Skip to main content

Gallo Wine Gallery, La Morra, Italy

Erika at Gallo Wine Gallery, who celebrated her birthday by giving drinks
 While spending a weekend in Piedemonte, Italy, my friends took me for a weekend in wine and truffle country. Specifically, La Morra, where we stumbled (literally after we finished our tour of the shop) upon the Gallo Wine Gallery.

Just a few tipples to warm the shoppers who come into the store
After a meal of Tartufo Blanco (white truffles) at a nearby restaurant we stopped into La Morra to visit the heart of the regional wine country. The village is mostly wine shops and gift shops, so is a complete tourist trap, but a delightful one at that.





Barolo Chinato, pharmaceuticals from the old days
For a reasonable 10€ fee they took me on a 3 glass tasting through local wines. Starting first with Barbera d'Asti, followed by Nebbiollo, and wrapped up with Barolo. As the former Self-Proclaimed-Die-Expert is a savage when it comes to wines, any 3 wines are good ones most often. But at 10€ for 3 glasses, who was I to complain?
The shop had a nice selection of dry goods also.
The staff were very knowledgeable and willing to help. My guide made a point to discuss with me where on the map the wines came from, shared with me a bit of background regarding the character expected from wines from the same area, and if the wine I was having was typical or atypical for the region. While much is lost on my with my simple pallet, the three I had were all very nice and worth picking up.
Wine guides at Gallo Wine Gallery
In the end, purchased a Nebbiolo and Barbera d'Asti (Barolo would need to cellar, and I never met a bottle that I wouldn't open after crossing the threshold)
now to wander the rest of the village with wines in hand.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hints for the Geocache Hidden in Zurich

GeoCaching is a global game for users of GPS devices. A global treasure hunt with millions of hidden locations, and a multinational following. www.geocaching.com  is where you can go to play as well. I have placed my first in Zurich. It is a mystery cache, so the players will have to locate clues along the way to solve a puzzle for the location. View Larger Map  Puls ? How many films play here? View Larger Map Did you take a tram to EscherWyss? Which one? View Larger Map How many containers tall is the Freitag tower? this is just one of their locations,  AKT Get GeoCaching swag: travel bugs GPS units Super magnets Search for Travel Deals What does the cache look like? Maybe one more hint . an obscure view standing near the cache.

Moonrise Kingdom, a cozy craft beer bar in Tokyo-Shinjuku

Craft Brewing is not what normally comes to mind when people ask about Japan. They'll ask if you like raw fish (there is more to Japanese cuisine than Sashimi or Sushi), or they'll comment about Sake (there is more than just rice wine in Japan); but if you look, you will definitely find some. Our recent trip to Tokyo, this April just after the Sakura had been swept away by rain :-( we were able to find a perfectly suitable refuge for the Craft Beer Lover.  Moonrise Kingdom(via their Instagram) StringGrrl with one of the NEIPA/Hazy IPA on tap from Japanese Craft Breweries As a treat, the owners shared an American Milk Stout from Left Hand Brewing out of Colorado Local ExPat who gave up their stool to make room for StringGrrl and Kam Carryout beer from Kyoto Brewing Company, Vertere

Brewery Tour by Canoe: Boardman Lake, Traverse City, MI

 Boardman Lake is smack-dab downtown in Traverse City, MI. Easily accessible from the lake are three, maybe even four breweries. Local kayak liveries have scheduled tours to kayak and bike to several local breweries and taprooms. So on this August Sunday, StringGrrl and I decided that we should make the tour ourselves.  Coffee first! It would be irresponsible to embark on day drinking un-caffeinated Boardman Lake Trail Bridge and entry to the River There is a free public launch in Hull Park, just behind the Traverse Area Public Library. Parking adequate for up to 5 cars and up to 5 trucks with trailers, right near the launch and more parking elsewhere in the park made for an easy launch that morning. We paddled our way into the river first to have a coffee while drifting through town. Ideally, one should be able to portage the canoe past the dam and connect directly into Grand Traverse Bay, but construction near the dam made that portage just inconvenient enough that StringGrr...