asked for his autograph on the map. He did so with a smile and bid us farewell!
Grape Wine Journey 
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