Today we will explore Barbaresco. The wine region of Barbaresco is made up of 4 towns, all very close to Barolo.  

The kids are loving sleeping in grandma and grandpa’s room. They are always well groomed and happy when they meet me at breakfast. It seems like a great deal for all of us!

We drive into one of the Barbaresco towns, Neive, and walk around. It’s a very cute little town. We plan to have lunch at I love BA, but they don’t open for 30 minutes. We walk all around and see the town before returning for lunch.

Lunch is so good. The staff is amazing to us, and the food is very good. It’s all decently priced as well. We order carafes of table wine, one white and one red. The white one is good, but the red one is terrible. It’s the only time I just ordered something else and asked them to take it away. Gross. I’d definitely recommend this place in Barbaresco, but maybe ask for a taste of the table red before committing.

Enoteca Contea seems hopping on our way to lunch, so we are sure to go back to it afterward. The server/hostess pours us three different Barbarescos to compare side by side, and she doesn’t seem to expect payment or anything in return. This is my kind of place. Not because we are going to get away with spending less. We will certainly buy some wine from her. But it’s because she seems to genuinely want to show us the different wines she has so we can learn about the regional wine and so we will make a more educated purchase. Since I already like her, I ask if she can recommend a winery for us to visit. She points us across town (approx. 5 minute walk) to a local place she says is great.

We walk down to Cantina del Glicine to find the front doors closed up. The sign says they opened 10 minutes ago, so we ring the bell. In the meantime, I walk around the side and see them finishing their lunch.

//Grandpa notes> Now is about to begin one of those magical moments that you stumble across.  A classic older Italian man (older than me) comes to the door and with a twinkle in his eye tries to find some common language in which we can communicate because he does not speak english and we definitely do not speak Italian. He does, however, speak Spanish and French.  When he asks, “Nous voullon voir le caves” (or something like that), we can understand that there are wine caves.  “Yes!”  He takes us around back and down some stairs into the most classic old wine caves.  This beats any wine tour I will ever take.  We go back upstairs and sit around what feels like their kitchen table.  I know that I am buying their wine before we even taste it. We have cheese and salami while tasting their wines and trying to communicate with each other as best we can.  I want to go back.

A lovely older man and woman answer the door. The man steps outside and introduces himself as the winemaker. We don’t speak any languages in common except a tiny bit of French. Still we understand when he asks if we want to see the caves. We enthusiastically say “yes please!!” He walks us around to the back of his farmhouse and opens a door. We step into caves from the 1500s lined with large wine barrels. Amazing.

My mom makes the mistake of touching the walls, which were covered in fungal slime. It’s awesome.

He guides us back inside where his wife leads our tasting because her English is better. I think she’s the business person and he’s the winemaker. She is so nice. They put cheese and breadsticks on the table. These breadsticks are a very common thing here, and they’re delicious. The wines here are very good, and they produce around 30,000 bottles/year. It’s all extremely charming. You can’t visit Barbaresco without stopping for a tour and tasting here.

//Grandpa notes>  So the next picture is the beginning of my other favorite wine tasting of the trip.  This one Kimberly found through research. She made us an appointment so it’s not the surprise that Cantina del Glicine was. However, we will leave Borgono Francesco feeling like part of their family.

We have a tasting scheduled for 4pm at Cantina Francesco Borgogno, not related to the Borgogno we visited yesterday. We pull up, and it doesn’t look like much from the road or driveway. But this place is incredible. We are welcomed by the entire family, as if we are going to their home for a meal. Francesco, the “father” of the wine, greets us though it’s clear he doesn’t speak much English. His wife stays and assists Silvia, the daughter in law who seems to run the show here. They place a wide array of cheeses and meats on the table before us. And Silvia talks to us about the history of their winery and the wines we’ll taste. As my dad says, this is the type of place where you want to love the wine and buy it so you can drink it and remember the entire experience. I agree. And it turns out the wine is delicious. The very best part was Silvia’s mother-in-law ends up playing with Oly for a long time. They just have a ball. And Francesco joins in a bit toward the end of our visit. I think the three of them had the most fun. It goes without saying this is a special place. Make a reservation to see them if you go to Barolo. They’re charming people you want to know. And they also make good wine.

//Grandpa notes> Silvia explained that the vineyards and winery came from her mother-in-law’s side of the family, but when they were naming winery many years ago they used her husband’s name, Francesco, because women couldn’t own a business like this back in the day. I will always include this winery on future trips to the Barolo region.  I am bringing back a magnum.  Should be great for our 45th anniversary in 8 years.

We return to the hotel to swim some more. Stefan and my dad swim with Oly and Lillian. The hotel is preparing for the pool party it’s hosting tonight. Then the dj starts spinning and wow it’s loud. We are the only people at the pool, but we can’t even hear ourselves. I guess it’s time for the old people to go.

We go to dinner at Rosso Barolo again tonight. It’s Saturday night, and the whole town is having a big party. Lots of people are out, and the restaurants are packed. I think they make space for us because we were so entertaining last night. We don’t order as much, but the food is still super good. I’m so so tired and can’t wait to crawl into bed.

//Grandpa notes> Best day yet.