Gap France is just across the Maritime Alps from the Piedmont region of Italy. As a crow flies it is only about 90 miles, and by car we drive over the beautiful Colle di Maddellena. It is possible to walk along the ancient hiking trails of the people who live in the mountains, historically they were neither French or Italian, they were Occitone. Well, they still are. The cultural and culinary influences being so close to these mountains is significant to the people.

On May 17 and 18, 2008, the Slow Food Coolporteur convivium in the French Alps will host an event dedicated to the products and flavors of the mountains. Savoirs et saveurs de montagne will be a unique event for this westernmost Alpine area, a celebration of terroir, a school of taste and an open discussion about the future.

...slow food, Maritime Alps

Cascina Cà Rossa
Località Cascina Cà Rossa 56
Canale (CN)
Tel 0173 983 48
http://www.langhe.net/cascinacarossa/

Azienda Agricola Cornarea
Via Valentino 105
Canale (CN)
http://www.cornarea.com/

Cornarea Roero DOC 2004
Almandine with black reflections and garnet rim. The bouquet is moderately rich, with smoky red berry fruit supported by some green leather and slight eucalyptus-laced vegetal accents. On the palate it's medium bodied, with fairly rich cherry fruit supported by clean sour acidity and tannins that have a slight youthful burr, and flow into a clean berry fruit finish with bitter accents. It's quite young, but pleasant in a slightly traditional key, and will drink well with succulent red meats or hearty stews.
2 stars

Matteo Correggia
Via Case Sparse Garbinetto 124
Canale
http://www.matteocorreggia.com/

Malabaila
Piazza Castello 1
Canale
http://www.malabaila.com/


Malvirà Azienda Agricola dei F.lli Damonte
Case Sparse Canova 144
Canale
http://www.malvira.com/

Monchiero Carbone
Via S. Stefano Roero 2
Canale
http://www.monchierocarbone.com

Pace Di Negro
Pietro E Bernardino
Fraz. Madonna di Loreto
Cascina Pace 52
12043 Canale
Tel 017 3979544

Massucco F.lli
Via Serra 15
Castagnito
http://www.cosebuonedicampagna.it/

Cascina Chicco
Via Valentino, 144
12043 Canale
http://www.cascinachicco.com/

Azienda Agricola Marsaglia
Via Mussone, 2
Castellinaldo 12050
http://www.cantinamarsaglia.it/

Stefanino Morra
Via Castagnito, 50
12050 Castellinaldo
Tel 0173 213489

Bel Colle
Frazione Castagni 56
Verduno
http://www.belcolle.it

Maurizio Ponchione
Via R. Sacco 9/A
Govone
Tel 0173 58149

Renato Buganza
Cascina Garbianotto 4
Piobesi D'Alba
http://www.renatobuganza.it/

Giovanni Almondo
Via San Rocco 26
Montà
http://www.giovannialmondo.com/

Michele Taliano
C.so Manzoni 24
12046 Montà d'Alba
Tel. 0173 976512

Gian Paolo Viglione
Borgata Tucci, 4 3
12064 Montà
Tel. 0173 976142

Negro e Figli
Frazione Sant'Anna
Monteu Roero
http://www.negroangelo.it/

Cascina Val Del Prete di Roagna Mario
Via Santuario, 2
12040 Priocca
Tel. 0173 616534

Deltetto Azienda Agricola
Corso Alba 43
Canale
http://www.deltetto.com

Cantina del Nebbiolo
Via Torino 17
Vezza D'Alba
Tel 0173 65040
http://www.cantinadelnebbiolo.com

Giacomo Vico
Via Torino 80
Canale
Tel 0173 979 126
http://www.giacomovico.it

...Piedmont, Italy

Over 300 Piemontese wines over the course of five days, primarily those made with the grape Nebbiolo, like Barolo and Barbaresco, but also Barbera, Dolcetto, Moscato and Nebbiolo Langhe. It was an incredible sensory overload. This was my first ever serious horizontal tasting so I thought I would share some observations from a novices point of view.

It is called the Alba Wine Exhibition and is being put on the group called the Unione Produttori Vini Albesi. It is an invitation only gathering for a bunch of wine journalists and smaller group of the wine shop owners/buyers who specialize in the wines from this region to Alba for a five day intensive tasting of the newest vintage of Barolo (2004) and Barbaresco (2005) which are made with 100% Nebbiolo grapes.

Since I write more about food than wine, they allowed me to taste with the owners of the wine shops instead of the wine journalists, which means I can know the name and location of the winery while I am tasting them. The wine journalists are tasting blind, they only see a series of bottles with numbers on them.

