July 18, 2025 • 32 mins
Attention travelers! The Dolomites region has an unfair advantage. Blessed with spectacular nature, it's also home to some of Italy's most celebrated small batch wine. Here grapes grow on vines clinging to mountainsides and are full of flavor. Discover the wines of the region and where to taste them on your travels with our friends from Italian Wine Tales.
*Untold Italy's Dolomites tour - details
Read the full episode show notes here > untolditaly.com/282
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The Untold Italy travel podcast is an independent production. Podcast Editing, Audio Production and Website Development by Mark Hatter. Production Assistance and Content Writing by the other Katie Clarke
*Untold Italy's Dolomites tour - details
Read the full episode show notes here > untolditaly.com/282
NEW! - the Untold Italy app - DOWNLOAD FOR iOS • DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID
The app is FREE to download and check out our Milan guide and general travel content. Upgrade to PREMIUM for a one time fee to access Rome, Florence, Venice, Sorrento, Cinque Terre, Amalfi Coast, Capri, Ischia, Tuscany, Lake Como, Lake Garda, Veneto, Lombardy, Campania, Lazio, Puglia, Abruzzo, Calabria with much more to come
Support the show
Join our mailing list and get our FREE Italy trip planning checklist - subscribe here | Join us on tour: Trip schedule | Discover our Trip Planning Services | Visit our online store | Follow: Instagram • Facebook • YouTube • Italy Travel Planning Community • Online travel assistant
The Untold Italy travel podcast is an independent production. Podcast Editing, Audio Production and Website Development by Mark Hatter. Production Assistance and Content Writing by the other Katie Clarke - yes there are two of us!
Support the show
- Subscribe to our mailing list and get our FREE Italy trip planning toolkit - subscribe here
- Need help with your trip? Check out our Trip Planning Services
- Join us on tour. Browse our Trip schedule
Editorial Information
The Untold Italy travel podcast is an independent production. Podcast Editing, Audio Production and Website Development by Mark Hatter. Production Assistance and Content Writing by the other Katie Clarke
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
When you think of the Dolomites, soaring peaks and alpine
pastures bring to mind. But what if I told you
that those mountain slopes are covered in vines and produce
some of Italy's best white wines. Let's find out more.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Salute Chawatuti and Benvenuti Tuan Told Italy. The travel podcast
to where you go to the towns and villages, mountains
and lakes, hills and coastlines of Bela, Italia. Each week,
your host Katie Clark takes you on a journey in
(00:35):
a search of magical landscapes, history, culture, wine, glato, and
of course a whole lot of pasta. If you're dreaming
of Italy and planning future adventures there, You've come to
the right place.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Do you dream of speaking Italian but feel stuck? I
hear you. Whether you want to connect with your Italian
heritage a partner, or you want to live in Italy,
finding the right tools to match your learning style is important.
My friend Michelle from Intrepid Italian offers a practical approach
to learning Italian with her unique eighty twenty method, teaching
you only what you need to know as an adult
(01:21):
learner herself, with Italian heritage, she really knows how to
bridge the gap between English and Italian. As Angela from
Australia said, I put my inability to learn down to
my senior stage of life, but with Intrepid Italian it
seems to just fit. To find out how Intrepid Italian
can help you learn Italian, and to claim an exclusive
(01:41):
twenty dollars coupon code that you can use on any
of Michelle's online courses from beginner to intermediate, visit untold
Italy dot com, forward slash Italian or visit the link
in the show notes. As a bonus, you'll also get
a downloadable travel phrase guide absolutely free, So visit untold
Italy dot com, forward slash Italian to accelerate your Italian Jawaduti.
(02:05):
Welcome Benvenuti. How's everyone enjoying their northern summer? Of course,
here in Southern Australia where I am, we're in midwinter,
so I'm living vicariously through all the photos coming into
my feed of people enjoying their summer breaks and messages
from travelers living up their best Italian trip lives. Enjoy
and thanks for letting Untold Italy be a small part
(02:27):
of your Italian adventures, whether it's through this podcast, our
trip planning services or new app and of course our
wonderful tour guests from all around the world. We love
having you as part of the Untold Italy family.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Now.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
One of the most popular regions for Italians to visit
in midsummer is the Dolomites because it is significantly cooler
than the rest of the country and of course, once
again that's making headlines and the cool climbs are conditions
that are perfect for cultivating vines and producing some of
the most celebrated Italian wine white wines in particular. Joining
(03:02):
us today to explore this delightful region my sidekick Olivia,
my trusty sidekick and her partner Andrea, who produce the
website Italian Wine Tales, which is a wonderful resource for
learning about Italian wine in an easy going way. Olivia
led our first Dolomites tour last year and has some
great stories and insights to share about tasting wine in
(03:26):
the Dolomites region. So let's dive in and discover how
you can enjoy a glass or two and admire some
of this planet's most breathtaking scenery. In the Dolomites. Bennati,
Welcome back to the Untold Italy Podcast, Olivia and Andrea.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
He he everyone, thanks for having us back.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Hooray, they're so happy you're back. Sorry for those of
you who are tuning in for the first time or
haven't heard our wine segments before. Olivia and Andrea are
our Italian wine experts from Italian Wine Tales, and it's
been a little while since they've been on the show,
and that's because something wonderful has happened since they last
joined us. How about you give us a little life update.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Well indeed, indeed, so we welcomed our first baby girl
in February this year. So yeah, it's been an intense
four months, let's say. But yeah, we're happy to be
back in intense but happy four months back on the
wine exactly. And now I'm no longer pregnant, so that's
(04:30):
lovel I can enjoy a little bit of wine now.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
So before we dive into the wonderful wines of the
South Trrol region close to the Dolomites, can you quickly
give everyone a quick rundown on Italian wine tales and
your passion for Italian wine.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
So Italian Wine Tales is our online website and a
kind of resource hub all about Italian wines. Prize surprise,
But what we aim to do is talk about Italian
wine in a really kind of.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
Approach, approachable.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Yeah, So we kind of aim to take out that,
I don't know, when people talk about wine, it can
be a little bit pompous and complicated and a little
bit like a barrier really for people to get into
the wine world. So we try and remove that element
of it and just talk about wine in a fun
way because we think that everyone should enjoy wine and
(05:21):
know more about Italian wine specifically, because there's so many
varieties to discover, and that's half the fun I think
when you're traveling in Italy is discovering all the different
beside the food, all the different kinds of wine in
each region.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
So true. And one thing that I noticed when I
was there a couple of weeks ago with you, and
I just noticed it when we were out on tour, actually,
so many people in Italy are so proud of the
biodiversity in Italy and using that specific word, and I thought, wow,
I love that they're proud of it and that they
(05:58):
can ticklate that actually, because you know, I think we
all have a diverse natural environment, but maybe we're not
so proud of it. And I think that's one thing
that we can really learn from the Italians is that
they are proud of that.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
I agree, Yeah, that's lovely.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
So today we're going to a region whose wine is incredible,
but it perhaps doesn't travel often outside of Italy or
even the region. It's actually so good that they keep
it for themselves and anyone visiting him. Course, So let's
go to South troll and maybe we can describe the
region because it's quite unique in its natural environment and
(06:39):
also the wine.
