May 3, 2018
Sleep came quickly last night and was very sound. We were up early and went down to breakfast at 7:30 am.We were out the door by 9 am because we had to be on the road for a visit Loison bakery in Costabissara by 10:30 am. Corti Brothers has been importing Christmas Panettone and Easter Colomba from Loison for ten years. It is a solid 1-1/2 hr drive from Kaltern (Caldaro). I ate quickly, so I could get in the first drone flight of our trip in. We brought along the newly released Mavic Air drone www.dji.com/mavic-air Here's aerial look at the Haus am Hang hotel and surrounding area taken by the Mavic Air.
The drive through the Adige River Valley is spectacular with its Dolomite mountain scenery changing at every turn.
Traffic was mild, so we made it to the Loison bakery a few minutes early. www.loison.com
We walked in and waited to the owner, Dario Loison, to greet us. He led us downstairs to their meeting room where we would have a tasting of their new panettone for this holiday season followed by a quick tour of their expanded production facilities. Lucio Gomiero, the owner of Vignalta winery and a dear friend of Darrell's, drove from the Colli Euganei to meet us for our visit.
We were amazed by the growth of Loison's facilities. The have doubled their size since our last visit. We are looking forward to offering their new panettone flavors this holiday season.
The morning turned quickly into afternoon, so Dario invited usto lunch at one of his favorite nearby restaurants. We followed him into Costibassara to Trattoria Lovise. www.trattoriaalbergolovise.it
Trattoria Lovise was established in 1893 and also maintains an Inn. The wisteria tree covering the patio looked as if it has been around since their opening. It was massive. Dario wanted us to enjoy some regional specialties, so three of the dishes were different versions of BaccalĂ , both salted cod and dried cod were used. We were also served a dish of Venetian tortelli, and a dish of fresh cut pappardelle.
Our lunch was absolutely delicious, but very filling. We said goodbye to Dario and Lucio then made our way to the Autostrade for our drive back to the Alto Adige. We had a late afternoon wine tasting to attend at Ansitz Freienfeld, which was arranged by Darrell's friend and regional winemaker, Peter DiPoli. Ansitz Freienfeld was built in the year 1521 in the village of Kurtatsch (Cortaccia). In the year 1900, the newly-created Kellerei Kurtatsch winery was housed at Ansitz Freienfeld. In 1903 Ansitz Freienfeld was acquired by the village of Kurtatsch. The winery quickly outgrew the space and a new building was built along the Wine Road. Today the cellars of the Ansitz Freienfeldare used for storing barriques and the wine archive. They are also used to host exclusive wine tastings.
Andreas Kofler, President of Kellerei Kurtatsch winery, conducted the wine tasting in the old Ansitz Freienfeld cellar. he poured a good number of of their wines, which were all well enjoyed. They were all wonderful examples of how skilled the art of wine making is in the Alto Adige.
I got a chance to breakaway from the tasting and take a walk through the village, which is perched 1000 feet above the valley floor. I came across a few stunningly beautiful vista views on my walk. The meticulously grown apple orchards down in the valley are amazing to see from above. The most prized and expensive apples in Europe are grown here in the Alto Adige. I also had a chance to send the drone up and capture some video and photos, which you can see below.
Late afternoon turned into early evening quickly. When I returned from my walk, the tasting was just finishing up. It was time for dinner. We got into our cars and followed Peter up the switchback road to the town of Corona, which sits 2600' above the valley floor. We stopped at the Goldener Adler Restaurant Gusthof for dinner.
After parking, I noticed a very cool weather vane sitting a top the building next to the restaurant. You can see it in action in the video below. It exemplifies the nature of the area. Always neat and efficient combined with thoughts of art, life and hard work.
My dinner of garden salad with radicchio, tortelli, and Wienerschnitzel with fried potato really hit the spot. The Wienerschnitzel was perfectly cooked. We finished the meal with an exceptionally delicious sweet wine. The Kurtatsch Passito Bianco Mitterberg IGT ARUNA 2016 had flavors of apricots, Williams pear, lavender honey and ripe exotic fruits and a perfect balance of acidity and sugar. After dinner, we headed back to the Haus am Hang for a well needed good night's sleep as our fist full day in Italy was a long one.