me at the massive vines of northern italy.
the Don and father Carbo.
me at the bottom of Hemingway's hill at the left and the valley in the back with the foothills of the alps.
viniferos 2007 at the hand.
me in venice
Excursion ITALY:
With singing French students, legendary professors and the heat wave, our week in Northern Italy was an absolute blast. It was a gruelling 12 hours on the bus from Montpellier to Veneto. With temperatures reaching 36 degrees centigrade at 10 o’clock in the morning, it was going to be a hot week. And it was, but in more ways than one. We were fortunate to visit some good producers in the Friuli and Veneto regions of north eastern Italy. But for me as an introduction to a country I have only visited once before in my life it was perfect.
The region is covered with Roman Catholic memorabilia...not my cup of tea, but it is impossible to look past the statues and buildings. Any conspiracy theorist’s dream I would say. I guess a lot of the spooky mysteries of Roman history were imbedded here by the Catholics seeing that it is a very traditional area. Ok then, moving right along....
...some highlights would have to be our drive down “Strada del Prosecco” and my closer encounter with Prosecco – an Italian sparkling wine made in the Charmat method style were a second fermentation takes place inside a pressure tank (for the “vinos”). But Prosecco is in actual fact a grape variety more than a style of wine. With its fresh fizziness and fruity delight it was a welcome refreshment from the heat. Coming across this “find” and hearing about its world wide popularity it made me think why the “bubblies” from back home are not exploiting the same sort of fame. According to me our quality is on par if not better and for half the price. Makes you wonder about world politics and economics does it not?
Second highlight have to be discovering the rolling hillside of Friuli and Veneto, where most of the fighting of the First World War between Italy and Austria took place. Hearing the history and heritage of this landscape was astounding. And while standing in a hillside vineyard overlooking the valley down below I was told that this is where the famous American writer Ernest Hemingway was during WW1. It struck a cord in me seeing that I am a huge fan of “Papi”.
Then there was the bizarre ego-battle between our two “tour guides” – Don Giovanni and Father Carbo (The legendary two professors, one Italian and one French. These are world renowned men when it comes to vines and wines and we had the privilege of enjoying their company for the week). But the beauty is that they are old time friends that has discovered and understood the intrinsic complexity of the vine for decades. And having them sharing their knowledge was inspirational. They both have their ways...with the Don being elegant and very “Italian” and Father Carbo being the big Obelix-like Gaul with less tact and a touch more robust authority. Watching them “argue” and talking “their game” was fascinating. But on the final day to see them – two big men embracing each other as old bosom friends was moving and a reality check. It made me see once again the value of friendship.
The week ended fittingly with an afternoon stop-over in Venice. Even tough we had limited time it was the perfect “switch-off” as the academic year came to an end. Cruising the “grande canal”, walking the small and narrow streets, seeing people on the gondoles, and having a “campari” and soda sitting quietly watching time going by...
