May 4, 2018
We were up and at breakfast by 7:30 am down in the Haus am Hang restaurant. They serve a Tyrolean style continental breakfast, which features a number of house made things.
We had to meet at Peter DiPoli's estate in Neumarkt (Egna) by 9:30am. peterdipoli.com
Neumarkt (Egna) is just on the east side of the valley from our hotel which is an easy 15 minute drive. There were a good number of the 38 guests, who invited to a lunch honoring Darrell, that were going to caravan to the restaurant from Peter's estate. While we waited for everyone to arrive, I had time to fly the drone and get in some video of Peter's estate and the surrounding area of Neumarkt (Egna).
Our caravan pulled out of Peter's estate around 10:30 am. We were headed to the Ristorante Durnwald in Valle di Casies, which lies in the Gsies valley only a few kilometers from the Austrian border. The drive was a good 2 hours north east. We did hit a little bit of traffic due to construction on the Autostrade. The scenery turned a bit more Alpen after leaving the Autostrade and continuing on the Strada Statale 49 (state road) well above Bolzano, if that's at all possible. We made it to the Ristorante Durnwald under grey skies after getting a few sprinkles and a bit of rain along the way. The Gsies valley is stunningly beautiful and very picturesque.
We parked and went inside Ristorante Durnwald. www.restaurantdurnwald.it
We were greeted with champagne and hors d'oeuvres in one of the cellar rooms during the reception. Most of the guests were well know winemakers in the region.
After having a glass of the champagne and tasting the hors d'oeuvres, I went outside to take some pictures and then launched the drone for some aerial video of the beautiful surroundings.
It was hard to breakaway from the breathtaking views outside, but it was time to go inside and sit down to lunch. I took pictures of the the wines, then sat as the first dish came out. Here are the wine lists as there were two, and the menu in German, Italian, and English.
House Wine List
Champagne Cramant G.C. Blanc de Blancs
Guy Larmandier
Soave Classico superiore 2016
Calvarino
Leonildo Pieropan
Givry 1er Cru 2010 Magmun
Clos du Cras Long
Francois Lumpp
Barbaresco Riserva 2007 Magnum
Ovello
Produttori del Barbaresco
Moscato d'Asti 2017 Magnum
Paolo Saracco
Acqvavite Divino 1986
Pojer e Sandri
Faedo (Trento)
Darrell's Wine List
Stoneleigh Pinot Noir 1999
Marlborough
Ata Rangi Célèbre 1998
Marlborough
Wynn’s John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 1992
Coonawarra Estate
Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay 2009
Santa Cruz Mountains
Menu
Aperitif im Weinkeller
Aperitivo in cantina
(Appetizer in the wine cellar)
Gruß aus der Küche
Saluto della cucina
(Greetings from the kitchen)
Lauwarmer Kalbskopf, Tartar vom Gsieser Ochsen,
Blatterteigstrudel mit gedünstetem Kraut und Almkäsefonduta
Testina di vitello tiepida, Tartara di bue della Val Casies,
strudel di pasta sfoglia ripieno con
era uti stufati su fond uta di formaggio di malga
(Lukewarm Calf's Head, Val Casies Ox tartare,
puff pastry strudel with steamed cabbage and alpine malaga cheese)
Milzschnittensuppe
Crostini di milza in brodo
(Spleen croutons in broth)
Hausgemachte Schlutzkrapfen mit Topfen und Spinat
Ravioli fatti in casa con ricotta e spinaci
(Homemade ravioli with ricotta and spinach)
Blutnudeln mit Graukäse
Tagliatelle al sangue con formaggio grigio
(Blood Tagliatelle with grey cheese)
Apfelküchlein mit Vanilleeis
Frittelle di mele con gelato alia vaniglia
(Apple strudel with vanilla ice cream)
Halfway through lunch, I stepped outside to make contact with the producers at KMAX TV's Good Day Sacramento. We had prearranged to do a live Skype broadcast from Italy with Marianne McClary, the show's anchor. After a few attempts, we got a good connection and did a four minute segment, which did air live in Sacramento. Here's the video of the segment. The audio could have been much better in a few spots, but all in all, is was very cool to have done it. Halfway through the segment, we went inside where the entertainment had begun. The group of wine makers had hired an accordion player who was more of a one man band and comedian.
After the Good Day Sacramento segment was finished, I went back inside the restaurant to finish up my lunch. Mario Pojer had the Magnum of 2017 Moscato d'Asti chilling down especially cold. He poured it into two very large thick walled glasses which looked like over sized champagne flutes. One for the men and one for the women. They were then passed around for everyone to drink from. The entertainment ramped up with the accordion player now enlisting the help of some of the guests. A wonderful time was being had by all.
...and they didn't forget "Roll out the Barrel."
Shaun, Monika Unterthurner, and I took a walk up the hill behind the restaurant for some fresh air. The sun was shining intermittently through the clouds, which added bright color to the views in the valley.
Our six hour lunch came to an end and it was time to make our way to the Autostrade for our drive to the Haus am Hang hotel. We made it back after dark and went to our rooms. After organizing my equipment and setting up all of my batteries for their re-charge, I met Darrell and Shaun down in the bar. They had ordered a simple bowl of knödel dumplings in broth. I was too late to order one because the kitchen closed just before I made it downstairs, so I opted to have a taste of a locally made Amaro. After the huge lunch I really wasn't hungry to begin with. I finished my nightcap and we returned to our rooms for a good night's sleep.