The tasting is held at the wine school in Alba (School of Enological Studies). The room is light and airy, there are about 15 tables set up around the periphery of the room with a long table with wine bottles down the middle. Each wine has a number that corresponds to a list we receive each day. There are two professional sommeliers who take care of pouring the wines.

Not wanting to look like an idiot, I did a little research ahead of time:

Characteristics of the grape Nebbiolo - Fruit like cherry and other berry fruits, often with hints of pepper and herbs like rosemary, thyme and anice. Acidity which allows the wine to be a good food wine and tannins give the wine structure and allow the flavors of the wine to evolve as it ages. Often the smell, or nose of the wine will be reminiscent of light floral on one end of the scale, and tar or tobacco on the other.

Zone where the grape is grown - The primary focus of the tasting is on Barolo & Barbaresco, but it will also include Roero.

Characteristics of the vintage - 2005 for Barbaresco and 2004 for Barolo. 2004 was a hands down blissful year for the region. 2005 wasn't as perfect as 2004 (or 2001/1999/1996), but is was still pretty damn good.

I was all set to analyze the color/acidity/tanins/fruit/structure of each glass, but I will tell you, after the first 15 glasses I was holding on by my fingernails. All of my senses overwhelmed and I was way behind everyone else in the room. I still had another 45 wines to taste. After watching my co-tasters I noticed everyone generally followed the same process:

SWIRL
SNIFF
SWIRLL
TASTE
SPIT
MAKE NOTES
(repeat several times)
DUMP

Repeat 65 times
3 hours - 65 wines - 5 wines at a time

After my rough start I got into a groove and caught up with the group and thankfully didn't drool on myself once.

Aside from the 249 Barbaresco and Barolos, we will also be tasting Dolcetto, Barbera, Nebbiolo (d'Alba and Langhe), Arneis and Moscato.

Check back for comments on the Day 1 tasting - Barbaresco and Roero - 2005

Copyright 2008 Donna Macdonald

News traveled first by word of mouth, then the official notice is posted on the announcement boards throughout the village. One of the most famous sons of the village of Neive, Romano Levi has died. Read More...

...Piedmont, Italy, grappa

The Centro Nazionale Studi Tartufi is housed in the same building as the Alba Bra Langhe Roero tourist office. I never really knew what these guys did until this year when they started offering truffle classes.

The smell of a good truffle is one of those things that once you get embedded in your brain, you know it. It's like for most of my adult life I am sure I drank more than my share of corked wine, but once I had someone point out what that really means, I can pick out a corked wine with the best of them.

With truffles, there is a smell that (because of the nature of smell) is hard to describe, once those synapses fired in my brain, I would describe as earthy, hay, slightly garlic with maybe a hint of honey. At least for the variety here in Alba When I smelled a too ripe specimen a slightly ammonia smell prevailed. A fresh truffle should be firm and a too ripe truffles will have a little give when pinched. Too young, you might as well be eating dirt, so we won't go there.

So what does this have to do with truffles in America?

Well, December 8, 2007 was the first International Fiera del Tartufi symposium where they invited people to represent the countries where truffles grow. Hungary, China, France and America. For various reasons (not the least of which was the people they really wanted were busy and I live here) they invited me to represent America. This was my speech:

Before moving to Italy my husband and I lived in Oregon a place that has many things in common with the Piedmont region of Italy. Mountains, forests, hazelnuts, fertile soil in the valleys and good growing conditions for premiere grape vines in the hills, the two regions both straddle the 45th parallel and they both have the perfect natural environment for truffles.

This Pacific Northwest has more than 50 varieties of native truffles however there are only a few that are considered to be valuable for culinary purposes which are listed below.

There has been a movement in America and Canada using techniques started in Europe to cultivate Tuber melanosporum (Black Périgord Truffle) and Tuber uncinatum (Black Burgundy Truffle). This effort began in America in the 1980’s and has grown considerably since. Successful cultivation requires adjustments in the acid and PH levels not only to compliment these two varieties, but also to make the soil unattractive to native varieties. Today it is estimated that there are more than 125 hectares planted with considerable growth anticipated in the future.

There has been an effort to duplicate cultivated techniques with species native to America as well as the Italian white truffle known as Magnatum Pico but so far they have been unsuccessful.

One of the biggest differences between the old world and the new world of truffles is the method of harvesting. In the old world the tradition of the trifulau is passed down from generation to generation. In Europe there is also a knowledgeable clientele of markets and restaurants.

In America, and specifically the Pacific Northwest the reputation of the native varieties of truffles has suffered because of harvesting methods. Fearful of losing out to other forages, they rake the soil away from the roots of trees harvesting ripe and unripe specimens together. Because buyers are not familiar with the characteristics of these native varieties immature truffles make their way into the markets and restaurants only to be rightly considered of lesser quality. This practice has contributed to keeping the price of native truffles very low. There is an effort to change these practices, however through greed and impatience this system continues.

