So I was sitting in my car outside of a locally owned wine shop where I was going to meet a few of my contemporaries and taste through wines from Northern Italy. It was the start of what is going to be a "tasting group" organized by a local wine instructor. We were all going to bring wines in brown paper bags and taste them and talk about their attributes while throwing the appropriate adjectives around, not including freshly quarried alabaster (that was for you Pete). Tasting them blind is a good way to assess the wine with out having a preconceived notion about what the quality level is.

So it is 9:30 and then 9:45. Hhhmmm, no one is here and I have a bottle of Enzo Boglietti Barbera d'Alba that I really wanted to taste AND this tasting will give me all sorts of fodder for my next blog!!! And then my phone rings; the tasting had been canceled, and will be rescheduled for a later date. DRAT!

Fast forward to Thanksgiving where we crack it open, which I might add, made a perfect addition to the meal, and I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of body and balance it had. This wine has a vibrant red hue with a delightful nose, with polished oak overlaid with black cherries and other black fruits.

The driving force behind this estate is Enzo Boglietti, a new producer on the Barolo scene, only establishing a presence in the early 1990s and he is not afraid to embrace new techniques, including the use of high-toast small barrique.

I then went to find some of his other wines. There is also a wonderful Dolcetto d'Alba "Tiglineri" with dense cherry and raspberry fruit, as well as a touch of liquorice. This wine, produced from 60-year-old vines, is a serious, classy example of Dolcetto.

Another producer I have always loved is La Spinetta. The Monferrato Rosso ‘Pin’ has a gorgeous nose; black cherry and blueberry jam, with black peppercorns. La Spinetta's most significant wine is Pin, a blend of 50% Nebbiolo with 25% each of Barbera and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is produced under the Monferrato Rosso DOC, a catch-all classification designed to bring the many blends made by the local producers under one umbrella.

Aldo Conterno makes a lovely Langhe Dolcetto "Masante". It is a lovely vibrant red, with a purple tinge, dense black cherry fruit on the nose and some meaty, gamy notes.

There is also the wonderful Aldo Conterno Barbera d’Alba "Conca Tre Pile" whose main vines are grown on a hilly area in Bussia Soprana’s, where some of the Conterno famed Barolo’s are from.

There are of course other significant red wines. There is the light crisp Grignolino. I have been advised that there is one to be found at the Sam’s in Highland Park from a producer called Luca Ferraris along with a Ruché that generally makes a light ruby colored wine with an aromatic twist. Both are recommended.

And then for dessert - Marenco’s Brachetto d’Acqui "Pineto" has red bold fruit that explodes with flavor: raspberry, grapes, sweet and sour cherries, and a hint of strawberry and has wonderful richness and layers of flavor, with an off-dry finish. It is a wonderful frizzante (semi-sparkling) or fully sparkling wine made from grapes of the same name.

Whites are also well represented in Piedmont:

One of the most significant things about enjoying these wines is that they can mostly be purchased for under $20.00. While you may not find them readily, ask in any specialty wine store and they can be ordered for you. There are plenty of other reds and whites in Piedmont, but since Wisconsin is on the lower end of the global allocation totem pole, there are so many we don’t see, but all of the wines I have discussed are available in this market.

November 2007 has really been a month for thanks. I don’t mean in the come over to my house where I am going to cook a huge meal while you watch a football game kind of thanks. I mean the kind where you get a phone call from your Mom to tell you your Dad just had a major stoke, but now he is doing miraculously better kind of thanks. I, of course, flew to Portland the day after I found out and sat by him and told him jokes until he kicked me out because he was tired. But life marches on and I had to come back and be a Mom and go to work and all of that stuff. Writing about wine paled in comparison to calling him everyday to make sure he is getting better. Thanks to Scott, Amy, Natalie, Jennifer W. and all the others that ask all the time how he is doing.

A Saluté il mio Padre