Posted in Italian Red, tagged barolo, red italian on December 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »
As the weather turns cooler, the festivity spirits fill the air and remind us Christmas is just around the corner. We began celebration last night, not for the holiday though, but for the birthdays of two good friends.
We met at the Piemonte trip, the land of Barolo. So the best gift to bring along is a vintage Barolo – 1961! The wine was shipped from Italy and sat in my cellar for more than 2 months, so it should pass the bottle shock stage. (more…)
Posted in Italian Wines, Wine Makers, Wine Tour, tagged barolo, Wine appreciation on June 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »
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. (more…)
Posted in Italian Wines, Wine Makers, Wine Tour, tagged Barbaresco, barolo, Gaja on May 30, 2010| 1 Comment »
“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.” (more…)
Posted in Italian Red, tagged barolo, Monprivato Barolo 1998, Nebbiolo, Piedmont, red italian, wine on October 3, 2009| Leave a Comment »
In April 2007, I walked into a Wine Appreciation class, and that opened my heart to the world of WINE and started my journey in understanding wine. I was known as the Madam in class. Somehow the instructor and the people that attended the class thought I was a police officer, which is also known as Madam in Hong Kong. I loved the name because it sounded very authoritative!
I always enjoy wine but understanding the old world wine is always difficult. When I walked into a wine shop and stood in front of the France session, there are the different regions – Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone and so on. And then there are various towns within the region, but I still couldn’t figure out the grape varieties or if the price tag is reasonable. And then there is Italy, Spain… forget it! (more…)
Grape Wine Journey 