Fantastic Wine Tour and Fantasticer Turin

We departed Santa Margarita and were able to spend most of the two hour drive on a highway!! We have tunnelled our way through the Italian mountains along the Riviera. We headed north of Genova to the town of Canelli.

The facility at Coppo tour was on the site of an operational winery. We prepared with layers for the tour as the wine is stored at temperatures between 13 and 17 degrees as the storage area fort the wines was built into the hill (one of the underground cathedrals). Constanio was a sommelier and was an outstanding guide for our morning tour. He was incredibly knowledgeable and shared some great new information with us about local grapes and the conditions of the area. We had the pleasure of spending our tour with newlyweds that are living in London, Graham and Cheryl (she’s originally from South Africa).

We learned a great deal about the winery and the process of making the wine. One thing we found interesting is that they dip the neck of the bottle in glycol to freeze the wine and sediment in the neck, remove it, and top up the bottle with some additional wine to add the right perfumes that they would like to achieve.

Constantino shared that a lot of automation has improved the process of aging the wines with machines that was previously all done by hand (ex. rotating the bottles). The aging process has very specific requirements to maintain the reputation and quality for the wines being produced in this region. Some wines stay in the cask for 3 months to 36 months (small wood, large wood, or steel), then 6 months to several years in the bottle before it would be approved for sale.

One thing we had never seen before was the barrel with a clear panel so that we could see the yeast sediment in the bottom of the barrel.

We learned that in this area they are not allowed to water the older grape vines, otherwise the root system will not properly devolve and reach the deeper layers of the soil that contain the minerals that are unique to this region. We were able to clearly see that in one area of the tour where the wall was exposed to show the layers of soil, minerals, and limestone. These minerals are responsible for creating their amazing tasting wines.

During the tour, Betty brushed up against the dirty pillars. The mold was a thick coating on the walls, floors, bottles, pillars, and ceiling.

For the tasting we enjoyed a sparkling Clelia Coppo Brut Rose Metodo Monterilo Chardonnay, Barolo, Pomorosso Nizza, and a bonus Moncalvina Moscato D'Asti.

We each bought a couple bottles of wine and were given a corkscrew as a souvenir. It was one of the best wine tours we have ever been on!! Well done Bill!

For lunch we ate on the patio at Ristorantino ‘n Ca ‘d Basan di Roberto Bazzano. Betty had a few bites of her Russian salad (not what she expected), Bill and I shared some delicious zucchini flowers and beef, and John had amazing plins (meat filled pasta).

Then we hit the road and arrived at the Turin Palace Hotel later in the afternoon. Our rooms are beside each other and we have spacious balconies that will be good for pre and post dinner drinks and snacks. The staff was very helpful and settled us in quickly. The lady at the front desk escorted us to our rooms and the bell hop jumped in the car with Bill to find a parking spot.

Immediately we went up to the 6th floor terrace bar and restaurant for some drinks and snacks. I had a Pisco Sour, Betty had a martini, John had a G&T, and Bill had a Basil Smash.

We walked to the Osterie Torino restaurant for our 7:30 reservation and we opened up the place. We were street-side on hard metal and wooden chairs. We started with the charcuterie platter and sliced veal with tuna tartare, Betty and I had a local specialty of veal, tuna and an fried egg, Bill had frefola (small pasta) with mussel sauce, eggplant cream, and black squid. John had spaghetti with a cream sauce.

The ambiance improved as the evening progressed and the restaurant filled up with families and dogs. The ambiance was not great, but the meal was very good.

We enjoyed some wine and drinks on our patio. The staff was kind enough to bring down some glasses, ice, cookies, and chocolates for us.