No one is going to deny these are strange times: very trying for many and certainly surreal for the rest of us. Last weekend promised a bit of gloom, and not just via the weather forecast. With these prescribed self-quarantines I wasn’t going to do much except laundry, catch up on a couple of shows … Continue reading Renato Vacca—the character and spirit of Piedmont
Tag: Renato Vacca
What I love about Barbaresco
Here I sit in my home in California, 6,000 miles away from the source. I take one draw from the Barbaresco I just poured in my glass and ... Immediately I am taken back to that wine bar in Neive, Al Nido della Cinciallegra where I went once with those lucky Americans who now make … Continue reading What I love about Barbaresco
Cantina del Pino Ovello Barbaresco 2001-2007, and more
On May 3 this year I was lucky to catch my good friend Renato Vacca during his short trip to California. He and the guys (Joe & Mike) at Enoteca La Storia (ELS) had arranged a vertical tasting of Cantina del Pino Ovello vineyard Barbarescos. This is the only such comprehensive vertical tasting ever done with … Continue reading Cantina del Pino Ovello Barbaresco 2001-2007, and more
Got to keep on moving
When I decided to book a ten week stay in Italy last autumn, I had exactly two major goals: improve my Italian by speaking and learn as much as I could about the growth and production of Nebbiolo in Piemonte. I had been offered a harvest internship near Asti which I thought was going to … Continue reading Got to keep on moving
Cantina del Pino
Notes from my visit on December 15, 2009. I’ve tasted through most of these wines’ vintages over the past few years and what I can say in general about all of them, without a doubt, is that these are wines of consistent expressiveness, deliberateness, and distinction. This tasting was my favorite yet. Langhe Freisa 2008. … Continue reading Cantina del Pino
