"American Wannabees" In Italy

The American dream is still alive in Italy and every day I chuckle at American influences here in the old world. On Sunday, Claudio sponsored a local "motorfest" in Bra, which meant lots of "Italian" harlisti as they call them here. Although I was surrounded by patriotic American gear, the Italianess still shone through no matter how hard they tried!

American flags everywhere!!!

A SFPD police Harley?! Where do they get these things!

How they totally can not avoid being Italian:

You must display the Ferraris, Fiats and Vespas in hot Italian red!

Italian medieval entertainment a must!

Italian To Go Street Food

No Matter how cool and tough you want to be with your pimped out ride, the Italian men will always love their mammas!!

So while Americans dream of Italy and vespas, Italians dream of coast to coast trips on Harleys. I guess I am lucky to take the best of both worlds and hope that Italians will never lose their individuality!

Mirto: The Sardinian Taste of Hospitality [Guest Post]

“Fancy a Mirto?” is the offer you cannot refuse. In any case.

When a Sardinian offers you a shot glass of Mirto (simply called “a mirto”, or dearly “mirtino”), there is a good chance that it is homemade: self-made, or prepared by mom, brother, friends…

The homemade procedure is not a standard one: there are lots of small differences in making Mirto, in order to have it more or less sweet, more or less sour, more or less aromatic. That’s why it is important to congratulate if you find it tasty.It belongs to the “digestive” category and it is usually drunk after lunch, but its true 

category is: “it is always time to drink a Mirto together!”. 

So, if you are in Sardinia and you are offered a Mirtino, accept it and be aware that you are

offered a symbol of Sardinian culture. It means that you are welcome, and when it 

happens you have the chance to benefit from the renowned regional reception, that 

passes through a shot-glass of ruby red liqueur into the depths of your soul.

Mom’s recipe

Ingredients:

Myrtle berries* 800gr

Alcohol 90°**

Sugar 400/600gr to taste

Water 1250 ml

*Harvest time: since mid-December to the end of January.

**A common variation is the use of eau de vie instead of the alcohol. 

Method:

Clean thoroughly, rinse and dry the berries. Soak the berries with alcohol and leave to 

infuse for about 20-30 days.

Prepare the syrup: mix the water with the sugar and bring to a boil. Let it cool. 

Strain the infusion without pressing it and add the cold syrup. Stir well and bottle it. You 

need to wait at least 2 weeks before drinking it. In order to savor the best, put the glass 

bottle in the freezer and serve chilled.

About the author: Giulia Garau
Passionate about cats, amazing coffee and dark chocolate. Enthusiastic when embarking 
on a new journey, eager to live and to discover unknown places. Giulia's home is Sardinia,
where she works as a Social Media Manager for CharmingItaly.com.
Photo Credits: Bertas, Peenjas

Vinum 2013 Alba

While my teacher colleagues were enjoying their long "ponte" holidays abroad and at sea, I was here in Piemonte working overtime at the winery. To uplift our spirits on Sunday afternoon, Claudio and I faced the cold rainy weather to blog about the annual wine event in Alba called Vinum. One of the perks of blogging and making contacts was getting free passes and glasses! Woohoo!

Vinum is a long weekend in April when the enotecas open up for Notte Bianca in the streets of Alba, you can choose from a huge selection of wines at the Grande Enoteca where they give you those cool wine glass holder necklaces, and tantalize you with street food, special exhibitions and presentations. 

While I was busy tweeting at the entrance and getting my bearings, we ended up running into all these people we knew like Enrico from Rizzi winery and some tourists who had come to the winery before. Each room had an incredible selection of winemakers all divided by type of wine which was served by sommeliers. We only had a limited amount of tickets so we had to choose wisely!

Barolo On A Tuesday At San Biagio

I have to admit I am one of those people who goes through short-lived obsessive phases, especially when it comes to food and wine. My latest one is a light fruity and peppery wine called Verduno Pelaverga like I talked about in my last post. So my friend Matteo suggested another producer who is actually based in La Morra, called San Biagio and interestingly owns a Pelaverga vineyard right on the border. A good excuse to stop by for a visit!

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the setting of this renovated farmhouse and new cellar set amongst the vineyards was magnificent. The daughter of the family, Tiziana greeted us and reiterated the importance of the terroir and work in the vineyards. I love when Italian winemakers use poetic and philosophical metaphors like,"a vine/vineyard is like a person, the more you exploit it, the less complexity and longevity it will have". 

Fratelli Alessandria - Verduno Winery Visit

The feel of the warm sun finally caressing my pale winter skin filled me with the energy and positivity that I needed. With a much needed weekend off and the sun shining, my inclinations took me to the land of Pelaverga in Verduno, where we could taste a light refreshing and spicy red Piemontese wine.

Right in the heart of the old town, we were greeted by Alessandro (Alex) in the front garden of this beautiful old stone winery. Slightly reserved in the beginning, as locals tend to be in this region, I started doubting whether he would have rather enjoyed his Saturday afternoon outdoors too. This was probably true since we found out that he was actually the brother that worked the vineyards.

I had always thought Fratelli Alessandria was a large scale winery, but when I walked into the "cantina" I was pleasantly surprised by its cozy Italian style. With a mere two round tables in the tasting room, and a few rows of large casks, I soon found out that they only produced about 75,000 bottles a year. Little by little, Alessandro started opening up and showing a sincerity that both he and the winery possessed. The history that he told was astounding, as he pointed out an old wine diploma from the 1800s! This had always been a cellar and may have even been the place where King Carlo Alberto kept his very own stash. It would be impossible for this winery not to have ties to tradition and the land. 

We tasted an incredibly generous array of 7 wines! The one that interested me the most was Pelaverga, produced by only 12 wineries in the world (and one of Italy's smallest DOC areas: Verduno). Much different than Nebbiolos, it is light, refreshing with Piemonte's characteristic acidity and easy flavors of wild strawberries, raspberries and the special kick, spicy white pepper. This may in fact be MY wine, a great summer option for grilled vegetables and even seafood.

Barbera, Barbera Superiore, Nebbiolo, and 3 Barolos coming from 3 different vineyards. All showing typicity with nice structure, acidity and those very present tannins, they were all rustic and full of personality. Barolo San Lorenzo 2008 was well balanced, elegant and smooth while Monvigliero 2008 was bigger and robust. Finally there was there only Barolo coming from a 60 year old vineyard called Gramolere from Monforte. Aromatic and fruity, surprisingly fresh for a wine from such old vines. We tasted and compared a few times before choosing Monvigliero. Although not as refined and balanced as San Lorenzo, I liked its roughness and personality, intrigued by its future development. At about 30 euros a bottle, I think it was a great deal and a nice memento of a sunny spring day well spent in Verduno!