Speaker 5 (06:40):
Yes, So for those of you who've never been there before,
we're talking about the region which is at the very
north eastern tip of Italy, borders with Austria and Switzerland
to the north, with the Veneta region or Venices to
the south and with the famous Garda Lake.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Like with the Garda to the west, it's mostly mountainous.
Speaker 5 (07:02):
You can see, in my opinion, the most beautiful mountain
sceneries in Allverly.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
You have the Dolomites.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
The Dolomites, they are stunning in every season, winter, summer,
they are incredible.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
You have beautiful, beautiful lakes.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
In my opinion, some of the lakes you find there
are even more stunning and charming than Le Gata. You
have beautiful rolling hills where of course wine it's called.
They were going to talk about this in a moment.
And the people also, I find them quite friendly. You
will be interesting to find different kind of Italian there
(07:37):
because one of the interesting characteristics of the area is
that Italian is not the main language in all of
the region. In fact that the northernmost part, the one
that in English and in Austria is called South Zero
and in Italian is Alto Adiga. The main language is
in fact German because they've been part of it just
(07:58):
for about one hundred years. In the southern part of
the region, where the Trento City area is, you can
find Italians speakers mostly.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Yeah, it's so unique, it's so beautiful. I agree, the
lakes are. Wow. I heard one time from a colleague
that people love that sort of Alpine region, not just initially,
but Switzerland and Austria, especially people from maybe some of
more Asian areas, because it reminds them of Heaven.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
It's just like wow, it's not one of those slow creepers.
It's like a bam, Wow, that's that's incredible.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
Absolutely yeah. Well, especially like Lago Divibras, which we go
on our Dolomites tour, that is a wow moment. The colors,
the scenery, oh my god, I've never seen any anywhere
so beautiful.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
So let's hear about the wines because I've got to
tell you a little story before we start, though, just quickly,
is when we were there in September a few years ago,
we stopped at this little on just in the foothills.
I can't even remember the name. It was so small,
but it was a season and there was just all
these little bands and they had open baskets on the
(09:10):
back and we're just full of grapes and I was thinking, oh,
this is not industrial at all, this is like really local.
And you could just see, like you know, bunches of
grapes just hanging in this basket off the back of
the truck. It was so nice.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
And the smell as well, the fresh grapes delicious.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Absolutely so yes, tell us about the wine there. We're
not thinking Tuscan wines or that some things that people
might be familiar with. It's very different there. Isn't it.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
Well. The nice thing up there as well is that
whether you're like white or red, it's kind of fifty
to fifty, so there's really something for everyone. And they've
got a lot of indigenous grape varieties up there too.
The main varieties that you'll find up there Pino biancov
which is a white wine, pinogrijo which I'm sure you're
familiar with, chardonnay again, sure you're familiar with Gooberts dramina
(10:00):
which you normally find a lot of that in that
Austria Germany area. And then the reds mainly pinoneero la
grind which is again an autoptenous grape, and skijava as well,
So they're the main varieties that you'll find up there.
And then of course they make it into they do sparkling,
they do still white, they do rose, they do red,
(10:21):
so there's really something for everyone.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
I know, it's great depending on your mood. Actually you
can get a whole range in an evening if you.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
Like exactly, and we do on our Dolomites tour. We
start with, for example, the Trento doc which, if you
like a sparkling wine, move over prosecco.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
What is all I can saylicious.
Speaker 5 (10:45):
This is spumante chardon a bas as the name tells you,
is produce in the southernmost part of the region, in
the area of Plento, and they know the stuff because
they've been doing since nineteen oh two, so the Ferrari
fors been doing that since then and it's very good.
I really really recommend it. But other than that, as
(11:07):
she was rarely saying, in the Trenton area, in the
southern part you can find the Merlow as well, and
the Terrol Diego, which is also a bit of a
little gem a red wine.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
Which is very fruity.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
You can find notes of raspberry, red fruits like of
course raspberry and plum like right, very like summary plum.
It's whine taste, yes, with a bit of tinnel of course.
They also the also interesting thing that you can try
that it's the venosant To twentein if you like sweet wines.
At the end of the meal, they do this beautiful
(11:42):
aged in barrel oaks for many many.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Months and it's very good.
Speaker 5 (11:49):
You can find hints of orange pil so it's sweet,
but it's not too sweet. It's not nose us. Of course,
when you have it, it is well bounced. This is
for the trenteena part if you move more up north
r on Bolsano. Yeah, the Gevetztramina of course, which as
the name says, is quite interesting because the term Gefferts
(12:10):
means in German with a lot of spice. Telling you
that is very interesting. On the parlor, you can add
this refreshing taste.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
It's a wide wine.
Speaker 5 (12:19):
It goes very well, has very well for like either
a lie to veryivo or for something light you can
eat it with. There is a lot of very good
things we can eat in the region as well. We
can talk about.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Back in a flash right after these messages. The producers
in this area are like, you know, there's so many
different types, but it's not really industrialized, is it. It's
quite small producers and they're all doing something pretty unique
with their little patch of mines exactly well.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
To put it into perspective as well, the production is
normally so limited that, as you were saying, Katie, you
really don't find it overseas, and a lot of these
wineries that's the other thing, they don't ship either because
the quantities just don't make it worth it. So it
is really a wine that you can enjoy mainly in
the region itself or in Italy. You might find some
(13:17):
in other regions, but yeah, it's very eptismal, I guess
is the production there. And if you think about it too,
just the area where they're growing the wine, it's one
of the most northern wine producing areas.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (13:31):
Really we can mention an example, as you were saying,
of the local production done thoroughly but not industrialized, the Abbatsia,
the Novacella. It's this abbey where they've been producing wine
for a long time.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
And when I mean for a long time.
Speaker 5 (13:47):
I mean that they've been doing this for eight hundred
and eighty three years since eleven forty two, so they
know the stuff.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
They are, as you were mentioning, not.
Speaker 5 (13:57):
Industrialized, but they do with a lot of passionate, a
lot of quality. Why threads, it's a little hidden jam
that I recommend, And there's a.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
Lot of small wine producers in the area too. It's
all about high quality and a small yield is and
that's another reason why they don't really ship as well.