There is hope.

Many of the farms of cultivated truffles use trained dogs and there is a growing number of dog training schools. In addition there is an effort by chefs and markets to educate the foragers and only purchase from knowledgeable sources.

This world of truffles is an elusive and exciting place mixing scientists, gourmets and foragers. The balance and contradiction between the old world and new world continues.

There are those who believe in the old world philosophy that truffles decide where they will exist and when they will be harvested and it is up to us to adjust and adapt to that reality. In other words, terroir is king.

The new world seeks to create the environment that will provide that product to sell. Terroir is dissected and analyzed and ultimately copied to re-create the object of desire. The delicate mix of scientific interest, culinary passion and a certain amount of greed has fueled the business of cultivating truffles.

Old world and new world practices both exist in America. There are passionate chefs who to not believe in cultivating non native species and work to train foragers on the benefits of harvesting only ripe specimens and there are chefs who are thrilled to use cultivated black truffles if for no other reason than to be able to serve their clients a truffle only hours from the ground.

For me, I am only happy that I have been able to taste a perfectly ripe Magnatum Pico here in Alba and an equally impressive Tuber Gibbosum in Oregon.


Culinary varieties from America include:

Tuber gibbosum which is also called the Spring Oregon white truffle. This variety is found west of the mountain range called the Cascades from sea level to about 2,000 feet (or about 600 meters) and is found throughout the Pacific Northwest. It is reported to be harvested from January through June.

Tuber oregonense is called the Autumn Oregon white truffle and is closely related to and is often mistaken for Tuber gibbosum since they are found in the same areas however, the two species differ in shape and spore size and harvest seasons do not overlap. The Tuber oregonese has a more intense aroma and is highly prized by harvesters. This truffle is most abundant during late summer through early winter.

Leucangium carthusianum is known as the Oregon Black Truffle. Its aroma is considered fruity with hints of pineapple. It is found November through April.

Leucangium brunneum or Oregon Brown truffle is very rare.  It does have great culinary potential. When it is harvested and can capture higher prices than any of the other Oregon truffles.

Tuber Californicum is also called California truffle has a nice aroma but its size makes it difficult to have a culinary value. The truffle seldom exceeds the size of a pea and is often mistaken for a small Tuber Gibbosum. This truffle can be found all year, but in Oregon it is reported primarily in the winter and spring.

Tuber lyonii is often called the East coast truffle or the Pecan truffle. It is found from northeastern Mexico all the way to Ontario Canada and from the Great Plains to the East Coast. This is the most popular native truffle in the eastern U.S. and can be found in a wide variety of tree species, not only pecan trees. In all of my research I did not find anyone currently harvesting.


My thanks to

Charles LeFevre – New World Truffles
Greg Higgins – Higgins Restaurant
North American Truffling Society
Shirewood Farms
Garland Truffles
John T. Edge

And here in Italy
Marco Forneris and Flavia Boffa from Osteria lalibera
Aldo Vacca from Produttori del Barbaresco



Excellent source of information on American truffle varieties:

North American Truffling Society - http://www.natruffling.org/


Inoculated Trees:

New World Truffieres Prof Charles Lefevre - http://www.truffletree.com

Garland Truffles - http://www.garlandtruffles.com/


Truffle Sales – Native Oregon Species

Shirewood Farms - www.shirewoodfarm.com

Oregon Wild Edibles - http://www.oregonwildedibles.com/


...Truffles, Tartufi, American, Tuber gibbosum, Magnatum Pico, Tuber melanosporum

Three of my favorite wineries are going to be showcasing their wines in my old home town of Portland Oregon on January 27 from 3:00 - 5:00 at Pastaworks on Hawthorne.

Produttori del Barbaresco, Renato Ratti and Cantina del Pino are about as good as it gets for tasting wines that are representative of this region.

These guys are all very popular in Portland so be prepared for a crowd.

...Italy, Piedmont, Oregon, Barbaresco

Santa Claus has a distant relative in Italy called Babbo Natale. I was surprised to see the Italian version of Santa Clause shimming up drainpipes, hanging off balconies and sneaking into houses all over the countryside. It is not uncommon to see gangs of Babbos hit an entire neighborhood all at once. They seem to be leaving with more loot than they are delivering.
Read More...

...christmas, Italy, Italian

The first two years I lived in Italy I was in a bubble ...or maybe it was a vacuum.

Reliable access to the Internet was top on the list of things I didn't anticipate doing without before I left America. I was in a state of shock that I am only now recovering from with access to what we call high"er" speed Internet.

