10th anniversary and other free times

Our parents and m watched the kids on our anniversary while j & I went to town for a little drink and some free time. We stopped at some shops on our way home for dinner to cook. We picked up a delicious apple torte, along with bread and wine, among other things. 

Sadly, my mom was not improving, and my dad was beginning to feel yucky, and they made the decision to return back to the states. I was so sad. :(   Anyway, before leaving, the grandparents watched the bambini while j, m, and I went wine tasting. I got to drive for the very first time. The car, a stick shift, took a little getting used to, as did driving on the twisty roads. 

We started at Oddero. 

The big container in the middle of the photo used to be worn on one's back, and held picked grapes. 

The room outside the cellar door at Oddero, filled with mementos. 

Huge casks. They also had a few concrete casks. 

There were a couple good wines at Oddero, but they weren't tasting all of the best wine. 

After tasting at Oddero, we went out for lunch at Mange in La Morra, a nearby village at the top of a hill.  

This was my first course, stuffed and fried zucchini blossoms. 

This is j's starter. It had crisp prosciutto on the top, and a pilaf of veggies on the bottom, with a cinnamon clove sauce (not my favorite).

M got a salad with tuna. Very healthy. 

My first main course was pasta with sage and butter. It was really tasty. 

I forget what j & m had. I liked mine the best. 

We all chose the beef for the second main course. By then I was really stuffed and could barely finish even half the course. It was beef braised in Barolo, served on mashed potatoes with veggies. 

J & m had after lunch beverages, and received with them the tiniest, cutest little cookies. 

M and the wine country. 

J and the wine country. 

Th three of us next to the concrete casks at cavallotto. 

Every few years, someone crawls through this tiny door to scrub the inside of the casks with wire brushes. 

This gives some perspective on how small the door is. 

A Patricia green bottle and domaine serene in the collection. 

The three we loved. The son, Giacomo, was doing the tasting for us. He was very kind, and he gave us a discount and sent us home with a free bottle of 2013 Chardonnay. I wanted to get a picture of him with j & m, but he doesn't like pictures.