It's just not the quantity.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Yeah, and that makes it super special. So I recommend
if anyone's going there, you should take your little wine
packing things and leave some room in your case or
take an extra case, but make sure you check your
wine allowance, because yeah, it's really interesting and I know
people do get a little bit disappointed that they don't ship,
but that just makes it more special, I think, because
(14:37):
you need to go there and experience it for yourself.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
I agree absolutely.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
One of the things that I love as well is
that you can get really close to the vines. They're
not in big plots, so you can go for little
walks and walk among them exactly.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
Yeah, you can, and they're so beautiful the scenery. I
remember when we were on tour last October, which, by
the way, October is just a lovely time to visit
in the fall because of all the colors and half
the season, which is just wonderful. But yeah, I remember
when we were there last year and walking through the vineyards,
and as you say, they're not huge, huge pots of land.
(15:12):
It's actually really enjoyable to walk through them. And it's
they're normally where the vineyards are connected right to the
winery itself too, so it's all in the one place
rather than having the vines kind of you know, far
out in the countryside. And again it's not industrialized. They're
not having to transport the grapes from really long distances.
It's all made on site.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
It's so pretty, isn't it. And obviously these is grape
to hand pick too, so it's really small hands on production.
Speaker 5 (15:44):
A nice activity you can do if you want to
visit different wineries and try different varieties is to walk
or drive or take a little time on the Strada
Delvin on the wine road that they have in alto Adiga.
They start from Botsana, which is the cup all of
the Altava dig area and it goes through many, many,
(16:05):
many different producers. Just to take into accounted, if you
were to do it all, you were to visit eighty
four percent of all the production of the wine in
Alta di So it's a nice way to experience the
wine of the region.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
Take your time, but.
Speaker 5 (16:21):
See many different varieties and scrapes and now they turn.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Turned into wine.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
And they're quite smart though there too, because they made
their wineries into a bit of destinations and they've got
some really lovely architecture along that route too.
Speaker 4 (16:35):
Oh, it's stunning and just that region in general, Katie,
you've mentioned on the podcast before, but it is very chic,
well done hospitality is you know up here, so when
you visit these wineries as well, you can expect a
really stellar experience as normally, well not always, but there's
quite often restaurants on site too, which that is something
(16:56):
that can be hard to find in other regions of
Italy having dining off.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
It's not always taken grant that.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
The yeah, I mean, unless you pre arrange it. So
what you're saying is you can turn up to these
ones maybe and have a lunch exactly. M So there's
probably a bit more that like what we experience here
in Australia and the bigger wineries and also in America,
but from what it sounds like, they're smaller and more intimate,
(17:26):
so you're having a really lovely local experience because you know,
sometimes when you have those big wineries, it can be
a little bit impersonal when it's like a big winery
with industrial capabilities. But I think this is the magic
of this region. Somehow they've they've unlocked some sort of
magic key to hospitality and people experiencing their culture. I
(17:51):
think it's amazing.
Speaker 4 (17:53):
Indeed, and when you say experience one of the wineries
that we visit on our Dolomites, sure it takes experience
to a whole other level. Not only is there an
incredible restaurant on site, but there's also like an art
garden that's been set up, and so after you know,
have wined and dined, you very leisurely take a little
stroll through this art experienced garden that you could spend
(18:16):
a full hour they're exploring all the art installations, and
that is really that's the Dolomites for me. They just
are so good at the experience of things, unlike any
other region in Italy. I would say, they're just really
they know how to put together an amazing experience.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
The older than you sort of the innovation and the
tradition combined, which, as I always say, is where the
magic always happens in Italy, I reckon, is where you
get that contrast. So would tell us about some wineries
that you can recommend that people visit because it can
be overwhelming looking at all ex wineries.
Speaker 5 (18:52):
Well, yeah, we mentioned of course, yafinitely recommend interesting also
Augustinian order the same of the poll for those of
you interested yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:02):
Well, maybe just to explain about the name, because if
you don't speak a challenge, you might not know that
Abbatsia means the abbey. Just to explain that wine making
traditionally was always connected to the church, and so you know,
this is an abbey that has been making wine since
and very said eleven forty two. Yeah, okay, so they
you know, been making wine for a very very long
time and they still have their the abby So again
(19:25):
talking about experience, if you go there, you not only
can you visit the winery and taste wine, you can
also visit this gorgeous abbey, which is really nice. And
I've got a restaurant on site as well.
Speaker 5 (19:35):
Yeah, they've even like they're also really a pension for
the environment and the air therein they've been carbon free.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
Since nineteen ninety two.
Speaker 5 (19:44):
They're really careful about this stuff, so not only producing wine,
but also doing it with a real passion and a
real attention for what they're.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
Doing and the environment. And that's another thing I love
about the region too, is about the environment. I find
quite environment a friendly and environmentally conscious as well. Yes,
that's a nice thing.
Speaker 5 (20:04):
Then we have the Calaree Bodon, which is of course
in Bolsano, as the name says in German, which won
international awards and organize guide the tools now so you
can visit it a small one if you like, especially
white ones.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
Yeah for you bianco Is Nals Margaret.
Speaker 5 (20:24):
Sorry for my terrible German pronunciation, but yes, it's definitely interesting.
And if you instead would like to experience different wines
altogether in a single place in the region, they have
the meran Or Wine Festival, which is Merano is not
so little but like not enormost town in the area.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Beautiful.
Speaker 5 (20:47):
Absolutely recommend to visit, and in the first week of
November they feature wines from the region, and of course
you can also find wines from other possibility and the world,
so it's.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
A nice way to see the city.
Speaker 5 (20:59):
The region and also enjoy sometime drinking some reliious wine.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
And for those of you who don't know, Morano's place
that I very much love for its thermal spa. It
sounds pretty perfect to me. Wine and the spa. Now,
tell us what are we eating with this wine, because
they've got a very particular cuisine up there, haven't they.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Oh yes, I really really.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
Like it, so it's a good heavier perhaps, yeah, but
it's delicious and it can be quite neat heavy as
one thing, although around the wine producing area they do
have some fish as well.
Speaker 5 (21:35):
Yes, and as you know if you've been Indai before,
even if we're talking about the same area within the
same region, though, you can find different products in not
so distant cities.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
So as we said.
Speaker 5 (21:50):
Before, in the Trento area, when you have white wines,
I would pay these. With the local charcuties, you have
the morandela and the cattle salada. Morandella sounds similar to mortadella.
Mortandella is not mortaldella, but they are very very good shakuris.
I recommend you to try. And the reds they must
(22:11):
go with the famous Canada. Ly these canadally are this famous.
We can think about the meat boats. They're not just
made with meat. They met with bread, potatoes. They are
quite heavy and they sell with the broth and the
perfect in winter. Wouldn't recommend them in Sammoba, you do you?
And also another very good cheese that they have there
(22:32):
is the Putsona di Moena, which literally means the stinky
one of Moena because it's an intense.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Cheese from cow based cheese. It's really good. If you
like very savory cheeses, I really like it.
Speaker 5 (22:50):
Instead, in the northern parts, in the Alta a DII gym.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
They have more German based meats.
Speaker 5 (22:57):
For example, even the chakuri you have the which is
this more salty seasoned smokey oftener.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
It's very very good.