Now, after receiving 10 e-mails from friends and family about the story in the New York Times about the malaise that is supposedly running rampant in Italy I am longing for my former days of disconnect.

Read More...

The Centro Nazionale Studi Tartufi is housed in the same building as the Alba Bra Langhe Roero tourist office. I never really knew what these guys did until this year when they started offering truffle classes. The smell of a good truffle is one of those things that once you get embedded in your brain, you know it. It's like for most of my adult life I am sure I drank more than my share of corked wine, but once I had someone point out what that really means, I can pick out a corked wine with the best of them.


With truffles, there is a smell that (because of the nature of smell) is hard to describe, once those synapses fired in my brain, I would describe as earthy, hay, slightly garlic with maybe a hint of honey. At least for the variety here in Alba When I smelled a too ripe specimen a slightly ammonia smell prevailed. A fresh truffle should be firm and a too ripe truffles will have a little give when pinched. Too young, you might as well be eating dirt, so we won't go there.

So what does this have to do with truffles in America?

Well, December 8, 2007 was the first International Fiera del Tartufi symposium where they invited people to represent the countries where truffles grow. Hungary, China, France and America. For various reasons (not the least of which was the people they really wanted were busy and I live here) they invited me to represent America.
Read More...

...Truffles, Piedmont, Piemonte, 45th parallel, Italy, Italian

When we invited our friends over for our holiday called Thanksgiving in Italian it translates to Giorno d' Ringraziamento (day of many thanks) they were thrilled. I did all of the calculations for what looked to be a 20 pound turkey and didn't overextend myself on the side dishes; for John - squash with hazelnuts, for me - brussels sprouts with pancetta and to give thanks to the guy who deserves the most I would make Aldo's favorite version of potato... mashed. Read More...

...Italian, Italy, Thanksgiving, Festa del Tacchino

Donna Macdonald will be teaching a Piedmont wine and cheese class on Tuesday, October 30 at 6:30 at Marche Provisions in the Eugene 5th street market.

Samples of 5 artisan cheese from small producers that is imported directly by Provvista Specialty foods. An interesting array of wines from some of Piedmonts better known producers like Bruno Giacosa and Produttori del Barbaresco will be sampled along with Cantina del Pino. Arneis, Dolcetto, Freisa and a Barbaresco from what many consider to be one of the best vintages of northern Italy - 1996.

Seating is limited. The cost of the class is $35.00 Contact Marche Provisions (541) 342-3612

...Portland, Piedmont, cheese, wine, Barbaresco

Recipe – Bagna Cauda
Anchovy and Garlic sauce with fresh vegetables

Piemontese cuisine does not use garlic in many recipes, however, in the recipes that call for garlic, they don’t mess around. Husbands will ask their wives if it okay if they order a dish with garlic in it, or better yet, they agree to both eat the same dish so they don't offend each other with their breath.

Bagna Cauda dish is served in autumn and winter when people have time to gather. It is typically served as an appetizer, but for a festa it can be the main attraction. Restaurants often serve the vegetables on the plate with the sauce drizzled on top, but at home the oldest table cloth is used so dripping doesn't matter and the warm bowl is placed in the middle of the table for all to share. Read More...

...garlic, anchovy, liguria, Piedmont, Piemonte

The origins of wine.  

Where to begin?

To be fair we should thank the Greek god Dionysus (or Bacchas as he was later called) who was the son of Zeus.  Greek mythology tells us that Dionysus taught humans how to cultivate grapevines and then press and make wine.  This wasn't a big stretch since he was also the patron of agriculture generally and fertility in nature specifically.

All in all good things.

It should be noted that Dionysus/Bacchas had plenty of followers in his day.  The women who came under his influence left their homes to live nomadic lives drinking and dancing and wearing lots of fur.  They were called bacchantes (that could be the name of a band for sure), or maenads.  They were also known to hang out with satyrs and centaurs, which certainly didn't help their reputations one bit. 

If the Greeks get credit for the creation of wine, the Romans get credit for distribution.  As they expanded their empire, they made sure there would be wine to drink along the way.  Romans understood the various characteristics and soil preferences of different vines and through trial and error planting along the way and the old world of wine was born.

While the Romans were fond of wine and festivals, they were not happy when the celebrations called bacchanalia got exported to Italy about 200 b.c.. Bacchanalia were notorious festivals that were held in secret and attended only by women.  The Roman government soon outlawed the gatherings claiming political conspiracies and crimes were taking place. The government left a provision that bacchanalia could go on, but only if they were told about it ahead of time.  My guess is they just wanted to be able to crash the party.

