Festa Del Fallegro: Wine Festival In La Morra

Fallegro is a white wine made from the Favorita grape and produced by Gianni Gagliardo winery in La Morra. It is one of the best local white wines that you can find at the supermarkets for about 10 euros a bottle. Every year this family throws a huge party in July to launch the 2012 vintage of this refreshing summer wine. We were lucky to get one of the exclusive invites. I say exclusive because I did not expect to find a red carpet, photo wall, private shuttle bus, and tons of people dressed up with 6 inch heels like it was a movie premier. I, however, came straight from work, exhausted and casual but excited about the event.

It was definitely an over-the-top party complete with a huge buffet with only the finest ingredients, entertainment, freshly made torrone, and of course professional sommeliers who poured Fallegro in inexhaustible quantities!

Not only was there white wine being served, but a cellar full of red wines available from Barbera to Nebbiolo. The most spectacular part was the three precious Barolos which were all poured for us to taste once, twice and even three times! The one that seemed to get the (drunk) people’s vote was the Barolo 2007 Preve Reserve which sells at a whopping 82 euros in the winery. I still can’t believe they were so generous to pour all this wine to so many people without asking anything in return!

Unfortunately, I was driving and let Claudio indulge in all this wine for a change. But I did enjoy the company, the Nebbiolo and especially the people-watching. Italian men’s outfits always crack me up at fancy events like this! It was the 4th of July, so Roxy and I were so excited when we saw guys all decked out in red, white and blue which was just a funny coincidence!

As we were leaving at about 1 a.m., we saw the most amazing shooting star fly so slowly across the sky that it almost seemed unreal. It was just the perfect way to end the evening, make a wish and celebrate our tiny firework in the summer night sky in Langhe!