Speaker 5 (23:07):
And as we were saying before, you can have a beautiful
stramina for a partial with some of the speck overviewing
the lake.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
You're going to have the time of your life.
Speaker 5 (23:17):
Well instead for the red ones, the more full body ones,
you can even have Caneta be there.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
They're called Norden.
Speaker 5 (23:24):
And if you instead going winter you want to add
something bit more intense, like a full meal, you can
have the local pod rods, which is I have to
read from my notes. I'm sorry, it's called the Schmore Broughton.
And of course this is my pronunciation. They will tell
you how it is probably pronounced once you're there and
you order it.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
We had a great perativo platter on top of a
mountain there.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
Oh wow.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Yeah. And not only that, but because I'm a bit
crazy like this, I managed to time it to prefer
fection with these alpine corn players. Actually was we had
one on a mountain. This particular one was on Alpa
Disiuzi and they had like their traditional alpine horns going
and we had our platter and our glass of wine
(24:14):
was pretty spectacular. I might post a photo of that.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
I know we need some photos of that.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Is it's beautiful.
Speaker 4 (24:24):
We were there this time last year and it's just yeah,
that's another really great time to visit, besides the fall,
of course, but also this time of year, which is June,
so the summer season because it's a little bit cooler
up there obviously in the mountains. That just perfect weather,
so you know, another great time for drinking wine.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Yeah, it's really super interesting because the Dolomites are very
popular with European travelers, like extremely popular with Germans, Austrians, Dutch,
and it's very popular for hiking. And if you are
into hiking, you should definitely go. But I shouldn't put
people off that aren't really into hiking because there's plenty
(25:06):
of shorter, more gentler walks that can be managed by
you know, many people. And even up on Oppurtucusi there's
a horse and cart.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
Yeah exactly, which we have the joy of going on
and out to the horse the horse cart as well,
and that's a special experience. But you're right, Katie. Around
the hiking, I'm not really a hiker, although I like
going for like a nice little walk, but there's some
beautiful walks along, like the tapping and promenade that you
can do that's quite flat as well, or just kind
of gentle. And even if you don't really love hiking though,
(25:40):
just the scenery that you're taking and you walk past
the vineyards, you walk under apple orchards along the way,
there's little places, you know, just stop for a glass
of refreshing apple juice or apple cider, and for me,
that makes the walk all the more worth it.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Yeah, it's so lovely. Oh, I wish everyone could experience it.
I think I want to go back next year. You
never know, I might make it there. But it's of
course up there. At the end of this year they're
having the Winter Olympics, so I'm sure they'll be going
through a few bottles of wine up there, then popping.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
A few bottles of the trends or dogs sparking wine.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Yeah. Well, I mean, I mean, you do use a
lot of energy when you're skiing like, and so the dumplings,
the wine. You know, just outside in the altitude and
in the cold, you feel like you're burning double the calories. Exactly,
Is there anything else you wanted to tell people about
this beautiful region and their wines. I think we have
(26:47):
spent a bit of time in the podcast, but there
is a reason for that. It's just because you know,
they really are well organized and so deeply committed to
their local environment and culture. And yeah, anything else you
wanted to let everyone know.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
I guess that.
Speaker 5 (27:01):
As we said, there is many wineries, many sceneries, many
things to visit, even if it's not that be and
sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming if you do
it on your own, so it's convenient when you do
it on a tour. That's let you enjoy and experience
everything needs to be done and take care of.
Speaker 3 (27:22):
That's what I would recommend.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Yeah, and also if you're going with someone, even if
it's just for the day, we join a longer trip
like ours. You don't need to worry about driving, even
though the driving there is easy, but you don't want
to be trying wine and then worrying about with impact
too much to drink. You want to enjoy yourself and
soak up the scenery and relax.
Speaker 4 (27:46):
And the other thing. The only other thing I would
say too, and I were talking about wine, but if
you're a beer drinker as well, they've got great beer.
Speaker 3 (27:54):
Well the best ones in your final.
Speaker 4 (27:57):
So it's not even just for wine lovers. There's options
for beer inside of lovers to or if you don't
drink as well, go and try the apple juice. It's amazing.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Honestly, Oh my goodness, that apple juice. I've never tasted.
I love apple juice and I've never tasted anything like it.
Because they have little apples, They've got so much juicy flavor. Amazing.
Speaker 5 (28:22):
Even the juice that you're going to extract from there's
going to be top notch exactly.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
Gosh, I don't know, Like I've just come back now,
I want to go back again thanks to Living Andrea. Now,
if our listeners want to know a little bit more
about the fascinating wines of South Trol, how can they
stay in touch with you and Italian Winetails.
Speaker 4 (28:43):
So you can go on our website which is Italianwinetales
dot com or our Instagram that use Italian winetails or
we've got a Facebook group as well, Italy Wine Lovers,
so you can find us across those platforms.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
Oh wonderful.
Speaker 4 (28:56):
You know.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
The other thing I love about that region is those cows.
I love those cows with their floral garlands.
Speaker 4 (29:03):
It is so picturesque and gorgeous, and all the festivals.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
I love it all Right, Well, I'm so glad you're
back in the hot seat, the wine hot seat on
the Untold Italy podcast. So gimle and thank you once
again for sharing your knowledge of this delicious wine with
us today.
Speaker 4 (29:25):
Thanks for listening everyone. Choo kao joao.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Oh listeners. I always love chatting with Olivia and Andrea.
They are a very special part of the Untold Italy
team and are always so generous with their knowledge and time.
Talking about the Dolomites is becoming much more common in
my day to day life too. I've just had two
sets of friends tell me this week that they're going
there on their next trip to Italy. And let's face it,
(29:53):
what's not to love. Mountains, fresh clean air and intriguing
culture and of course, delicious wine cultivated and used by
some of the proudest locals you're ever likely to meet.
If you're dreaming of an our pine escaping, you'd like
to join us on our small group tour of the
Dolomites and South trol We have a couple of spots
left on our full twenty twenty five trip in late September.
(30:14):
We are so proud of our unique tour experience that
blends seeing the incredible highlights of the region with connecting
with locals, their traditions, food and wine, all in the
company of like minded travelers. If you're concerned about activity levels,
we do do a few short walks, and there's always
the option to wait out at the local cafe and
admile the views. I will say though, that if you're
(30:37):
after serious hiking, this probably isn't the trip for you. Instead,
our tours are more sightseeing and general experience led tours,
So if that sounds like you, we'd love you to
join us now. I probably don't say this loudly enough,
but we have put a huge effort into building experiences
that are personalized and very special. We travel in very
(30:58):
small groups, enabling us to enjoy meeting people and visiting
places that are not often possible logistically for biggotour groups
or independent travelers, and we take care of everything so
that you can relax and.