While the first stomp of the footprint of the Roman Empire is how grape vines were distributed, the second wave of cultivation and dissemination can be attributed to monasteries throughout Europe.  Wine was not only produced for personal use it was also a means for income and arguably a way to keep control of their flocks.

If reincarnation does exist, I would like to think I was card carrying bacchante.

...History, wine, roman, Dionysus, Bacchas

Every two years Slow Food invites the world of cheese to congregate in the village of Bra for it's biennial Cheese festival. This year the weather was perfect, the cheese and wine all delicious albeit a bit overwhelming.

To get there I took Neive to Bra train so I could avoid the inevitable parking nightmare. On the ride home I was rewarded listening to the banter and conversation throughout the packed train car with locals from every small village along the way comparing their purchases and making plans for their unusual and exotic cheese discoveries.

The Piemonte is one of the most cheese-centric places in the world. The idea of what is local takes on a whole new meaning when virtually every single hill and valley that wrap around this region has its own unique expression of cow, goat and sheep milk.

I had the pleasure of walking through the village with my friend Joseph Guth, owner of the specialty food importer Provvista based in Portland, OR. Joe was in town looking for small artisan cheese producers the Italians call caseificio or formaggeria. I learned a thing to two about the cheese business that I never knew before. I have to say that I never knew that there was a very important middle man in cheese called an Affineur or Affinatori in Italian.

This is a person or a company whose job it is to "refine" the cheese. Since most artisan cheese evolves and changes based on time and conditions. It is the job of an Affineur will store and care for the cheese until it is at the right moment for serving. Many Affineurs have actual caves that are naturally cool and humid which are the perfect environment for ripening cheese (as well as storing wine, but that is a different story).

The bond between the calseificio and the affineur and in turn the importer and retailer (or restauranteur) is paramount to ensuring the highest quality product for the client.

...slow food, cheese, affineur, affinatore, calcificio

The A10 autostrada around Genoa is about the scariest piece of highway I have ever experienced. Any day of the week or time of day it is the closest thing most of us will come to experiencing driving in the Monaco Grand Prix. Curving lanes through tunnels and vistas with cars traveling way over the posted speed limit and the beautiful Mediterranean sea flashing by at warp speed. Tailgating takes on new meaning when the car behind you is so close that you can not see their headlights in your rear view mirror, but you can see the driver smoking a cigarette and talking on his cell phone. The flip side of this experience is bumper to bumper traffic that can seize this highway that will allow you to alternately enjoy the views and want to blow your brains out.

This view of Genoa from the Autostrada is one of the less attractive sides of the city. Tattered sun shades and laundry drying along the balconies from the canyon of apartment buildings that line the highway

TIP FOR DRIVERS: Stay in the direction of A12 Livorno, there are a few places where the left lane exits into Genoa with very little warning.

Surviving the drive and exiting the Autostrada at Rapallo allows you to pry your fingers from the steering wheel long enough to begin saying a new set of prayers as you swerve back and forth on the road into Santa Margherita.

TIP FOR DRIVERS: You will be greeted with one of those confusing moments that gives you the town name Santa Margherita Liguria BOTH to the left and the right. The left takes you the shorter less attractive way through Rapallo with some small streets and tight turns. The right takes you down the aforementioned swerving road, it is longer but more beautiful and breathtaking, especially if you encounter a city bus coming in the opposite direction.

Santa Margherita is a beautiful village on the Golf of Tigullio on section of the Italian Riviera called Riviera di Levante. A 40 minute train ride away from the beautiful if now tourist driven Cinque Terra. Santa Margherita is far more enjoyable outside of the summer season of July and August unless crowds, heat, noise and high prices are what you are looking for. If you are there in those summer months it is best to stay in a hotel that has their own beach. If you have never witnessed an Italian beach in August, the people watching alone is worth the trip.

...liguria, santa margharita, Italy, genoa, Driving In Italy

Every year the harvest season in Piemonte begins in late August when most of Italy is still on vacation. People in the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato hills start planning their harvest first with Moscato grapes followed closely by Arneis and other white wines while families in the Alta Langa begin harvesting and drying hazelnuts and chestnuts. But the major harvest revolves around Nebbiolo. This is the grape that makes both Barbaresco and Barolo wines.

The Italian word for the harvest associated with wine grapes is Vendemmia (it's racolta for most other things). The first sign the vendemmia is about to begin is when tractors start clogging the roads on their way to the vineyards and baskets begin to line the vineyard rows.

