Wine Tasting in Toscana!
Touring a wine cellar, learning about wine, and tasting different varieties in the courtyard of a beautiful castle… what better way to spend an evening in Tuscany?
We started with a tour of the wine cellar, where we saw the different types of barrels in which the wine is stored and aged. We learned about Chianti, which is a Tuscan red wine, and how there are eight Chianti regions in Tuscany. The vineyard of the Castello del Trebbio spans into part of two different regions. We learned a little about the differences in grapes, the blends used, and qualifications that must be met to qualify a wine as a Chianti (which includes being grown in a Chianti region; in other words, we can’t make true Chianti in the US).
We then moved through the cellar to a little room with a table where we gathered around and learned more about the history of Chianti and the government regulations regarding wine. True, government-certified Chianti will have a pink label around the neck of the bottle of wine. Alberto, our guide, also showed us the super-Tuscan wine their winery produces, called “Pazzesco,” and shared with us how it’s made.
Next, we proceeded into the dimly lit, cool, old dungeon of the castle, which is now used as an olive oil room. We learned about how olive oil used to be stored in huge terra cotta pots, but now due to health regulations, must be stored in stainless steel bins. Alberto told us about the winery’s production of olive oil. They have about 10,000 trees, and only get one bottle of extra virgin olive oil from each tree. He told us the expensive process that goes into making quality olive oil, the difference between the different grades of olive oil (never settle for anything less than extra virgin!), and how they make their olive oil out of tradition, but don’t make money off of the production (they pretty much just break even because it is so expensive of a process, using an entire tree per bottle and a lot of workers to ensure the extra virgin quality of the oil—the olives have to be pressed the same day they are picked, which require that tons of olives must be picked in one day). It was really interesting and educational. I had always wondered about the olive oil process and what makes some better than others.
We continued through the cellar, passing more rooms where there were bottles and barrels of wine (check out my pictures!), and then emerged from the cellar into the castle courtyard where my favorite part of the evening commenced: the tasting! There was a table set up with a delicious spread of snacks and empty glasses as well as bottles of the wines we would be tasting. Alberto poured us the first wine, Bianco di Castignano, a 2005 white wine. As we held our glasses, he explained how you should move from white to red, and newer to older wine whenever you drank different wines. He then proceeded to teach us how to smell and taste the wine (check out my latest episode to watch me do it!). After the white wine, we tried a young Chianti (2005), and then an aged Chianti Rufina (Riserva 2001). The second was heavier and drier than the first Chianti, which was pleasantly light and sweet. While we drank, and between different types of wines, we snacked from the platters of cheese, meat, various bruschetta, and toasted bread with their olive oil. The snacks were delicious! We finished with a Tuscan dessert wine, VinSanto (1999) with the traditional accompaniment of biscotti, which you dip in the wine. The VinSanto was a lot stronger and sweeter, and was definitely my favorite!
After the tasting and some pictures in the beautiful setting, we proceeded to the gift shop where we could purchase wine and olive oil. We all emerged with boxes of the bottles we’d purchased, many as gifts for family when we return home to the U.S. I appreciated having my dad there, because he was able to take the wine and olive oil back with him when he returned home the next day, so I didn’t have to worry about trying to fit it into my luggage without breaking! Now I just have to wait until December to enjoy it!
This evening was my favorite part of the trip! The beautiful food, wine, and scenery made for a wonderful and delicious time. It was great to share it with my classmates, friends, and especially my dad! It’s a memory from this semester that I definitely won’t forget!
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