Speaker 4 (31:11):
Soak it all up.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
If that sounds like something that you might enjoy, there's
a link to the tour details in our show notes,
and if you're traveling independently, you'll find a list of
the Dolomites, wines to try and where to try them,
and much much more at Untold Italy dot com. Forward
slash two for episode number two hundred and eighty two.
Grauzi Emile. Thank you to all our wonderful listeners for
(31:32):
your ongoing support of Untold Italy. I do hope you
enjoyed today's show. If you did, then it would be
incredible if you gave us a rating or review in
your favorite podcast app that helps us reach more Italy
loving travelers just like you. On next week's episode, you'll
hear my trip report from my recent visit to Italy,
including Rome, Naples, a CC always Delightful, Umbria, and a
(31:57):
new one in changing Urbino. But until then, it's chow
for now. The Untold Italy podcast is an independent production
podcast editing, audio production and website development by Mark Hatter,
Production assistance and content writing by the Are they kJ Clark, Yes,
there are two of us. For more information about Untold Italy,
(32:18):
please visit untold Italy dot com
When you think of the Dolomites, soaring peaks and alpine
pastures bring to mind. But what if I told you
that those mountain slopes are covered in vines and produce
some of Italy's best white wines. Let's find out more.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Salute Chawatuti and Benvenuti Tuan Told Italy. The travel podcast
to where you go to the towns and villages, mountains
and lakes, hills and coastlines of Bela, Italia. Each week,
your host Katie Clark takes you on a journey in
(00:35):
a search of magical landscapes, history, culture, wine, glato, and
of course a whole lot of pasta. If you're dreaming
of Italy and planning future adventures there, You've come to
the right place.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Do you dream of speaking Italian but feel stuck? I
hear you. Whether you want to connect with your Italian
heritage a partner, or you want to live in Italy,
finding the right tools to match your learning style is important.
My friend Michelle from Intrepid Italian offers a practical approach
to learning Italian with her unique eighty twenty method, teaching
you only what you need to know as an adult
(01:21):
learner herself, with Italian heritage, she really knows how to
bridge the gap between English and Italian. As Angela from
Australia said, I put my inability to learn down to
my senior stage of life, but with Intrepid Italian it
seems to just fit. To find out how Intrepid Italian
can help you learn Italian, and to claim an exclusive
(01:41):
twenty dollars coupon code that you can use on any
of Michelle's online courses from beginner to intermediate, visit untold
Italy dot com, forward slash Italian or visit the link
in the show notes. As a bonus, you'll also get
a downloadable travel phrase guide absolutely free, So visit untold
Italy dot com, forward slash Italian to accelerate your Italian Jawaduti.
(02:05):
Welcome Benvenuti. How's everyone enjoying their northern summer? Of course,
here in Southern Australia where I am, we're in midwinter,
so I'm living vicariously through all the photos coming into
my feed of people enjoying their summer breaks and messages
from travelers living up their best Italian trip lives. Enjoy
and thanks for letting Untold Italy be a small part
(02:27):
of your Italian adventures, whether it's through this podcast, our
trip planning services or new app and of course our
wonderful tour guests from all around the world. We love
having you as part of the Untold Italy family.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Now.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
One of the most popular regions for Italians to visit
in midsummer is the Dolomites because it is significantly cooler
than the rest of the country and of course, once
again that's making headlines and the cool climbs are conditions
that are perfect for cultivating vines and producing some of
the most celebrated Italian wine white wines in particular. Joining
(03:02):
us today to explore this delightful region my sidekick Olivia,
my trusty sidekick and her partner Andrea, who produce the
website Italian Wine Tales, which is a wonderful resource for
learning about Italian wine in an easy going way. Olivia
led our first Dolomites tour last year and has some
great stories and insights to share about tasting wine in
(03:26):
the Dolomites region. So let's dive in and discover how
you can enjoy a glass or two and admire some
of this planet's most breathtaking scenery. In the Dolomites. Bennati,
Welcome back to the Untold Italy Podcast, Olivia and Andrea.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
He he everyone, thanks for having us back.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Hooray, they're so happy you're back. Sorry for those of
you who are tuning in for the first time or
haven't heard our wine segments before. Olivia and Andrea are
our Italian wine experts from Italian Wine Tales, and it's
been a little while since they've been on the show,
and that's because something wonderful has happened since they last
joined us. How about you give us a little life update.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Well indeed, indeed, so we welcomed our first baby girl
in February this year. So yeah, it's been an intense
four months, let's say. But yeah, we're happy to be
back in intense but happy four months back on the
wine exactly. And now I'm no longer pregnant, so that's
(04:30):
lovel I can enjoy a little bit of wine now.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
So before we dive into the wonderful wines of the
South Trrol region close to the Dolomites, can you quickly
give everyone a quick rundown on Italian wine tales and
your passion for Italian wine.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
So Italian Wine Tales is our online website and a
kind of resource hub all about Italian wines. Prize surprise,
But what we aim to do is talk about Italian
wine in a really kind of.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
Approach, approachable.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Yeah, So we kind of aim to take out that,
I don't know, when people talk about wine, it can
be a little bit pompous and complicated and a little
bit like a barrier really for people to get into
the wine world. So we try and remove that element
of it and just talk about wine in a fun
way because we think that everyone should enjoy wine and
(05:21):
know more about Italian wine specifically, because there's so many
varieties to discover, and that's half the fun I think
when you're traveling in Italy is discovering all the different
beside the food, all the different kinds of wine in
each region.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
So true. And one thing that I noticed when I
was there a couple of weeks ago with you, and
I just noticed it when we were out on tour, actually,
so many people in Italy are so proud of the
biodiversity in Italy and using that specific word, and I thought, wow,
I love that they're proud of it and that they
(05:58):
can ticklate that actually, because you know, I think we
all have a diverse natural environment, but maybe we're not
so proud of it. And I think that's one thing
that we can really learn from the Italians is that
they are proud of that.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
I agree, Yeah, that's lovely.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
So today we're going to a region whose wine is incredible,
but it perhaps doesn't travel often outside of Italy or
even the region. It's actually so good that they keep
it for themselves and anyone visiting him. Course, So let's
go to South troll and maybe we can describe the
region because it's quite unique in its natural environment and
(06:39):
also the wine.
Speaker 5 (06:40):
Yes, So for those of you who've never been there before,
we're talking about the region which is at the very
north eastern tip of Italy, borders with Austria and Switzerland
to the north, with the Veneta region or Venices to
the south and with the famous Garda Lake.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Like with the Garda to the west, it's mostly mountainous.
Speaker 5 (07:02):
You can see, in my opinion, the most beautiful mountain
sceneries in Allverly.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
You have the Dolomites.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
The Dolomites, they are stunning in every season, winter, summer,
they are incredible.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
You have beautiful, beautiful lakes.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
In my opinion, some of the lakes you find there
are even more stunning and charming than Le Gata. You
have beautiful rolling hills where of course wine it's called.
