We were scheduled to meet our co-tourers at the airport at 12.15 pm, and reached the rendezvous an hour early. As time went by we were joined by two waiting compatriots, but alas the aeroplane did not take off from Gatwick. Our fellow travellers had been shunted to a smaller aircraft, some travellers were generously rewarded for being bumped, and the main party of nine tourists, manager, and expert food adviser joined us in time for departure about 3.00 pm for the 3 hour journey through the mountains to the Bra hotel restaurant and winery to be our base for the next four nights. At Bra we were joined by a Kansas couple who had come direct by train.
On arrival in Bra we received a bottle of white (Arneis). Since we had an introductory complimentary glass of the same and then a glass of Dolcetto (which is treated here as something to be drunk fresh-
like Beaujolais, we are unlikely to have an opportunity to drink it on tour.
Over dinner more Arneis, then a presentable 2006 Syrah, soft and fruity something like Barossa, and finally a Moscato Spumante with dessert. All made by the winery where we are staying. The accompanying food was authentic local rather than haute cuisine or whatever that translates to in Italian. Bra is however the place where "slow food" was invented as a protest about McDonalds arrival in 1995 .
Besides the introductory seminar by the tour's expert food and wine adviser we got an hours' tour of the winery to watch the pressing in progress and a full explanation of all steps in the progress to wine and concluding with a view of their extended wine archive going back several decades.
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