Paula Maia's Wine blog

Breakfast in Italy, lunch in Austria, dinner in Germany, oh the good life I have! Besides the natural anatomy of those countries, and the fact that if you drive from Germany to Italy you must cross Austria, it still sounds utterly decadent to be in three countries in one day.

Also in the Alps and surrounded by three very high mountains, Innsbruck is an international winter sports destination. In 1964 and in 1976, Innsbruck hosted the Winter Olympics and the First Winter Youth Olympics of 2012 is being held in Innsbruck as well.

Believe it or not, the day we were there they were having a festival that happens only every 20 years. We beat the odds of this all-weekend drink and dance fest that had most residents celebrating in traditional costumes. After checking out the altstadt we stopped at Stiftskeller for a Wiener Schnitzel and a Gruner Veltliner. By 10 o’clock we were back in Munich having- you guessed- another Schnitzel, this time with an Augustiner-Braeu.

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Romeo and Juliet were lucky to have had so many good wines on hand. Being from Verona, a beautiful Roman city in the Veneto, the two had Soave, Bardolino and Valpolicella within 5 miles or less. Pioneer in implementing the first wine road, or strada del vino, and to open Italy’s first wine school, the Veneto has more DOC wines than any other wine region in Italy.

This time around we decided to stick with sigh seeing and not visit any producer as we barely had a weekend. The first night we spent in Verona and the second in Lake Garda, another famous tourist destination in the Veneto, and one I was looking forward to visiting. Now I know why it attracts so many people. All tackiness aside, the place is magnificent.

We climbed Monte Baldo, not on foot or on bicycle like most people, but embarrassingly by car. Nonetheless, we got to the top and enjoyed the breath-taking view of Lake Garda just like everyone else, without breaking a sweat. I just wish we had a bottle of the local Bardolino to enjoy while up there.

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Ciao Bolzano! or should I say Halo Bozen?

Bolzano or Bozen is one of the two provinces that make up the region of Trentino-Alto Adige, in the northernmost part of Italy. Südtirol as it is known in German, has a long history. The south of the region around the city of Trento has always been Italian, while Alto Adige, in the north around Bolzano, was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Since 1918 the whole region has been officially Italian, but 75% of the population still speaks German.

Alto Adige is mostly in the Alps, where only 15% of the land is suitable for cultivation. Wine-making is limited and challenging, and yet, it is the region that exports the highest proportion of its production. Such conditions reflect in the price, but the quality is generally worth it. The style is usually light, dry and high in acidity, with varietal labels of native and international varieties.

On the southern counterpart, Trentino is a major source of commercial Pinot Grigio from much less challenging slopes. Both regions also produce small amounts of reds from local black grapes. On our way to the Veneto we had lunch in Bolzano, or Bozen, in a nice traditional ristorante. It was my first time in Italy, but it didn’t feel like it until we crossed Trento.

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Wow, I just finished the Advanced Sommelier course of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, level 3. It was quite a challenge for me, giving the fact that I chose the one week intensive format. Each day we tasted about 18 wines from pretty much every corner of the world. Of course I loved, and always have, the Chablis, the Saint Emilion, the Margaux, but what really caught my attention were the wines from Eastern Europe.

When was the last time you walked into a wine store and thought to yourself; uh, how about a Romanian Pinot Noir tonight? Or should I go for an Agiorgitiko or for an Assyrtiko? I never really had this dilemma. While I was fully enjoying the course, I must say that I was freaking out about the exam. Now I’m pretty confident that I did well and most likely passed, however I still need to wait another 8 weeks for the official result, which can be a surprise. Did I really do well?

But, why wait? I celebrated it already buying myself a ticket to Europe! I haven’t figured out which wine region or regions I will visit this time, but Alsace, Austria and Italy is in the works. I’d be happy with any, since all I care for is the amazing wines that the old world continue to produce. Pictures to tell will follow.