Touring La Pampa Relais & Wine Tasting

So... I keep talking about La Pampa ... this is the place we are staying. More than a B&B ... more than a hotel .... it is 30 acres of forest, farmland, animals and "hotel". The staff is lovely, our rooms are simple (no drawers!) and the food is lovely. When we are "on property" I have yet to lock the door to my room. There was a lovely wedding here last weekend ... so the venue is fully used.

On Wednesday morning we got a golf-cart tour of the property. It had rained the night before, so some of the areas were too wet to visit. But: we saw the vineyard (and snitched a few grapes ... delish!) We were with manager Annalisa and chef Dario. They stopped and picked from their fruit trees to give us a taste. Then we met Tarantina, the cow. She has 8 "friends" who live on another farm.

Then... off to meet Pegasus, Blu and Marianne ...the 3 horses who live here. We fed them some hay and had fun visiting. Of course, Ellen didn't want the horse to have all of the hay!

Above: sampling the grapes right off the vine, and then the road to visit the pigs. ...they are Nero Casertano pigs and very desireable for their meat. They need to be 1-2 years old before they are butchered (sent to the "place" for preparation). The place they send them butchers and then uses the La Pampa recipe to make the proscuitto for them, as well as other pork preparations. Check out the pigs ..the big one in front is named "bacon" LOL!!
The babies are sooo cute!

After our tour, we had a wine tasting and light lunch at the lake. The setting is so beautiful on this property ... every area has been a delight. Dario, our chef, talked about the properties of the wine and the cheese and meats that paired well. Luigi (striped shirt on next page) is more of the sommelier. He helps out in the dining room as well as being well versed in the wine they produce at La Pampa.