vino e dificile - family in Milan

Vino e dificile = Wine is difficult! ...Or... at least wine is difficult when the Griswold family arrives!

My corkscrew from Vietnam was apparently cheap-cheap...

It broke into numerous pieces as we attempted to open a bottle of wine.

(This is only the 2nd time I've ever used this corkscrew in more than two years.)

We broke out the pliers...

Mom's tool of choice:

...Then the cork broke in half ...half is still in the bottle. D'Oh!

The next day, Dad bought a new corkscrew at the local grocery store in Opera - CoOp.

It feels like cheap plastic BUT works like a charm!

Since this time... my Dad hit the jackpot when he found his favorite wine - Montepulciano - 30% off at CoOp! His favorite wine for less then two euro... WIN!

olive oil!

There is a small shop in the town of Opera that serves wine for 4 euro a liter... or extra virgin olive oil for 6 euro a liter. YESSSS!

...More excited about the olive oil than the wine ...I picked up bottle for 1 euro at the shop and now have delicious olive oil at my place. I'm excited to be able to try various regions' olive oils and see if I can taste a difference or have any preferences.