...Piedmont, Piemonte, wine, Italy, roero, Monferrato, langhe

Hiking in the wine country is not in and of itself an unheard of thing. But this being Italy and more specifically Piemonte, it must be done with food and of course wine! There are a handful of villages that hold an annual hike with food stops along the way. You buy your ticket at the beginning and follow the route to each stop along the way. The hike is through wineries and neighboring farms. The event in La Morra is called the Mangialonga and it is help on the last Sunday of August. If you're planning a visit to the region during the summer months, it is an event not to be missed.


The program for the 2007 Mangialonga:
To start you off a glass of white wine.
The first stop or tappa is assorted salume with a Dolcetto from La Morra
The second stop or tappa is ravioli al plin with a selection of red wines from La Morra
The third stop or tappa is bocconcici di vitello with polento and a D.O.C.G. nebbiolo called Roero
The fourth stop or tappa is a prestigious cheese service and Barolo D.O.C.G. wines from La Morra
The fifth stop or tappa is a selection of sweets with hazelnuts and D.O.C.G. Moscato d' Asti

The cost is 30 Euro and reservations can be made at the tourist office in Barolo.

Val Maira (not Maria as I thought for a long time) has for a long time been an unknown little corner of Italy but like many things I think it is about to change.

Along the north west border of Italy lies the Maritime Alps which forms the border with France. In fact depending on what pass you take you will end up at the Mediterranean if you take the Limone pass and Provence if you pass the Colle d' Maddelanea.

What makes Val Maira and Val Grana unique is they are dead end passes unless you are an expert hiker or traveling with a donkey.

The hike begins at an assigned time in the morning in the center of town with a glass of prosecco, a nettle frittata and some bruscetta with anchovy sauce before taking off up the hill. The hike seems to change somewhat each year, and this year it was a bit more demanding in the uphill climb. The second stop was at a church mid way up the hill, we saw several Italian friends at this stop with Arneis and salami before heading further up the hill to Ruta Valle where we had a fantastic stew and zucchini with Nebbiolo before rounding the corner to our town Morenesio for cheese (we are in the middle of cheese country here!) and Barolo and Barbaresco and finally off to the Santuaria d’ Santa Maria for dessert a dessert prosecco, coffee, cookies and grappa!

...Festa, Val Maira, Stroppo, Hike

1861 was a defining moment not only in the history of Italy, but also in the cuisine of the Piemonte region. The Risorgimento or reunification of Italy made a single country out what was several smaller regions and fiefdoms and made the city of Torino the center of the seat of power for all of Italy. The King of Savoy whose lands extended well into France shepherded the often contentious process of bringing many powerful forces together most likely over a famously long Piemontese meal. During their reign the Savoys transformed Torino into a glamorous city attracting chefs, architects and artists from throughout Europe. Although the capitol of Italy was later moved to Rome the influence on the cuisine of the region can still be felt today with refined sauces and desserts that reflect a sophisticated influence from nearby European cuisine.

...King of Savoy, 1861

Spring arrived all at once!

The seasons in the northern Italy are very different from Oregon where I used to live. In Portland winter rains turn to spring rains and the luscious green pervades all. In the Piemonte we had a true snowy, cold winter replaced by a warm, blustery and flowering spring.  The town of Alba is a showcase of colors and fashion and a delight of people watching. 

The celebration of Easter is called Pasqua and the day after Pasquetta.  It is kind of like Christmas eve and Christmas day reversed.  The big celebration is Easter Sunday, and the Monday after is called Pasquetta and almost everything is closed.  No advance signs or notices, it is one of those holidays that is just understood.    The shops being closed doesn't stop people from taking their walk to town. for exercise, to socialize or to show off the family.  They call it the passeggiata and it is a wonderful part of life here throughout the year.  But especially on Sundays and holidays where time moves very slowly, and having family in the house encourages the occasional walk to town to break up the day.

We have have been adopted by the family of our friends and spent Sunday hanging out, and enjoying food, wine, conversation and sun, and Monday we all talked about going on a diet.  

...Spring, Easter, Pasqua, Pasquetta

Just in case you are looking for an excuse to head this way in May.

Barbaresco a Tavola

I first attended Barbaresco a Tavola it gave me a whole new outlook on wine events.  It is a unique experience to sit in a room filled with locals, many of whom are wine growers or wine makers who can clearly remember every moment of the harvest.   The restaurants all put on a fixed menu and there are about 25 wines to taste, all from the same vintage.

It is the best wine event I have ever attended. Easy, laid back, fun and delicious.

If you want to make reservations, they can help you at the Enoteca (they speak English):
http://www.enotecadelbarbaresco.it

...Festa

This has nothing to do with the Piemonte region or Italy, but I just ran across this web site in America and I LOVE IT!!!

