Super Chianti

Even before plans for our Europe trip became real, I knew that I wanted to experience a bit of Italy’s argitourismo, or agriculture tourism. I had heard so many great things about the slow food movement, the farms, the vineyards, and orchards.  I also knew that Adam would love it.

I thought a farm stay would be awesome.  

I wanted to wake up in a vineyard.  

I wanted to eat great, super fresh meals at long tables where wine was served straight from the cellar.  

I wanted to watch the sun set over the hills of vines each night. 

And, while that all sounds very Under the Tuscan Sun, I even wanted to go as far as to lend a hand.  To go pick grapes and olives or even tend to animals.  

… A major deal, for me.

What is cool is that these places do exist.  

The issue?  

Most of what I saw only offered week long stays.  

There were so many things we wanted to do and see while overseas to spend one full week in one place didn’t make sense. 

So, looking for Plan B., I hopped onto my favorite search engine: Pinterest.

Out of Florence, there are numerous daily wine tours that take visitors into Tuscany.  Some were through large charter buses (sounded crowded… and annoying), some were on bikes (sounded dangerous… and hot) and then finally one caught my eye.  

And, I am so glad it did.

Thanks to Tuscan Wine Tours and our awesome guide, Tom, we had a great day.

  
We met Tom on the south side of Florence in the morning.  He is a young British guy, about our age, and he immediately started sharing his huge passion for wine with us.  Tom went to hospitality school in England then came to Florence to earn his sommelier.  

He previously worked for a nice hotel in Florence and was really happy about his career move to Tuscan Wine Tours.  He said he loves the fun that he has with new people everyday.  He also said that in hotels, there can be a sense of pretentiousness around wine and he believes that wine shouldn’t be pretentious.  Instead, it should be about trying new things, learning and enjoying.  

He went on to say, “The best wine is the cheapest wine you like to drink.”

… Just five minutes in and I knew this was going to be great.  Wine should be fun?  He was speaking my language.  

Tom lead the six of us and one other couple, Honeymooner’s from St. Louis, into a nice, air conditioned van and we started our drive into the Chianti Region of Tuscany.  

The Chianti Region is one of Italy’s best-known wine zones.  It is situated south of Florence and north of Siena.  There are specific rules to call a wine “Chianti” and “Chianti Classico.”  These wines will be sealed with a “DOCG” label on the neck of the bottle and have to come from this region of Italy.

  
Both of the wineries we visited are considered “boutique” wineries as they produce less than 100,000 bottles annually.

They also implement all organic practices, but not for the trendy reasons that one might assume. These wineries do this because it’s the way it has always been done and it’s the way it should be done.  The grapes are all handpicked.  Nutrients are added to the soil from natural elements such as rocks (for minerals to give the wine an earthy taste), peas (for more nitrogen) and dead vines after pruning.  

After a windy drive up a large hill surrounded by grape vines, we stopped at Corazano e Paterno.  Here, they make 85,000 bottles of wine annually, olive oil and pecorino, a cheese made from sheep milk.

Tom took us up to some of the vines to show us how they are shaped into an “L” to ensure the grapes get plenty of sun.  He said that it should be a great year for the grapes because it’s been a wet spring and hot summer.

The olive orchards are having more trouble.  In 2014, a bug damaged the entire country’s crop and it did not get cold enough to kill the bug over the winter so they fear the same results for 2015.

Next, we were lead into the cellar to learn more about the fermentation and aging process.  The Chianti wines are aged in either French or Italian barrels and the air in the cellar is kept cool and moist.  

  
We walked up from the cellar to a beautiful patio where our tasting table was all set with cheese plates featuring the sheep milk cheeses Carazano e Paterno creates.  The tangy blue cheese was a favorite among our group.  

  
In addition to wine and cheese, we also tasted the house olive oil.  It seemed a little strange to smell and sip olive oil, but with a great olive oil it was actually really interesting.  Adam looked up mid sniff saying that it smelled like fresh garden peas or soybeans.  

After our first tasting we headed to the village, Panzano, for lunch at a local butcher shop, Antica Macelleria Cecchini.  As we pulled into the quiet, quint town I imagined a sweet, old butcher in a small provincial shop.  

Instead, we pulled up to a red and white striped building with ACDC blaring out of it.  We were greeted by a man holding a carafe of wine who encouraged us to head inside to try the appetizers like salami and prosciutto set out for us.  

  
Upon entering, sensory overload kicked in.  

Between the loud music, photos of celebrities who had visited such as Anthony Bourdain and Jamie Oliver, and the wide array of cool, modern, well read cook books, my original vision of the place was smashed.  

This isn’t the storybook butcher I imagined.  

This is an edgy butcher.  

A bad ass butcher.

As we eyed the appetizer options, Tom pointed to a tray of sliced baguettes topped with a white, herb flecked topping and cautioned that “That is cured fat.  Not cheese.”

Unfortunately for my waistline, the cured fat was delicious.

And, so was the rest of the meal.  

We enjoyed beef, just about anyway you could have it.  Raw, boiled, braised, and roasted.  My favorite was a spicy meat sauce served warm on Tuscan bread. 

As we ate, Tom let us know a little more about the butcher, Dario Cecchini.  Dario’s family has been in the business for 200 years. His philosophy towards food, meat in particular, is that the animal deserves to live a healthy, good life with plenty of free space.  As well as have a dignifying death and Dario works hard to ensure that “nothing of their meat goes to waste.”

After the filling lunch, a couple glasses of table wine and a shot of grapa (a liquor made from distilled grape skins… that I was not a fan of…) we hit the picturesque roads again.  

We were on our way to the second vineyard of the day, Poggio al Sole.

  
At, Poggio al Sole, they make 100,000 bottles of wine annually on 50 acres.  Despite the stunning views and rustic look to the home and cellar, they were very cutting edge.  In addition to the organic practices in growing and harvesting, the cellar’s temperature is kept cool and moist thanks to solar panels.  

  
We all took a seat at the small, shaded tasting area in old wine barrels that had been made into seats.  

  
The owner, a woman from Switzerland whose family purchased the vineyard in 1990, brought out three different wines for us to taste.  

The light, refreshing rose was my favorite of the bunch.  Rose is made from sangiovese grapes without their skins during the fermentation.  This gives the wine a pink color versus deep red and less tannins.

  
Our final stop of the day was in a small town called Greve.  Here, we had a little bit of free time to explore.  Adam and I had a great time wondering the shops in the quiet town.  

In Greve, we happened upon another really neat meat and cheese shop.  Dry aging ham hung from the ceiling throughout the entire floor plan.  It was really neat.

  
We also stopped into a beautiful ceramics store and picked up an ornament with the Chianti logo… a black chicken.

It was our only souvenir of the trip. (Besides wine.  I can’t count that.  It will be gone one day.) But, it is the perfect momento that, every Christmas, will make us smile and remember our amazing day in Tuscany.