Report from - Piedmont, Italy Day 3 (More About Barolo) September 29, 2008
26 Nov 2008- Details
- Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
It all started at the Charton-Hobbs tasting and ended with me nursing a stuffed nose for two-plus weeks; but I would have to say it was well worth it …
Up Up and Away …
It's our third day in Italy and once again we find ourselves back at Gianni Gagliardo’s winery - some of the press folks are starting to get upset, because they now believe they were brought here under "false pretenses" for a tour of Barolo (which they assumed would be different wineries) and instead find themselves time and again back at Gianni’s place. I, on the other hand, am experiencing being both Europe and Italy for the first time, so looking out over the countryside, albeit the same piece of countryside, is still as enthralling on day three as it was on day one … for the first time since we landed it has finally hit me, "I'm in Italy".
So today it's one of those days that everyone, including the complainers, has been waiting for – the helicopter tour of the Barolo region. First, Stefano gives us a bit of brief history about the area, he even turns the map on its side to give us a better understanding of the area (this way it actually sits North/South on the easel). He tells us of the three hills to look for, that show the recession of the sea in three stages – Serralunga, Barolo/Castiglione, and La Morra - which are oldest to youngest. According to Stefano the best growing area for Nebbiolo (the grape of Barolo) is between 200-300 meters above sea level, 50m in either direction can make all the difference in flavors. We are also told that the Nebbiolo grape does not "travel well" - meaning that it grows best in this region, the region of Barolo, and this region makes the best wines from it - a little hubris on his part, but what do you expect. Finally, we are told about the two regions of the area Langhe and Roero of which Langhe is the oldest and the more traditional grounds for Barolo production because the first families to make Barolo wine were in the town of Barolo, which is located in the Langhe region - makes sense to me.
Before we go helicoptering, and for those who don't know - the name Nebbiolo is derived from the word for fog (Nebbia) because Nebbiolo is harvested during the foggy season.
Helicopter rides lasted about ten minutes ... (Read more)
