Maria Teresa Mascarello in the cellar
There are the traditionalists, and there are the modernists. In Piemonte, this holds true for the 7 vineyards we visited. Aldo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa and Bartolo Mascarello are no doubt the traditionalists.
Of the three, the visit at Bartolo Mascarello marked a very strong impression on me. Probably because the wine maker and owner was a woman – Maria Teresa Mascarello, daughter to the late Bartolo Mascarello. Continue Reading »
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Sunset at Piemonte
Maybe it’s the blue sky, the orange backdrop at sunset, the picturesque landscape, the passionate Italians …. somehow before I knew it, I had slowed down and appreciated the Italian lifestyle. As our tour guide Anna Maria told us on the first day,” Relax and enjoy the sweet life, Dolce Vita! Continue Reading »
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“80% of our production is for exports, and the 20% that we sell in the domestic market is consumed by visitors like you.” That probably set the stage for the visit at Gaja in the heart of Barbaresco.
We were greeted by Alexandria, the guide at Gaja at a small but cozy waiting area. When we were walking down to the cellar, she said in a very polite manner, “Please don’t take any photos in the cellar, but you could in the building after the visit.” Continue Reading »
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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. Continue Reading »
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Piazza Duomo
The dining experience was quite extraordinary on the tour; we experienced dining at small family restaurants, at the Sandrone resident, and then the ultimate experience at two Michelin Star restaurants.
We started with the Michelin 2-star restaurant Piazza Duomo in the heart of Alba, followed by the Michelin 1-star restaurant Guido in the Slow Food University the following night. The moment you walked into the restaurant, the ambience and the design could probably give you a sense of the style. Continue Reading »
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Piemonte
My heart fell for Barolo when I tasted a bottle of 98’ Montprivito, and it was 3 years ago in Washington DC. The floral, smoke, cherry aromas were so unique and amazing and I started my quest in understanding Italian wines.
My quest now takes me to the home of Barolo – Piemonte, Italy. It’s a guided wine tour in the area for 5 days organized by Italian Wine Merchants. The group is quite small, by Hong Kong standard – total of 9 people. We are here because we all love wines, more so for some. Continue Reading »
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Prosecco Bottega
Venetian Gold, sounds so glamorous, it’s not the precious metal, but an Italian sparkling wine in a glittering golden bottle from the Bottega winery of Italy.
When guests walked into the Hennessy Room of the Conrad Hotel, we were all greeted with a glass of the Venetian Gold in a beautiful champagne flute. Continue Reading »
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What is the classic aroma and flavor of a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc? Gooseberry!
When you read through the fruit characteristics on the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine, citrus, green fruit, stone fruit, red fruit, black fruit, tropical fruit …… this must be the one fruit that very few people have tasted. Continue Reading »
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Standing in the front of the Board Room, with 20 colleagues in the room, I was as eager as they were in my debut of teaching wine tasting.
“Wine is for enjoyment, so let’s enjoy the ride and hope you learn something new today.” I continued, “You will be tasting 4 distinct styles of wines. At the end of the class, hopefully you will be able to name the wines just by tasting it.” Continue Reading »
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What is the one thing in common for the following wines – Ice Wine, Late Harvest Riesling and Sauternes? They are all sweet wines made from white grapes.
For my debut in teaching wine tasting later this month, I was trying to find a sweet red wine for one of the classes. Then I realized the ones I know and tasted are all made from white grapes. So is there such a wine? Continue Reading »
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Grape Wine Journey 