Fighting fire on Mt. Etna with Filippo from Ayunta . . . all was well in the end . . .

There is an abandoned railroad right behind one of his vineyards.

Spooky nighttime firefighting.

An extreme form of weed control!

Lots of old abandoned houses in these little towns on Etna.

But the vineyards are fine!

Some old olives trees didn't make it.

Over 100 years old this vine.

Grapes are fine.  White and red interplanted in this old vineyard.

Looking good!

Filippo in the vineyard.  Should I tell him trucker hats are so early 2000's?

Harvest 2017 begins at Tenuta dell'Ugolino - Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi in the Marche . . .

 Harvest is really early this year in all parts of Italy.  Here are some pictures from Tenuta dell'Ugolino.

Hail in Trentino! Pojer e Sandri pictures . . . .

A freak hailstorm hit Pojer e Sandri vineyards a few days ago and here are some of the pictures.

Sadly, for many winegrowers, they lost their whole crop.  Luckily for Pojer e Sandri the damage wasn't that bad.

But can you imagine having these beasts fall on your vineyard?  To be a farmer, in any field, is to trust that mother nature will take your side.  But that also means that someone else might not be as lucky.

Thanks for the pictures, Federico Sandri, and we wish you guys all the best in the coming harvest.

Etna with Filippo of Ayunta . . .

Etna from the direction of Catania

One of the vineyards of Ayunta

Old, old vine

Rough place to grow grapes

You can see a turritto (spelling?) in the background of all the rocks that were taken out of this vineyard and stacked nearby

Better have your sturdy walking shoes . . . 

Ciao Filippo!

New videos from G.D. Vajra website . . . . this is a little about Milena Vaira, matriarch . . .

Dinner with Francesca Vaira of G.D. Vajra at Officine Brera - Thursday, September 15th

Come meet Francesca Vaira of G.D. Vajra and Luigi Baudana from Piemonte, Italy and eat some great food from renowned chef Angelo Auriana at Officine Brera in DTLA. 

MENU

PASSED APPETIZER

merluzzo smoked salted water codfish, white endive, young onion, parsley oil

lardo cured crispy polenta, pork back fat, chestnut honey, pink peppercorn 

farinata chickpea flower, garda olive oil, cracked pepper

G.D. Vajra NV Metodo Classico Rose`, “N.S. Della Neve” 

FIRST COURSE

pisarei e fasö house-made bread dumplings, borlotti beans, cured pork, reggiano

G.D. Vajra 2014 Langhe DOC, Riesling “Petracine” 

G.D. Vajra 2013 Dolcetto d'Alba DOC “Coste e Fossati” 

ENTRÉE

guanciola wood oven braised beef cheek, polenta taragna, foraged mushrooms

G.D. Vajra 2011 Barbera Superiore 

G.D. Vajra 2011 Barolo, Cru Bricco delle Viole DOCG

DESSERT 

assorted dessert platter

G.D. Vajra 2015 Moscato d'Asti DOCG 

$150 tax and tip included

1331 E 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021

officinebrera.com

(213) 553-8006

Thursday, September 15th

7 pm to 10 pm

Call for reservations!

Tooling around the Langhe on a scooter on one of our last days in Italy . . .

Checking out Luigi Baudana for the first time  . . . 

Grapes, they are a coming, in the Baudana vineyard

The Castello di Serralunga in Serralunga

Looking over the Langhe