Saturday 8 July 2023
Time for another couple of wineries before heading across borders to teh tiny nation of Liechtenstein! First we tried Kellerei Bozen (kellerei = cantina and I guess the choice of word is a strong indication of whether the owners think of themselves as more German or more Italian!), which was another big and shiny tasting room in a classy bit of modern architecture, very similar to Cantina Tramin and various others we’ve passed. Good wines, though none of their lower-priced options really won us over.
Second we visited Ferrucio-Carlotto, a small winery recommended to us by the nice chap at Pra back in Soave. We had arranged it with Michela by email and she also met us and showed us the wines and the cellar, all without speaking any English (well, just a bit more than we spoke Italian!). Luckily “parliamo vino” – we all speak wine – so we actually got on fine and learned plenty, including the reason for the recommendation. The chap at Pra had been in the same class at wine school as Michela! Anyway, we loved their red wines and bought a case.
Then we headed out along the enormous snaking Alpine valleys to depart Italy and twine through a chunk of Switzerland. We stopped in Castellbello, a little before the border, at a random eatery. It turned out to be a lovely old wine cellar that now specialised in dumplings. And in spite of being in Italy the owner was only willing to speak German… so luckily a couple of cyclists from Munich were on hand to translate! Dumplings: tasty, sturdy and filling.
Liechtenstein looks like a postage stamp glued to the side of a mountain, above the broad river valley that runs along its foot. We haven’t actually visited the main town of Vaduz, because from every photo it just looks terribly dull and modern and on the flat valley bottom. Instead we are staying in Triesen, perched half-way up the mountain and blessed with jaw-dropping views of the valley and the Alps beyond. We went for a stroll to prove it – even the local donkeys have amazing views. All the houses, cars and people on this mountainside look very well-heeled indeed.
But we needn’t have walked anywhere, because our little attic room at Hotel Kulm also has jaw-dropping views, so does the restaurant. The hotel seems quiet and terrifically bland, but perfectly friendly and helpful. Because we’re leaving before breakfast tomorrow, they left some clingfilm-wrapped rolls and fruit outside our room in the evening. Very sad rolls they proved to be, but it’s the thought that counts? Dinner at the hotel was also very sad – perhaps our saddest meal this trip, with Maureen chewing through some cardboard with oats stuck to it. Sorry, “vegetarian schnitzel”. For a mere £28. Liechtenstein has Swiss prices.
At least the hotel has an underground car park, so our wine is in the cool again. Thinking about picking up some more wine in Alsace on the way through, we did a quick tot-up of our bottles so far… and found that we were only one bottle short of our total customs limit! Wow. That was lucky.
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