The hills of Piemonte make for a great backdrop for capturing sunsets bathing grapevines in amazing lighting conditions.
Tag Archives: giribaldi
How to Cope with Hot Weather: Dream of Piemonte in Fall
It really does work! There was a storm coming in as the sun set and a cool rain starting to fall; I was alone in a Langhe vineyard listening to distant tractors wrapping up harvest work and the wind gently rustling the leaves. The fading sunlight cast an unearthly red, yellow, and violet hue on the roiling clouds.
An amazing moment I revisit all the time, and look forward to search for again and again.
Help Grow A Family Owned Piemonte Winemaker
No secret that we’re big fans of both Azienda Giribaldi in the Langhe, and The Winefathers‘ efforts to help artisanal winemakers throughout Italy as they plant new vineyards and restore old ones.
Here’s a chance to help a small, family owned and run winemaker continue their wonderful mission. Your donation will go a long way to keeping winemaking and viticulture in Piemonte a family affair, true to its roots.
Working the land.
Giribaldi vines as fall colors peak.
From the hills above the vineyard.
View from the Giribaldi tasting room! Come taste wines here, and we promise a life changing experience.
Corks
From our favorite winery make for an interesting subject, and enjoying them again is reliving the good times with friends and family spent over a glass or two of Piemonte’s best.
Our Guest Post @ Turin Epicurean
Thanks to Lucia for helping us share our message about what’s special about Piemonte!
The Vines of Rodello
Pretty hard to beat. What a place! Take the time to get off the beaten path in Italy and you are *rewarded*. It’s not necessarily easy to get here, but we can certainly get you there, and you’ll be greeted with some pretty amazing hospitality.
Thanks go to our friends at Giribaldi.
Polenta
Tonight we were craving another taste of Azienda Giribaldi’s delicious Dolcetto, and we figured a traditional style porcini mushroom gravy with garlic and basil and some reggiano would be perfect on a brisk fall evening over some broiled polenta.
It was as good as it looks.
Fun With Wine And Google!
While Doug is off in Italy running tours, we’re home working and having a relaxing family night. While we don’t have the luxury of being in Italy tonight, here’s a fun alternative that just might be the next best thing.
It’s Friday, and thus we are enjoying a late dinner and a bottle of Giribaldi’s Dolcetto d’Alba (Crottino, 2012…an *excellent* buy at $10 at my local fine wine purveyor), which just tastes like…Italy! Tannic, little of the frivolous fruitiness sometimes ascribed to Dolcetto, and perfect with food. On the back of the bottle, I note that it is produced and bottled in Rodello, Italy, a sleepy little village in Piemonte. Using Google, you can actually go see exactly where your grapes are grown. It is a way fun to brainstorm for places to go exploring in Italy AND feel connected to the artisanal nature of wine making in the foothills of the Alps. Looking up Azienda Giribaldi, Rodello, Italia, Google takes me here:
Green hills, curvy hillside roads, and terra cotta roofs, what’s not to like? Needless to say we’re intrigued, and it’s time to click the zoom in button:
Even better. Rows of grapes and plots of farmland can now be made out from what feels like a 20,000ft view. I feel the aura of the place already. Lovely.
Another click or two and our virtual tour of Rodello clearly shows the individual houses near the farm plots and rows and rows in the vineyard. Yes. Time to click for the street view:
And there it is–not overly dramatic, just an understated structure but with vaguely Palladian symmetry about it that certainly looks inviting. That’s where our wine comes from! A small vintner on a hillside in Piemonte labors to produce something in the crowded marketplace that is our wine, and thanks to the distributor’s efforts and the sharp eye and palate of our friends across the street at Sovereignty Wines here in Colorado Springs, we’re able to enjoy it. It’s neat when you think about it for even a moment. Let’s explore further:
And we see minimalist sign inviting us into explore Azienda Giribaldi. Most of the places that are “must see” for first or second Italy visitors are within walking distance of train stations. I’m sensing that a visit to Piemonte to visit local grape-growers is as good a reason as any to rent a car! You can see the shadow of Google’s robot-on-the-car in the lower left. Moving deeper into the vineyard:
Well…that’s certainly not ugly. That’s where my Barbaresco, my Dolcetto, my Gavi are coming from? Yes, let’s go visit, and soon. (Composes email to the Giribaldi folks about a visit this spring–who’s in?).
Spring 2015: who wants to visit Alba and taste the best wines in the world? Taking applications to go on an adventure here.
Lovely Dolcetto
Our local wine bar had this very agreeably priced Dolcetto. A bit acidic as Dolcetto goes but not unpleasantly so. Great color. If you find it, I’d say pick some up. It’s everything that’s good about Italian wine–light on the wood, savory tannins, and good with food.
Sassi Italy Tours 