When we first decided Piedmont was a must-visit, we had my milestone birthday in our sights, plus visions of all-we-could-eat truffles to go along with the rich red wines we planned on drinking. “We” being me and three of my close friends and fellow wine travelers. Together, we had already done trips to the Loire and Alsace wine regions. This was to be our third one.

Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic intervened. When it was clear we wouldn’t be taking off in time for my birthday in Spring 2020 — or anytime soon — we decided to do a birthday toast by Zoom, each purchasing a bottle of the same wine so that we’d “share” it.