This web site tells you about small local farmers spread all over America where you can buy farmer direct.


http://www.eatwild.com

...American, Eating local

There are 10 D.O.C.G. wines in the Piedmont and about 40 with D.O.C. designation.

D.O.C. - Denominazione di Origine Controllata - Means that the wine is made from grapes grown in a recognized and unique wine growing zone.

D.O.C.G. - Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita - The "G" means that the quantity of wine production is controlled. Ever notice those pink labels wrapped around the neck of a bottle, they hand those out to wineries based on the acreage (hectars) of grapes grown.

The best source of information on the local wines for a particular area is the Enoteca Regionale of the region where you are going. Remember the D.O.C/D.O.C.G. name does not necessarily tell you the name of the grape, but the name of where the wine was grown. Think Barbaresco and Barolo... both are made with 100% Nebbiolo grapes but because they are grown in different areas (only 12 km apart), the wine that is produced from each region is truly unique enough to have its own name.

D.O.C.G.
Asti,Barbaresco,Barolo,Brachetto d'Acqui,Gattinara,Gavi,Ghemme,Moscato d’ Asti, Roero, Roero Arneis

D.O.C.
Barbera (d'Alba, d'Asti & del Monferrato, Piemonte)
Dolcetto (Langhe, d'Acqui, d'Alba, d'Asti, di Ovada, di Diano d'Alba, di Dogliani, Dolcetto delle Langhe Monregalesi)
Grignolino (d'Asti, del Monferrato, Piemonte)
Nebbiolo (Langhe, d'Alba,

Albugnano, Alta Langa, Boca, Bonarda, Brachetto, Bramaterra, Carema, Cisterna d'Asti, Collina Torinese, Colli Tortonesi, Colline Saluzzes, Cortese dell'Alto Monferrat, , Erbaluce di Caluso o Caluso, Fara, Freisa d'Asti, Freisa di Chieri, Gabiano, Grignolino d'Asti, Casalese, Langhe Rosso, Langhe Chardonnay, Langhe Favorita, Langhe Bianco, Langhe Freisa, Lessona, Loazzolo, Malvasia di Casorzo d'Asti, Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco, Pelaverga, Piemonte Cortese, Pinerolese, Rubino di Cantavenna, Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato, Sizzano, Valsusa, Verduno

...D.O.C.G. , D.O.C., Italy, Italian, Barbaresco , Barolo

CROATIA – Northern Dalmatian Coast
We were heading to a part of Europe that changed hands several times in the first and second world wars and recently endured a brutal civil war. Actually, Croatia more than Slovenia – the bad guy Milosevic who went on trial for crimes against humanity among other things - gave Slovenia a pass after what is called the 10 day war. Croatia, suffered a large amount of fighting, but did not face the destruction and ethnic infighting and outright murder as Sarajevo. The reality of what they endured was brought to a stark reality in the churches and town squares where like in most European towns they had a list of names of the men who died in WWI and WWII. In Croatia they also had a monument with names and photographs of the men and women who died in that battle for their country.

Anyway enough of the history lesson, it’s just that when we set off on this trip I realized how little I knew about this place in the world. Somehow, I allowed myself to ignore the reality of war in what the newspapers referred to as the “former Yugoslavia”. Alas, I did not connect all of the dots until well into our trip, so when we crossed from Italy – at Trieste – into Slovenia – for only about 10 miles – then into Croatia.

The town of Zadar has beautiful white stone pavement and beautiful views. A lovely village, but we wanted to cover more territory, so we decided to push on and just before we started thinking about dinner we found a place to stay on a picturesque and private beach cove right outside of the town of Primosten

The property we stayed in had several terraces for private lounging, or all out sunbathing next to the water. Technically we were facing Italy, but this part of Croatia is covered with small islands that make for beautiful scenery. We happily ate fresh fish, swam in the sea and enjoyed small town summer evenings with traditional folk songs being sung in the town center of Primosten. On day trips we explored the towns of Split and Trogir.

An interesting piece of history about Split is that it is the city that was originally built by Diocletian. He was in charge during one of the more mundane chapters of the Roman Empire (284). He chose to divide the Roman empire into two parts with an Augustus at the head of one half and a Caesar at the head of the other, I mean there is only so much one man can manage after your family is done conquering the world. After about 20 years of administering this process, he built what is the old town of Split for his retirement home. Let me say that he made a very nice choice and if at any point I am in the same position, I would not hesitate to construct for myself a similar safe compound in a warm climate. The hike up to the bell tower was a claustrophobics nightmare of narrow passages with steep stone stairs and many tourists, but magnificent views of the sea was marred only by the humungous cruise ships lining the port. The cruise ships are a welcome arrival for the economy as they bring hundreds of visitors to the shops and restaurants for the day but I doubt the Emperor would have allowed it.