They were going to talk about this in a moment.
And the people also, I find them quite friendly. You
will be interesting to find different kind of Italian there
(07:37):
because one of the interesting characteristics of the area is
that Italian is not the main language in all of
the region. In fact that the northernmost part, the one
that in English and in Austria is called South Zero
and in Italian is Alto Adiga. The main language is
in fact German because they've been part of it just
(07:58):
for about one hundred years. In the southern part of
the region, where the Trento City area is, you can
find Italians speakers mostly.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Yeah, it's so unique, it's so beautiful. I agree, the
lakes are. Wow. I heard one time from a colleague
that people love that sort of Alpine region, not just initially,
but Switzerland and Austria, especially people from maybe some of
more Asian areas, because it reminds them of Heaven.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
It's just like wow, it's not one of those slow creepers.
It's like a bam, Wow, that's that's incredible.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
Absolutely yeah. Well, especially like Lago Divibras, which we go
on our Dolomites tour, that is a wow moment. The colors,
the scenery, oh my god, I've never seen any anywhere
so beautiful.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
So let's hear about the wines because I've got to
tell you a little story before we start, though, just quickly,
is when we were there in September a few years ago,
we stopped at this little on just in the foothills.
I can't even remember the name. It was so small,
but it was a season and there was just all
these little bands and they had open baskets on the
(09:10):
back and we're just full of grapes and I was thinking, oh,
this is not industrial at all, this is like really local.
And you could just see, like you know, bunches of
grapes just hanging in this basket off the back of
the truck. It was so nice.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
And the smell as well, the fresh grapes delicious.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Absolutely so yes, tell us about the wine there. We're
not thinking Tuscan wines or that some things that people
might be familiar with. It's very different there. Isn't it.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
Well. The nice thing up there as well is that
whether you're like white or red, it's kind of fifty
to fifty, so there's really something for everyone. And they've
got a lot of indigenous grape varieties up there too.
The main varieties that you'll find up there Pino biancov
which is a white wine, pinogrijo which I'm sure you're
familiar with, chardonnay again, sure you're familiar with Gooberts dramina
(10:00):
which you normally find a lot of that in that
Austria Germany area. And then the reds mainly pinoneero la
grind which is again an autoptenous grape, and skijava as well,
So they're the main varieties that you'll find up there.
And then of course they make it into they do sparkling,
they do still white, they do rose, they do red,
(10:21):
so there's really something for everyone.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
I know, it's great depending on your mood. Actually you
can get a whole range in an evening if you.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
Like exactly, and we do on our Dolomites tour. We
start with, for example, the Trento doc which, if you
like a sparkling wine, move over prosecco.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
What is all I can saylicious.
Speaker 5 (10:45):
This is spumante chardon a bas as the name tells you,
is produce in the southernmost part of the region, in
the area of Plento, and they know the stuff because
they've been doing since nineteen oh two, so the Ferrari
fors been doing that since then and it's very good.
I really really recommend it. But other than that, as
(11:07):
she was rarely saying, in the Trenton area, in the
southern part you can find the Merlow as well, and
the Terrol Diego, which is also a bit of a
little gem a red wine.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
Which is very fruity.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
You can find notes of raspberry, red fruits like of
course raspberry and plum like right, very like summary plum.
It's whine taste, yes, with a bit of tinnel of course.
They also the also interesting thing that you can try
that it's the venosant To twentein if you like sweet wines.
At the end of the meal, they do this beautiful
(11:42):
aged in barrel oaks for many many.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Months and it's very good.
Speaker 5 (11:49):
You can find hints of orange pil so it's sweet,
but it's not too sweet. It's not nose us. Of course,
when you have it, it is well bounced. This is
for the trenteena part if you move more up north
r on Bolsano. Yeah, the Gevetztramina of course, which as
the name says, is quite interesting because the term Gefferts
(12:10):
means in German with a lot of spice. Telling you
that is very interesting. On the parlor, you can add
this refreshing taste.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
It's a wide wine.
Speaker 5 (12:19):
It goes very well, has very well for like either
a lie to veryivo or for something light you can
eat it with. There is a lot of very good
things we can eat in the region as well. We
can talk about.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Back in a flash right after these messages. The producers
in this area are like, you know, there's so many
different types, but it's not really industrialized, is it. It's
quite small producers and they're all doing something pretty unique
with their little patch of mines exactly well.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
To put it into perspective as well, the production is
normally so limited that, as you were saying, Katie, you
really don't find it overseas, and a lot of these
wineries that's the other thing, they don't ship either because
the quantities just don't make it worth it. So it
is really a wine that you can enjoy mainly in
the region itself or in Italy. You might find some
(13:17):
in other regions, but yeah, it's very eptismal, I guess
is the production there. And if you think about it too,
just the area where they're growing the wine, it's one
of the most northern wine producing areas.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (13:31):
Really we can mention an example, as you were saying,
of the local production done thoroughly but not industrialized, the Abbatsia,
the Novacella. It's this abbey where they've been producing wine
for a long time.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
And when I mean for a long time.
Speaker 5 (13:47):
I mean that they've been doing this for eight hundred
and eighty three years since eleven forty two, so they
know the stuff.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
They are, as you were mentioning, not.
Speaker 5 (13:57):
Industrialized, but they do with a lot of passionate, a
lot of quality. Why threads, it's a little hidden jam
that I recommend, And there's a.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
Lot of small wine producers in the area too. It's
all about high quality and a small yield is and
that's another reason why they don't really ship as well.
It's just not the quantity.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Yeah, and that makes it super special. So I recommend
if anyone's going there, you should take your little wine
packing things and leave some room in your case or
take an extra case, but make sure you check your
wine allowance, because yeah, it's really interesting and I know
people do get a little bit disappointed that they don't ship,
but that just makes it more special, I think, because
(14:37):
you need to go there and experience it for yourself.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
I agree absolutely.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
One of the things that I love as well is
that you can get really close to the vines. They're
not in big plots, so you can go for little
walks and walk among them exactly.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
Yeah, you can, and they're so beautiful the scenery. I
remember when we were on tour last October, which, by
the way, October is just a lovely time to visit
in the fall because of all the colors and half
the season, which is just wonderful. But yeah, I remember
when we were there last year and walking through the vineyards,
and as you say, they're not huge, huge pots of land.
(15:12):
It's actually really enjoyable to walk through them. And it's
they're normally where the vineyards are connected right to the
winery itself too, so it's all in the one place
rather than having the vines kind of you know, far
out in the countryside. And again it's not industrialized. They're
not having to transport the grapes from really long distances.
It's all made on site.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
It's so pretty, isn't it. And obviously these is grape
to hand pick too, so it's really small hands on production.
Speaker 5 (15:44):
A nice activity you can do if you want to
visit different wineries and try different varieties is to walk
or drive or take a little time on the Strada
Delvin on the wine road that they have in alto Adiga.
