At Pietro Rinaldi

24 June, Thursday

At Pietro Rinaldi

So Sheila found a winery on line called Pierto Rinaldi. Katrina (remember Katrina? I told you she was good…) had made an appointment for us at the winery to taste their wines. At 10:30 in the morning. Talk about a beautiful day: maybe 78 degrees, blue skies, birds chirping, virtually a storey book. After our breakfast of yoghurt, muesli, cheeses, hams/salamis, fresh bread and an artichoke/cheese/egg thing wrapped in puff pastry, homemade jam, two kinds of juices (orange and red) plus good strong coffee we were off to taste wine…

Piemonte is a beautiful place and the area around Alba is no exception. To get there we travel through a patchwork of immaculate vineyards, orchards, wood lots and houses. Steep hillsides with every inch tended as farm surround us for the thirty minutes it takes us to get there. Pietro Rinaldi is not in a town. Pietro Rinaldi is out in the countryside living in a traditional Italian style farmhouse in the middle of beautifully tended vineyard which we were actually able to find. We drive up the driveway, past the little winery building, and when we get to the house a dog (Toby) comes running out to meet us. A woman (who we would later learn was Monica) motioned us to drive around to the back of the house to park. The dog follows barking all the way. Out of the back door runs a little girl (Clara, 8 years old) who calls the dog and drags him back into the house. Déjà vu all over again…

We met Monica and introduced ourselves. She asks if we want to taste in the winery or up at that house. By consensus the winery. So we walk back down the hill and meet Paolo, Monica’s husband and co-owner, and Mario the Cellar Master (for want of a better term). At that point we sit down and proceed to taste 2 Dolcettos, 2 Barberas, a Nebbiolo and a Barbaresco. The colors are perfect, aromas complex and delicate, flavors typical for the variety with complex overtones that express the winery and its location. In short, the wines are all excellent.

Paolo keeps up a running commentary on the wines, the business, their back story, the plans for the winery. Fascinating. Turns out he has been to Paso and is coming again in another month or so. He and Monica started their project at virtually the same time we started the project that would subsequently become August Ridge. His passion for the project is evident as is his love for the wines and for the Piemonte area and culture. By this point we’ve had in depth discussions on barrels, wine regulations, bottling equipment, comparisons of varietals and wine making styles, the New World vs. the Old World and life in general. But we didn’t, throughout all of this, forget that Monica had put their Arneis in the refrigerator up at the house to chill for us to taste.


When we walk back up to the house and round the corner to the back terrace, we see that Monica has set the table with cheese, salami, breads, bruschetta, homemade fruit spreads, etc. We ended up with a full lunch and we just came to taste the wine! And yes, the Arneis was excellent. Somewhat more delicate and a little less tangy than the August Ridge Arneis, generally a more subtle wine overall. Throughout it all Clara was the picture of a perfect hostess, helping Monica set the table, clear the dishes and helping wherever possible (Isabella pay attention!). Toby, however, slept on my feet or ran off to chase this, that or the other thing…

After wine, lunch and coffee Paolo took me into their vineyard for a discussion on spacing, weed control, varietal selection, pests and so forth. BTW they don’t have gophers in Italy. The birds don’t eat their fruit. Deer, while around, don’t seem to be a problem. They have plenty of water. Sounds like it takes all the fun out of farming!

By now it is 3:30 pm and Jill and I are feeling like we have taken way too much of Paolo and Monica’s time. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed their company, their hospitality and their wine. The experience – and the uncanny parallels between our project and theirs – is exactly what we were hoping to find and why we have embarked on our journey to Italy. Jill and I both hope to see Paolo and Monica again and are planning to stay in touch as the two families work forward to build our dreams into the future.

If you are fortunate perhaps I will open up a Pietro Rinaldi Barbaresco one day when you visit the winery. Perhaps the two wineries can develop a sister relationship. In any event they do have distribution in the US so seek them out and support them in their efforts to realize their dream.

Next up: San Gimignano and our last day in Rome.

Ciao!

Jill and John