I took a five hour train to get there. It seems like it would be stressful, but the train ride was beautiful. One of the stops was La Spezia, which is right in the heart of Cinque Terre. It is on the coast and when I say on the water, I mean, train, dropoff, ocean. It was gorgeous! I cannot wait to go there in a couple of weeks.
Once I arrived in Torino I checked into my hotel and almost immediately met up with Tito. Tito is a friend if a friend of mom's who has a restaurant in Torino and is about to open in Chicago. We got in his car and he drove me all the way to a tiny vineyard in between Asti and Alba (considered Asti though). The drive consisted of tiny roads that wound up a hill. Eventually, we surrounded by vineyards on all sides. 360 degrees of grapevines as far as I could see. The gentleman whose vineyard we were going to told me that in the summer, he can tell what kinds of grapes grow and who they belong to based on the shades of green of the vineyard. Pretty remarkable.
So, deep in the hear of the Langhe, we finally arrived at this 4 hectare vineyard. The older gentleman and his wife had been running the vineyard but now live in the town and their two sons run the show now. We got a tour of their cave, their land, and pretty much all of their production equipment.
This vineyard was unlike any other because it was completely biologico, which means they do not use any poisons. Im talking, these guys still squich grapes with their feet! Not all of the wine, but some of it.
When we arrived, the mother was putting out plates and silver and cheese and salami for us. She was apologizing for not preparing a better meal because she didn't know we hadn't eaten lunch. It was unbelievable. This was the type of place that all farmers and wine makers live. So the cheese was from one of their neighbors, and the salami was from down the street, and, of course, it was all unbelievable. We had a cows milk cheese and a sheeps milk cheese with honey, and some focaccia and then they brought out barbera grape mustard which was soooo good on the cheese! The mother kept saying Mangia Mangia! The entire time we were tasting wine too. First we tasted a dolcetto d'asti, then the barbera. That one was amazing. After that we tasted a wine that had been completely untreated and squished by the older gentleman's feet. It wasn't better than the barbera, but it was a completely new taste to me. I don't think I have ever had wine that pure. The older man and I could barely understand each other, but between my broken italian and his passion and expression, we could understand a lot. After the tasting we walked about the property and I tasted some wine that hadn't aged completely yet. He basically used a turkey baster to get it out of the barrel and into glasses for us. Next we got to taste their Passito which is left on the vine until November!! It is a gorgeous color because it is unfiltered. Sort of a peachy amber goldenness. I left with 3 bottles of wine and truly unique experience.
Then, Tito drove us to Alba where the truffles are harvested. (this is the wrong time of year, but I got to see some MASSIVE truffles). Its a tiny town but it is completely focused on food and wine - my kind of town! Then we drove through Barolo and then back to Torino. After a short sightseeing drive through Torino, I went back to the hotel to change.
Later, Tito picked me up and brought me to his restaurant. Waiting there was a regular costumer of his and two more ladies joined us later. We all sat down and joked and in some english and some italian we had an unbelievable meal. We drank bottles and bottles of Pira Barbera d'Alba. I ate beef carpaccio with parmesan and celery and then a homemade Barolo pasta with some sort of meat in it. It was all unbelievably delicious. The Barolo pasta, Tito told me, doesn't get red enough when they mix the Barolo with the flour, so they add some beet juice to make it red. I loved hearing this because it is a perfect example of the difference between Italian food and American food. Americans would just add red food coloring. It was also really nice because Sorin and Fabrizio (his waitstaff - yes, two of them!) were so nice and welcoming and there was such a family feel. It was really nice to be back in the restaurant world again and among friends.
After dessert (I couldn't tell you what it was called - but it was similar to a flan) We drove up the museum of the alps which provides the most incredible view of the entire city. It is a truly beautiful city and I hope to get back there at some point. I could not believe how welcoming Tito and all of his friends were and I am so grateful. I hope that when he comes to New York, I can be even half as welcoming! Here are some pictures of the weekend, although I have to tell you, I spent a lot of my time eating and drinking instead of taking pictures!