They start from Botsana, which is the cup all of
the Altava dig area and it goes through many, many,
(16:05):
many different producers. Just to take into accounted, if you
were to do it all, you were to visit eighty
four percent of all the production of the wine in
Alta di So it's a nice way to experience the
wine of the region.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
Take your time, but.
Speaker 5 (16:21):
See many different varieties and scrapes and now they turn.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Turned into wine.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
And they're quite smart though there too, because they made
their wineries into a bit of destinations and they've got
some really lovely architecture along that route too.
Speaker 4 (16:35):
Oh, it's stunning and just that region in general, Katie,
you've mentioned on the podcast before, but it is very chic,
well done hospitality is you know up here, so when
you visit these wineries as well, you can expect a
really stellar experience as normally, well not always, but there's
quite often restaurants on site too, which that is something
(16:56):
that can be hard to find in other regions of
Italy having dining off.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
It's not always taken grant that.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
The yeah, I mean, unless you pre arrange it. So
what you're saying is you can turn up to these
ones maybe and have a lunch exactly. M So there's
probably a bit more that like what we experience here
in Australia and the bigger wineries and also in America,
but from what it sounds like, they're smaller and more intimate,
(17:26):
so you're having a really lovely local experience because you know,
sometimes when you have those big wineries, it can be
a little bit impersonal when it's like a big winery
with industrial capabilities. But I think this is the magic
of this region. Somehow they've they've unlocked some sort of
magic key to hospitality and people experiencing their culture. I
(17:51):
think it's amazing.
Speaker 4 (17:53):
Indeed, and when you say experience one of the wineries
that we visit on our Dolomites, sure it takes experience
to a whole other level. Not only is there an
incredible restaurant on site, but there's also like an art
garden that's been set up, and so after you know,
have wined and dined, you very leisurely take a little
stroll through this art experienced garden that you could spend
(18:16):
a full hour they're exploring all the art installations, and
that is really that's the Dolomites for me. They just
are so good at the experience of things, unlike any
other region in Italy. I would say, they're just really
they know how to put together an amazing experience.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
The older than you sort of the innovation and the
tradition combined, which, as I always say, is where the
magic always happens in Italy, I reckon, is where you
get that contrast. So would tell us about some wineries
that you can recommend that people visit because it can
be overwhelming looking at all ex wineries.
Speaker 5 (18:52):
Well, yeah, we mentioned of course, yafinitely recommend interesting also
Augustinian order the same of the poll for those of
you interested yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:02):
Well, maybe just to explain about the name, because if
you don't speak a challenge, you might not know that
Abbatsia means the abbey. Just to explain that wine making
traditionally was always connected to the church, and so you know,
this is an abbey that has been making wine since
and very said eleven forty two. Yeah, okay, so they
you know, been making wine for a very very long
time and they still have their the abby So again
(19:25):
talking about experience, if you go there, you not only
can you visit the winery and taste wine, you can
also visit this gorgeous abbey, which is really nice. And
I've got a restaurant on site as well.
Speaker 5 (19:35):
Yeah, they've even like they're also really a pension for
the environment and the air therein they've been carbon free.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
Since nineteen ninety two.
Speaker 5 (19:44):
They're really careful about this stuff, so not only producing wine,
but also doing it with a real passion and a
real attention for what they're.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
Doing and the environment. And that's another thing I love
about the region too, is about the environment. I find
quite environment a friendly and environmentally conscious as well. Yes,
that's a nice thing.
Speaker 5 (20:04):
Then we have the Calaree Bodon, which is of course
in Bolsano, as the name says in German, which won
international awards and organize guide the tools now so you
can visit it a small one if you like, especially
white ones.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
Yeah for you bianco Is Nals Margaret.
Speaker 5 (20:24):
Sorry for my terrible German pronunciation, but yes, it's definitely interesting.
And if you instead would like to experience different wines
altogether in a single place in the region, they have
the meran Or Wine Festival, which is Merano is not
so little but like not enormost town in the area.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Beautiful.
Speaker 5 (20:47):
Absolutely recommend to visit, and in the first week of
November they feature wines from the region, and of course
you can also find wines from other possibility and the world,
so it's.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
A nice way to see the city.
Speaker 5 (20:59):
The region and also enjoy sometime drinking some reliious wine.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
And for those of you who don't know, Morano's place
that I very much love for its thermal spa. It
sounds pretty perfect to me. Wine and the spa. Now,
tell us what are we eating with this wine, because
they've got a very particular cuisine up there, haven't they.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Oh yes, I really really.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
Like it, so it's a good heavier perhaps, yeah, but
it's delicious and it can be quite neat heavy as
one thing, although around the wine producing area they do
have some fish as well.
Speaker 5 (21:35):
Yes, and as you know if you've been Indai before,
even if we're talking about the same area within the
same region, though, you can find different products in not
so distant cities.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
So as we said.
Speaker 5 (21:50):
Before, in the Trento area, when you have white wines,
I would pay these. With the local charcuties, you have
the morandela and the cattle salada. Morandella sounds similar to mortadella.
Mortandella is not mortaldella, but they are very very good shakuris.
I recommend you to try. And the reds they must
(22:11):
go with the famous Canada. Ly these canadally are this famous.
We can think about the meat boats. They're not just
made with meat. They met with bread, potatoes. They are
quite heavy and they sell with the broth and the
perfect in winter. Wouldn't recommend them in Sammoba, you do you?
And also another very good cheese that they have there
(22:32):
is the Putsona di Moena, which literally means the stinky
one of Moena because it's an intense.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Cheese from cow based cheese. It's really good. If you
like very savory cheeses, I really like it.
Speaker 5 (22:50):
Instead, in the northern parts, in the Alta a DII gym.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
They have more German based meats.
Speaker 5 (22:57):
For example, even the chakuri you have the which is
this more salty seasoned smokey oftener.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
It's very very good.
Speaker 5 (23:07):
And as we were saying before, you can have a beautiful
stramina for a partial with some of the speck overviewing
the lake.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
You're going to have the time of your life.
Speaker 5 (23:17):
Well instead for the red ones, the more full body ones,
you can even have Caneta be there.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
They're called Norden.
Speaker 5 (23:24):
And if you instead going winter you want to add
something bit more intense, like a full meal, you can
have the local pod rods, which is I have to
read from my notes. I'm sorry, it's called the Schmore Broughton.
And of course this is my pronunciation. They will tell
you how it is probably pronounced once you're there and
you order it.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
We had a great perativo platter on top of a
mountain there.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
Oh wow.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Yeah. And not only that, but because I'm a bit
crazy like this, I managed to time it to prefer
fection with these alpine corn players. Actually was we had
one on a mountain. This particular one was on Alpa
Disiuzi and they had like their traditional alpine horns going
and we had our platter and our glass of wine
(24:14):
was pretty spectacular. I might post a photo of that.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
I know we need some photos of that.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Is it's beautiful.
