Please The Palate |

Barolos with a bit of age

Drinking Barolo is always a special treat! Drinking Barolo with a bit of age on it is all the better because Barolo is a wine that needs time to age to be all the more drinkable. Giorgio Lavagna from Fontanafredda, the largest and oldest monopole of Barolo in Piemonte, came to Los Angeles with half a dozen different Barolo wines five, eight, nine, ten, 20 and 24 years of age. Drinking these wines from an historical estate was a treat as I wrote about in the Napa Valley Register and share here.

It is that time of the year when the Italians come to the United States to showcase their newest releases of Barolo and Barbaresco wines. This is usually to the great delight of those who are able to taste them. And this year is no exception, as 2016 is reputed to be one of the best vintages in decades. But the issue is that when you taste a 2016 Barolo or Barbaresco in 2020, the wines are still babies. They are high in tannins and not ready to fully enjoy. What we want to drink are Barolo and Barbaresco wines with 10, 20 or more years of age. And that is what I got to do when Giorgio Lavagna from Fontanafredda in Piemonte came to Los Angeles for a wine lunch.

03 March, 2020

Maude Takes a Modern Twist on Piedmont, Italy

As Maude journeyed to a new wine region in the world for the fourth quarter of 2018, they landed in Piedmont, Italy. The most prestigious wine region in Italy, Piedmont, which means "foot of the mountains", is between the Ligurian coast and the Alps in northwest Italy. Home to Nebbiolo and Barbera, as well as hazelnuts, cheese, chocolate and Alba white truffles, we were in for a treat.

I spent six months living in Piedmont, in the town of Vercelli, the riso (rice) capital of Italy. I was not knowledgeable about wine at the time, nor would I have called myself a foodie. But, I was introduced to the wines and many of the classic dishes and Maude's Piedmont menu was a twist on these memorable dishes.

13 December, 2018

The Flying Winemaker Giuseppe “Beppe” Caviola

Beppe Caviola may not be a familiar name to you. But, in Italy, he is considering one of the most important winemakers in Italy, consulting at more than 30 wineries around Italy, as well as making his own wine Ca'Viola. I met him on a recent visit to Piedmont, Italy and wrote about the famous "Flying Winemaker", also known as the "Dolcetto King" in my wine column in the Napa Valley Register. Sharing the story here.

During my recent travels in Piemonte, I visited winery after winery who told me that their consulting winemaker is Giuseppe “Beppe” Caviola. Known as “The Flying Winemaker” or “The Dolcetto King,” Beppe Caviola is a consultant to more than 30 wineries in Italy, from Piedmont to Sicily and from the Marche to Sardinia, some of which are the most legendary estates in the country. And in the heart of Dogliani, Beppe Caviola has his own winery, Ca’Viola, which in local dialect means “little violet house.”

Beppe Caviola is from Montelupo in the Langhe. He attended the Enological School in Alba and then worked at the Enological Center in Gallo, just outside Alba. He found a small vineyard in Montelupo, called Barturot, and began making wine in the garage of his parents’ house. After some encouragement to bottle the wine, Beppe bottled 860 bottles of Dolcetto is 1991 and Ca’Viola was born.

17 July, 2018