Tour del Piemonte

As many of you know, the school regularly participates in the Banfi Scholastic Tour of Italy. This incredible experience was, at one time, an annual one, in which two students and a faculty member “ participated. The learning about Italian wine, food and culture it produces is phenomenal. Unfortunately, the trip now occurs on a less regular basis and its absence in the off years left a huge gap in our portfolio of learning opportunities. Thanks to the generosity of Jon (BSBA 1997) and Megan Schlegel, who have a wine importing business and a property in Piemonte, we now fill those gap years in with a trip that is exclusively our own, Fritz Knoebel’s Tour del Piemonte. The inaugural, week-long trip began in late November, 2016. Two seniors, Malia Bacig and Sonya Raab, traveled with Jon and me on an educational journey of a lifetime. Please read on for reflections each of my fellow travelers wrote about the experience. - David Corsun ” Malia Bacig Jon about the town and the latest news. Sonya and I did not speak much Italian and she did not speak any English, Italy is a striking country. I but she treated us with such kindness and generosity. had the opportunity to travel When we left, she gave us both a hug and a kiss on the to Piedmont, a region in cheek. It was apparent that she truly loved sharing the Northern Italy, for a week with moment with us and genuinely wanted us to enjoy our Sonya Raab, David Corsutn, experience at their home. It was a very special few hours and Jon Schlegel. We spent filled with great wine and cheese. the majority of our time in a small town called Monforte d’Alba. Monforte d’Alba is located in the Barolo region of Piedmont. Barolo wines were the focus of the trip. I have always been interested in wine and wine making, but this trip helped me to infinitely expand my wine knowledge and grow my passion for wine. Wine is a beautifully complicated product that is often made by incredibly impassioned people. The people I met during our week in Italy made a lasting impression on me. Wine, the focus of this trip, is very complicated, yet strikingly simple. I learned so much throughout the trip. We toured many different wineries and had the opportunity to see the various steps involved in making wine. Touring wineries was a very valuable experience. I am a visual learner and being able to see the different steps required to make wine was very helpful. It was also incredible to see the different scales of production at the various wineries we toured. Learning how to taste wine was also a huge part of the trip. I did not have a comprehensive understanding of how to taste wine before our week in Italy. Many different aspects of a wine can be identified through a tasting. It takes an incredible amount of practice to learn "People who are excited about life and love their work fuel me." People who are excited about life and love their work fuel how to identify the various characteristics of a wine through me. Every single person we met was passionate about blind tasting; it will take many years to learn how to master his or her work. Countless individuals opened up their wine tasting. One of my favorite moments of the trip was homes and shared their love for life, food, wine, and Italy. when Jon was able to guess the vintage of a wine without It is apparent that Jon has spent a significant amount knowing anything other than the wine producer. That was of time fostering meaningful and deep relationships. the same day we tasted 40 different wines! I feel extremely lucky to have been exposed to and experienced some of those relationships. We toured Renzo Seghesio’s winery in Monforte d’Alba and had the opportunity to meet him and his wife. His wife made a huge impression on me. We sat down for our tasting and she brought us two different kinds of cheese and fresh breadsticks. She sat with us the entire tasting while commenting on the wines in Italian and speaking with It is important to note, however, that this trip was so much more than learning about wine. I think this trip helped me to realize the kind of life I want to achieve. I want a life with rich relationships, unbelievable food, flavorful wine, and passion. A perfect example of this is Elisa. We met Elisa at Conterno Fantino. She helps her family with the production of wine at the winery and welcomes visitors and tours. However, she also lives in the Alps for part of

the year and makes cheese and runs a bed and breakfast. We went to dinner with Elisa and were served ravioli made with her cheese! It was an incredible moment. She had no idea her cheese was being used or served, but was so incredibly humble about the moment. Elisa is passionate about her work and focuses her life on making high quality products that she is humbly proud of. This trip taught me a lot about my life, my future goals, and myself. David, Jon, and Sonya were amazing travel companions and our conversations were valuable and thought provoking. Barolo will always hold a special place in my heart and I cannot wait to return.

Sonya Raab

Over winter break, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Piedmont, Italy with David Corsun, Jon Schlegel, and Malia Bacig. We spent a week studying and tasting the amazing wines of northern Italy, trying Barolos, Barbarescos, Nebbiolos, Barberas, and Dolcettos. Each day, we visited 2-4 wineries and tried 30-40 wines. At each tasting we were given a full tour of the winemaking facilities and often times we were able to meet the winemakers themselves. We learned about the winemaking process from the pruning, to the picking, fermentation, barreling and bottle aging. I learned so much about what it takes to grow and produce wine, and the incredible amount of patience that goes into it. Everyone we met displayed such passion and devotion to their winemaking; it was contagious. Thanks to Jon’s many connections, we were able to try wines of all vintages, including one from 1984. Throughout the week we ate incredible Italian food, and even had the chance to eat at a Michelin restaurant

in a castle. The pounds of pasta consumed were well worth every bite. We happened to be in Piedmont during white truffle season. This was very lucky as we were able to try white truffles on pasta, eggs, and meats. My favorite part of the trip was going white truffle hunting, as this had been a lifelong dream of mine. Although we were skeptical of finding any truffles, with the help of a dog we were able to find three. Aside from the amazing wine and food, I fell in love with the charming town of Monforte D’Alba for many reasons. On clear days we had a panoramic view for miles of the towering Alps and hilly vineyards. The quaint town, which had a population of less than 2,000, had a few fabulous restaurants and stores, and was populated with avid wine producers. A huge thank you to David and Jon for bringing me on this journey and for all the unforgettable memories and lessons. Jon Schlegel, BSBA in Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management, 1997 I find this area of Italy more and more special each time I go. The food is simple, fresh and delicious…every time. Each year continues to challenge the generations of farmers/families that work every corner of their hectares and continue to make honest, world-renowned, spectacular wine. But it’s the people….the hospitality of each individual…that runs through the blood of Piedmont. It’s just how they’re born and it’s all so inspiring!