Speaker 4 (24:24):
We were there this time last year and it's just yeah,
that's another really great time to visit, besides the fall,
of course, but also this time of year, which is June,
so the summer season because it's a little bit cooler
up there obviously in the mountains. That just perfect weather,
so you know, another great time for drinking wine.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Yeah, it's really super interesting because the Dolomites are very
popular with European travelers, like extremely popular with Germans, Austrians, Dutch,
and it's very popular for hiking. And if you are
into hiking, you should definitely go. But I shouldn't put
people off that aren't really into hiking because there's plenty
(25:06):
of shorter, more gentler walks that can be managed by
you know, many people. And even up on Oppurtucusi there's
a horse and cart.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
Yeah exactly, which we have the joy of going on
and out to the horse the horse cart as well,
and that's a special experience. But you're right, Katie. Around
the hiking, I'm not really a hiker, although I like
going for like a nice little walk, but there's some
beautiful walks along, like the tapping and promenade that you
can do that's quite flat as well, or just kind
of gentle. And even if you don't really love hiking though,
(25:40):
just the scenery that you're taking and you walk past
the vineyards, you walk under apple orchards along the way,
there's little places, you know, just stop for a glass
of refreshing apple juice or apple cider, and for me,
that makes the walk all the more worth it.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Yeah, it's so lovely. Oh, I wish everyone could experience it.
I think I want to go back next year. You
never know, I might make it there. But it's of
course up there. At the end of this year they're
having the Winter Olympics, so I'm sure they'll be going
through a few bottles of wine up there, then popping.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
A few bottles of the trends or dogs sparking wine.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Yeah. Well, I mean, I mean, you do use a
lot of energy when you're skiing like, and so the dumplings,
the wine. You know, just outside in the altitude and
in the cold, you feel like you're burning double the calories. Exactly,
Is there anything else you wanted to tell people about
this beautiful region and their wines. I think we have
(26:47):
spent a bit of time in the podcast, but there
is a reason for that. It's just because you know,
they really are well organized and so deeply committed to
their local environment and culture. And yeah, anything else you
wanted to let everyone know.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
I guess that.
Speaker 5 (27:01):
As we said, there is many wineries, many sceneries, many
things to visit, even if it's not that be and
sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming if you do
it on your own, so it's convenient when you do
it on a tour. That's let you enjoy and experience
everything needs to be done and take care of.
Speaker 3 (27:22):
That's what I would recommend.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Yeah, and also if you're going with someone, even if
it's just for the day, we join a longer trip
like ours. You don't need to worry about driving, even
though the driving there is easy, but you don't want
to be trying wine and then worrying about with impact
too much to drink. You want to enjoy yourself and
soak up the scenery and relax.
Speaker 4 (27:46):
And the other thing. The only other thing I would
say too, and I were talking about wine, but if
you're a beer drinker as well, they've got great beer.
Speaker 3 (27:54):
Well the best ones in your final.
Speaker 4 (27:57):
So it's not even just for wine lovers. There's options
for beer inside of lovers to or if you don't
drink as well, go and try the apple juice. It's amazing.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Honestly, Oh my goodness, that apple juice. I've never tasted.
I love apple juice and I've never tasted anything like it.
Because they have little apples, They've got so much juicy flavor. Amazing.
Speaker 5 (28:22):
Even the juice that you're going to extract from there's
going to be top notch exactly.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
Gosh, I don't know, Like I've just come back now,
I want to go back again thanks to Living Andrea. Now,
if our listeners want to know a little bit more
about the fascinating wines of South Trol, how can they
stay in touch with you and Italian Winetails.
Speaker 4 (28:43):
So you can go on our website which is Italianwinetales
dot com or our Instagram that use Italian winetails or
we've got a Facebook group as well, Italy Wine Lovers,
so you can find us across those platforms.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
Oh wonderful.
Speaker 4 (28:56):
You know.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
The other thing I love about that region is those cows.
I love those cows with their floral garlands.
Speaker 4 (29:03):
It is so picturesque and gorgeous, and all the festivals.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
I love it all Right, Well, I'm so glad you're
back in the hot seat, the wine hot seat on
the Untold Italy podcast. So gimle and thank you once
again for sharing your knowledge of this delicious wine with
us today.
Speaker 4 (29:25):
Thanks for listening everyone. Choo kao joao.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Oh listeners. I always love chatting with Olivia and Andrea.
They are a very special part of the Untold Italy
team and are always so generous with their knowledge and time.
Talking about the Dolomites is becoming much more common in
my day to day life too. I've just had two
sets of friends tell me this week that they're going
there on their next trip to Italy. And let's face it,
(29:53):
what's not to love. Mountains, fresh clean air and intriguing
culture and of course, delicious wine cultivated and used by
some of the proudest locals you're ever likely to meet.
If you're dreaming of an our pine escaping, you'd like
to join us on our small group tour of the
Dolomites and South trol We have a couple of spots
left on our full twenty twenty five trip in late September.
(30:14):
We are so proud of our unique tour experience that
blends seeing the incredible highlights of the region with connecting
with locals, their traditions, food and wine, all in the
company of like minded travelers. If you're concerned about activity levels,
we do do a few short walks, and there's always
the option to wait out at the local cafe and
admile the views. I will say though, that if you're
(30:37):
after serious hiking, this probably isn't the trip for you. Instead,
our tours are more sightseeing and general experience led tours,
So if that sounds like you, we'd love you to
join us now. I probably don't say this loudly enough,
but we have put a huge effort into building experiences
that are personalized and very special. We travel in very
(30:58):
small groups, enabling us to enjoy meeting people and visiting
places that are not often possible logistically for biggotour groups
or independent travelers, and we take care of everything so
that you can relax and.
Speaker 4 (31:11):
Soak it all up.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
If that sounds like something that you might enjoy, there's
a link to the tour details in our show notes,
and if you're traveling independently, you'll find a list of
the Dolomites, wines to try and where to try them,
and much much more at Untold Italy dot com. Forward
slash two for episode number two hundred and eighty two.
Grauzi Emile. Thank you to all our wonderful listeners for
(31:32):
your ongoing support of Untold Italy. I do hope you
enjoyed today's show. If you did, then it would be
incredible if you gave us a rating or review in
your favorite podcast app that helps us reach more Italy
loving travelers just like you. On next week's episode, you'll
hear my trip report from my recent visit to Italy,
including Rome, Naples, a CC always Delightful, Umbria, and a
(31:57):
new one in changing Urbino. But until then, it's chow
for now. The Untold Italy podcast is an independent production
podcast editing, audio production and website development by Mark Hatter,
Production assistance and content writing by the Are they kJ Clark, Yes,
there are two of us. For more information about Untold Italy,
(32:18):
please visit untold Italy dot com
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