I always Leica…  Barolo wine tasting at G. D. Vajra Winery.

On Sunday we had a great tour and tasting, by Elanora who did an excellent job of showing us the winery, answering our questions, telling us the history of the family/winery, and conducting a tasting.  The winery is a medium-sized winery producing very good wines.  It was first established in 1972 using vineyards that had been in the family since the 1920’s.  It is currently run by the Mom, Dad, and three adult children.  One of the sons works at the winery and the other two spend much of their time traveling promoting and selling the wines.  G.D.V.  Wines are elegant with delicate perfumes and purity of flavor that make them stand out.  We were fortunate enough to meet one of these three adults, Francesca Vaira.  She spent time with us in the tasting room and promised to see us one year at The Great Wines of Italy in San Francisco!  She was an absolute delight, outgoing, friendly, and fun to be around.  The winery itself was designed around pieces of art designed by a Monk (Padre Constantino Ruggeri) that passed away several years ago.  He designed several stained glass windows, furniture, and other pieces of art seen throughout the winery.

In all of our visits, I have not attempted to professional critique or rate the wines.  I leave that up to the experts such James Suckling, Robert Parker, Antonio Galloni, Kerin O’Keefe, etc.  I’ve attempted to describe the visit and tasting experience in hopes that our photographs add to the story.  If you plan on visiting wineries in the Langhe, you must request visits and tastings weeks or months in advance.  Most of the wineries are small and run by family members, who are often the ones conducting the tours. A few of the wineries conduct no visits or tasting at all, and some only allow tours and tastings by the wine industry.