After several days of exploring the northern part of the Dalmatian Coast, we decided to leave the southern part for a future trip and head to Zagreb, the capitol.

CROATIA – ZAGREB

If you enjoy traveling to places where tourism is low and restaurants and shops exist primarily for the people who live there then Zagreb is worth visiting. It has a beautiful center city with grand architecture lovely parks and a good tram system for public transportation. English is spoken by many people, especially those under 30. The city is safe and pedestrian friendly and lively with people coming and going and lots of café’s. There is not a lot to say about their cuisine other than it is honest and simple with grilled meats and soups both of high quality and delicious, but simple. Overall prices were quite affordable.

When we were leaving the coast we met a couple who suggested a stop in the capital city of Slovenia – Ljubljana. Since Zagreb is very close to the Croatia/Slovenia border and Ljubljana only an hours drive, we decided to stop bye to check it out.

SLOVENIA – LJUBJIANA (pronounced -loobeyana)

Nothing could have prepared me for the beauty, the activity and the happening quality of this city. I guess when we started out on this trip not knowing what to expect, I envisioned impoverished and downtrodden cities from the “former Soviet Bloc” – boy I was wrong! Slovenia is an economically and politically stable country. The capital city has a river running through the center and is bustling with restaurants, bars and shops. There are a couple of small stages provided by the city for music in the city center so after a day of John photographing and city walking we were entertained by a local band that was pretty impressive. Slovenia has a very young and impressive wine growing region and everyone we met proudly talked about their country and it’s bounty.

We decided to explore more of the countryside and headed in the direction of Lake Bled, a beautiful quiet retreat in the summer.

John and I have an agreement on travel days; we can eat at the roadside restaurants on the Autostrada, called Autogrills in Italy, and I promise not to complain. As we ended up getting a late start leaving the city, we stopped at what looked to be a quaint Slovenian roadside restaurant. There appeared to be two people running the entire operation with a woman in the kitchen and a man running the floor. I honestly don’t remember what I ordered, but John ordered trout before he went off to explore the surroundings. I watched as the man came out with a net and headed towards a huge tank of water. Realizing that this trout was really going to be fresh – I start calling for John so he could witness the ….. capture of his lunch. After photographing the demise of his entree, John came back to the table all smiles, “Now THIS is what I call fast food!!!”

We continued in the direction of Lake Bled and almost left as soon as we arrived until we stumbled upon an incredible hotel called Vila Bled. We didn't know at the time it was General Tito’s summer villa. Since he died it has been turned into a very nice hotel. Bled has also been host to a number of international conferences with lots of bigwigs staying in their most elegant hotels overlooking the lake and surrounding mountains.

HISTORICAL/POLITICAL ASIDE: For the record Tito is the guy who held Yugoslavia together since WWII (albeit with an iron fist), but was one of the only countries to hold the Soviet Union at arms length and remained independent.

And what a lovely house he had! They say that the entire property has not changed since he lived there, long hallways with sitting rooms peppered throughout.

The assistant manager of the hotel was generous with his time and gave us the run of the villa. It is amazing to consider that a man in his 40’s, he, his children and his mother were each born under a different government.

We could go swimming on the lake. John rowed us to the small island in the middle of the lake. The island had a church where you could ring the bell and the sign promised if you could get the bell to ring, your wish would come true. Both John and I tried unsuccessfully to ring it separately and together until finally brains won out over braun when I figured it had more to do with momentum than force. All I will say is that I wished well.

...Croatia, Zagreb, slovenia, LJUBJIANA , lake Bled, Diocletian

News travels slowly in the hills of the Langhe. It took us more than a year to get a news stand in Alba to pick up the International Herald Tribune and our success rate with it being sold out is inconsistent depending on the tourist traffic. Whenever someone asks "what can we bring you?", the answer is inevitably.. books!

We heard that Travel and Leisure wrote a story on the Langhe that included a mention of several local places and photos of our good friends Marco and Flavia from the restaurant, la libera. It took about six weeks for a copy to come in the mail, which only makes me slightly crazy since the magazine cost something like five dollars but it cost 12 to ship and it takes forever to get here. I add this to the list of things I do not allow myself to complain about because.... I am living in Italy!

The day after the magazine arrived we stopped by la libera after shopping at what would be our last Saturday market until after the Alba Truffle Festival was over. The Saturday market in Alba is crazy enough normally but the spike in tourists and activities around the Fiera d' Tartufi makes the crush of people and lack of parking unbearable. A boon to the local economy for sure, but too much for me.

Marco was understandably happy to see the story and photos, some customers had already mentioned it.

...lalibera, la libera, Travel & Leisure