Barolo daze~ my first touristy blog post...please forgive me.
Barolo the king of wines and the wine of kings! That's how Barolo wine is referred to in most travel guides....and I must agree. Riding into town we were pleased to find the rolling hills sown from side to side with grape vines. This country vista did not disappoint. It was lush green and beautiful.
Once in town we strolled along the main street, dotted with lots of wine stores large and small, with signs encouraging one to come in for a tasting.
And of course we did. ( I suggest that you save this part of your trip for the end of the day;) Most of the wine was quite good, I must say that Barolo is velvety and full bodied at best. But you must also note that it is the most tannic of wines , requiring a minimum of 2 or 3 years in oak. I did taste wine that was too tannic for my tastes. So not everything I tasted was amazing. The last tasting was in a small and adorable wine store, I found the owner to be quite curt and burnt out and the wine to be unimpressive. So I guess my cautionary note is to not be taken away by the charming town and know your taste in wine going in +there are fantastic winery tours offered, my suggestion is to check at the tourist office in Bra. Most wineries are toured by appointment and this is quite easy to arrange. Next time a full on winery tour, can't wait.... However the town itself was so beautiful and charming that we had gelatos and people watched until it was time to hit the road.
We decided on the scenic route...which BTW was fantastic.The hills dotted with family wineries and estates. Spectacular!
The best part of spending lots of time in Italy, is that exploring our surrounding area is so fun and exciting, we learn something new and interesting everytime we leave our door:)
+ the food and wine are so great;)along the way.
We did stop by the side of the road for an impromptu snack, of truffle honey, cheese, bread and wine from Eatlay..all in all a pretty picture perfect day in the Piedmont...thank you very much.