Yesterday started off badly but ended up great! While working out at the gym, I dropped a 20 pound weight on my new iPhone 5 and crushed the face. I, now, have no phone so if you need me, text and I will receive it on my iPad. I guess that's what I get for working out on three hours sleep.
I am happy to report that the drive from the airport to Barolo was uneventful. We only got lost once. We arrived for our 11:30 tasting, tour and lunch at Marchesi di Barolo twenty short minutes late...not bad! MDB produces one million bottles of wine a year and is the oldest winery in Piedmont. We decided to come here because I met the winery owner, Anna Abbona and her daughter, Valentina, at a wine tasting event at Hostaria Piave a few months ago. Angelo's wife, Anna, hooked us up with the VIP tour. The coolest part of the tour was seeing the families rare collection of wine dating back to 1930. Ron kept telling me how we could never do that at our house because I would tell him, "Get me another bottle of the 1938 Barolo." To which he would reply, "Babe, you're on bottle three, I'll open you 1950 instead!" We dined on a five course lunch with wine pairings. Anna and Valentina came to the restaurant to say hello and take pictures with us. They are really wonderful women, so humble and generous. The perfect way to start off our trip. Post lunch, we walked around the town of Barolo - 5 minutes from tip to tail. I kept telling Ron how lucky these people are that they get to live in this beautiful place. He replied back by saying, "Who you kidding? These people wish they could get the hell out of here. They're dying a slow death in this small town." We purchased a few bottle of wine and headed to our hotel (Hotel Villa Beccaris). OMG!! This place is off the charts. I highly recommend staying here. We unpacked and went straight to the pool. Oh the pool with its amazing views of the Piedmont valley. We hung there for several hours drinking wine, taking in the beauty of this magnificent place. Contrary to what Ron thinks, this place is nothing like Napa or any other wine region we have visited. The charm, the history, the beauty. I am in love I tell you, in love! Well, in true Honeycutt fashion, we drank too much and didn't make it to dinner. We did, however, scale a very tall wall so we could get a better view of the sunset. This was Ron's idea of which he quickly regretted once he realized how buzzed I was and became afraid that I was going to plunge to my death. "How am I going to explain that to our kids babe? Get down now, ok?" NOPE, I was having a blast up there, swirling wine in my glass and taking pictures. Yep, he was so afraid that he brought me my wine glass from the pool.
We slept for 12 hours then ate a delicious breakfast at a small table overlooking the valley. Now I am siting here blogging with the birds chirping and the church bell ringing in the distance. Did I mention that I am in love? Paris and NY ain't got nothing on Piedmont! Off to Ratti Winery at 3:30 then to dinner. Yes, we will make it to dinner tonight. See ya.