Reflections from the Vine

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All our favorite wineries are bringing in the harvest right now so I thought it might be perfect timing for a wine blog.  Here are some photos showing the evolution of the vine this year. 
Valdobbiadene (Feb 2019) - view from Col Vetoraz
The vines having a winter's nap (March 2019) - Pietro Zardini
First signs of life April 2019 - Valpolicella
Made Tom pull off the side of the road so I could take these pictures.
Walking through Ritter de Zahony vineyards - June 2019
Great looking clusters
Prosecco grapes - August 2019
Our wine adventures since February included trips to Valdobbiadene (Prosecco), Valpolicella (Ripasso, Amarone), Friuli, Piedmont (Nebbiolo, Barolo) and Croatia.  We also went to two wine festivals.  The Palio del Recioto festival in Valpolicella over Easter Sunday weekend, and the annual Vulcanei festival, which highlights wines from Italy that are grown in volcanic soil.

We had some fun wine adventures with friends and then some just with the boys.  I don't think I can wait this long to blog posts anymore because it just gets to be too much.  In my journal I keep a list of the dates we visit wineries and who we are with.  We have visited twenty wineries since February -- three of them being wineries we had been to before.   The festivals are fun because we got to try wines from 16 different wineries and there are a few I definitely want to go visit in person.

One of our favorite wineries in the Valpolicella region is Villa Crine.  We love this family: Battista, Mara, Giuseppe and Diletta.  We visited them with friends earlier in the year and then with family just last month (Tom's Aunt Marilyn and Uncle George), and we also saw them at the Recioto festival in April. 
Villa Crine
Giuseppe did a great tasting for us with George and Marilyn
Saying 'ciao' to Mara at the Recioto Festival
We traveled to the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in April for a long weekend.  We visited some wineries recommended by a friend and then we came upon one of our most favorite finds of the year.  We were driving back to our hotel on a rainy Sunday and Tom asked if there was a winery on the way that I might like to stop and visit.  I checked the map and found Ritter de Zahony in Aquileia.  The owner Guido came out to meet us at the gate but unfortunately the family was having lunch.  So, we got back in the car to head back to our hotel.  We were just getting ready to drive away when he came back out and invited us to come on in.  Lunch was wrapping up so he'd gotten the green light to welcome in guests.   

We were invited right into their home and tried their Prosecco and had some snacks.  We eventually got invited into their kitchen and had coffee with the matriarch and Guido's better half Roberta.
Getting to taste some Prosecco
Not just Prosecco...but we get snacks too ;-)
Great time of fellowship around the kitchen table
Selfie before getting back on the road
Stopped by to visit for coffee on our way to Croatia in June
Great couple, great family, and great vino!

We visited Guido and Roberta on our way to Zadar, Croatia over Father's Day weekend.  Tom was in Zadar 35 years ago for a youth mission trip and had been interested in revisiting it.  We had a great time and, per usual, found time to visit a winery.  Another fun find of the year was Vina Fiolic.  We got welcomed right into the basement of their home to see where the roots of this winery began.  And then we got to walk over to their new tasting room, which wasn't open yet, but is now open for business.  Loved meeting this great couple too and they also hooked Tom up with some bonafide Rakia.
Learning about their wines with the husband and wife team of Vina Fiolic
Nice, crisp whites and I really liked their rose too. And of course...a great label!
Inside their new cellar where they are now doing tastings
Most of our wine adventuring took place between February and May.  It's been a slow summer in the wine department.  We've only visited four wineries but once the harvest is over I'm sure we'll be gearing up to visit some more this fall.  I've already got a list of several I want to go visit.  Cheers until next time! 
Visiting Villa Sandi in February - Friends make wine adventures so much more fun.
Outside a great new-to-us winery in Valpolicella - Azienda Agricola Coali
And of course...it's all the more fun having the boys along too.
Henry with the gorgeous vineyards of Piedmont in the background


    

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