Torino - Italian Wine

As some of you may know, Susan and I used to make wine from kits at home before we moved to Newmarket. We had always stuck to the familiar; Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc... But one day while looking for a new varietal to try, the store owner suggested a wine called Barolo, about which I knew nothing, but that he raved about. I thought that before spending $80 on a kit, I would buy a bottle to see if I liked it. Well, the cheapest bottle at the LCBO was over $40, so I decided to skip the bottle and make the Barolo from the kit.

It turned out to be the best wine we had ever made, and became my favourite red wine. Barolo is known as "the king of wines, and the wine of kings". It's expensive because it comes from a very small region in Italy, which just happens to be Piedmonte, which is also where Torino is located. I actually didn't know this before I got on the plane to come here, but read about it in the Delta airline magazine.

In addition to Barolo, this region is also famous for Barberesco, Barbera, and Dolcetto. I have been able to sample the Barbera and Dolcetto (from vintner Fontannafredda, the official Olympic Wine Sponsor) at the Media Village bar, but had not yet had a chance to try the others. My gift package from TOBO (the Torino Broadcasting Organization) included a coupon for a free glass of Fontanafredda Serralunga d'Alba Barolo at the Piedmonte Food and Wine pavillion downtown in Piazza Castello (which is where the Medals Ceremonies take place).

This morning, at 11:30am (which is when they open), I went in to try their Barolo and was blown away. It is such a full tasting wine, without puckering you up with too much tanin. I am not a wine snob by any stretch, and certainly am no poet in describing the taste, but I've always tasted dark chocolate in the Barolo, and sensed vanilla in the aroma.



Fontannafredda used to be a very good winery that had been founded by the son of the first King of Italy. It had fallen on hard times, but was rescued by a Bank which now runs the winery. Recent wines from Fontannafredda have had good reviews, as evidenced by this review of a 1999 Tenimenti Fontannafredda Barolo "La Rosa".

I was thrilled to find a bottle of 1999 Tenimenti Fontannafredda Barolo "La Villa" (a gift from TOROC) in my room at the Media Village a few days after arriving, but I am saving that for Susan and me when I get home.