WEDNESDAY: Barbaresco or meeting Angelo Gaja
I met the King of Piemonte – Angelo Gaja…but first a quick recap of events…
Tuesday found us driving through the Alps to arrive at Villa Sampaguita – our destination just outside Asti. No autostrada thru these mountains, so winding roads up and back down into Italy. After lunch, a quick visit to our first medieval hill top town of Saluzzo – visited in particular to find a highly recommended cheese store – and onto our Villa with various local chesses on hand for dinner.
The Villa is owned by Tim Brewer, a real character who loves to chat and is an expert on all things Piemonte. The villa has B&B rooms and two apartments. Close to Asti, but deep in the countryside. In fact, behind the Villa resides a very cute little donkey. Les and the ass have bonded… unfortunately (at least for the donkey), we found out later that he will be sausage in a few weeks…..
Today was our excursion to Barbaresco. Beautiful rolling hills covered by vineyards, mostly nebbiolo grapes. It is a small, beautiful hillside town where tourists and the wealthy like to visit. I counted numerous BMW’s and at least one Mazzerati in the handful of parking spaces. Great lunch at Trattoria Antica Torre (not cheap), and then my encounter with nobility….
The Gaja winery is located in town. A big iron gate shuts out the public. Gaja wines are renowned and very expensive. The Trattoria in town had a bottle of 1998 Barbaresco for 375 Euro…I wanted my photo taken in front of the Gaja sign, as I presume that will be the closest I’ll ever get to tasting a Gaja wine. Subito, up drives this gentleman who appears pleased we are taking a picture and tells to wait a moment while he goes inside to get us a book about the winery. Damn, I said, that looks like Senore Gaja himself! Indeed it was and a few minutes later he comes out with two books, inquires were we are from – we tell him Sacramento, he mentions Darell Corti – and I have my picture taken with him in front of the Gaja sign. I am star struck…Nebbiolo heaven. The only thing better would have been a wee taste of his Barolo, but I”ll have to settle for the photo…..
The evening meal is homemade pasta with fresh and dried porcinis bought at the market in Asti accompanied by a 2003 Francone Barbaresco purchased during our earlier visit at the winery....Not a Gaja, but not bad.
I met the King of Piemonte – Angelo Gaja…but first a quick recap of events…
Tuesday found us driving through the Alps to arrive at Villa Sampaguita – our destination just outside Asti. No autostrada thru these mountains, so winding roads up and back down into Italy. After lunch, a quick visit to our first medieval hill top town of Saluzzo – visited in particular to find a highly recommended cheese store – and onto our Villa with various local chesses on hand for dinner.
The Villa is owned by Tim Brewer, a real character who loves to chat and is an expert on all things Piemonte. The villa has B&B rooms and two apartments. Close to Asti, but deep in the countryside. In fact, behind the Villa resides a very cute little donkey. Les and the ass have bonded… unfortunately (at least for the donkey), we found out later that he will be sausage in a few weeks…..
Today was our excursion to Barbaresco. Beautiful rolling hills covered by vineyards, mostly nebbiolo grapes. It is a small, beautiful hillside town where tourists and the wealthy like to visit. I counted numerous BMW’s and at least one Mazzerati in the handful of parking spaces. Great lunch at Trattoria Antica Torre (not cheap), and then my encounter with nobility….
The Gaja winery is located in town. A big iron gate shuts out the public. Gaja wines are renowned and very expensive. The Trattoria in town had a bottle of 1998 Barbaresco for 375 Euro…I wanted my photo taken in front of the Gaja sign, as I presume that will be the closest I’ll ever get to tasting a Gaja wine. Subito, up drives this gentleman who appears pleased we are taking a picture and tells to wait a moment while he goes inside to get us a book about the winery. Damn, I said, that looks like Senore Gaja himself! Indeed it was and a few minutes later he comes out with two books, inquires were we are from – we tell him Sacramento, he mentions Darell Corti – and I have my picture taken with him in front of the Gaja sign. I am star struck…Nebbiolo heaven. The only thing better would have been a wee taste of his Barolo, but I”ll have to settle for the photo…..
The evening meal is homemade pasta with fresh and dried porcinis bought at the market in Asti accompanied by a 2003 Francone Barbaresco purchased during our earlier visit at the winery....Not a Gaja, but not bad.
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