Tuscan wine tours

Chianti Classico wine Collection 2012

2012-02-28T11:57:00.002+01:00

Also this year, the 2011 Chianti has been presented in the old tram station of Florence, Stazione Leopolda

Some information about this harvest:

Total Chianti Classico production: 265,000 hl (33 milions of bottles..)

The year 2010 presented difficult weather conditions with alternating temperature in Chianti near freezing temperatures, followed by a cool spring and rainy, with temperatures that have struggled a bit 'to get up, causing a slowing of vegetative growth and late flowering.

The heat of late June - early July allowed us to balance the phenological stages of vine ripening of the fruit even though it continued more slowly in the months of August and September, also below the seasonal average temperature.

At the time of the grape harvest is presented in good condition, thanks to the careful care of the vineyards producers who were able to counteract the excessive vegetative growth of early summer conditions and preventing the development of major fungal diseases .

It was just the work of technicians and workers to determine the success of a 2010 child of a rather difficult season. So, in 2010 the Black Rooster falls quantity but not quality, rich in aromas and flavors with great structure conferred by optimal levels of acidity The alcohol contents are high but not excessive, for the benefit of balanced and aromatic products...

Enjoy the Video!

Day trip outside Florence, la Calvana

2012-01-11T19:07:00.000+01:00

pleasent trip outside Florence with friends

we walked an old old mule trail rich of mediterranean vegetation

many medieval abandoned farms

400 hundreds year od cypress

the XII century parish Church of San Biagio

a lovely pic nic under the sun in January

my happy dog

Fruit Tart

2011-12-24T17:22:00.000+01:00

In this lazy pre- Christmas afternoon in Florence

I decided to make this delicious fruit tart.

Preheat the oven medium temperature

Ingredients:

300 gr of flour

2 Spoonfull of sugar

grated lemon peel

one packet yeast

20 spoonful of soy milk

300 gr of jam

8 spoonful of oevo

Preheat the oven medium temperature

Pour the flour into a bowl

Pour into the bowl the oil, milk, sugar, yeast, lemon peel,

Mix well in the spring and then begin to add the flour a little at a time

Work the dough for 4 minutes

Spread half of it into a greased medium size baken tin

Cover with jam

With the remaining dough, make strips

Arrange the strips making diamond-shaped intersection

Bake for 25/30 minutes

and then eat with a good Tuscan Vinsanto...

Merry Christmas!

Radicondoli, Siena, Tuscany

2011-12-20T18:21:00.001+01:00

Radicondoli, lovely medieval hamlet in Siena Province

just one hour from Siena, it is full of festivals, village parties, concerts, theaters, a lively and lovely little village

with its own music band

and down below another Villa that a friend of mine would be happy to rent....

Umbria, Orvieto

2011-12-19T22:10:00.011+01:00

Beautiful day trip to Orvieto only one hour far from Florence

with an old friend of mine, that has got a wonderful Villa in Orvieto to rent ... see below

that is the famous gothic Duomo one of the most beautiful Cathedral of Italy

the bell tower with a man ringing

the bell every hour

pinocchio relaxing after a long walk

a dog relaxing after a short drive
through Orvieto

Orvieto in the distance and vineyards of the

typical Orvieto wine

called Orvieto Classico, doc

Civita di Bagnoreggio, the dying city....

built on a tufa hill very close to Orvieto, it worth a visit

nearby the famous wine region, only 40 minutes drive from Orvieto, called Sagrantino and Montefalco wine region,

have a look at my previous post: Sagrantino and Rosso di Montefalco wine

Florence cooking class: gnocchi with pesto recipe

2011-11-26T17:45:00.002+01:00

Ingredients for gnocchi: 6 potatoes, 10 spoons of flour

6 potatoes to cook with steam not in the water, then when they are ok, take out the skin, and smash with the masher

and let them to get cold

after about one hour you blend with a little flour; more flour harder gnocchi, less flour softer gnocchi...

make a roll as big as a finger

and then cut in pieces put a little of flour and after finish all the gnocchi put in the boiled water they are ready in a couple of minutes when they come up from the bottom of the pot

Pesto

Basil , pinoli and extra virgin olive oil

You put everything all together you crush until you get a soft sauce,

in addition you can add a little garlic and parmigiano cheese, but I like just pure so it is more basil taste

Combination with wine: Chardonnay, Chianti Colli Fiorentini o Chianti Classico around 2 or 3 years old

Buon Appetito!

Florence cooking class: Tuscan soup recipe, la Ribollita

2011-11-05T15:21:00.003+01:00

Black cabbage from my yard

Ingredients: round cabbage, black cabbage, onions, garlic, carrots, potato, old bread, celery, extra virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper, cooked beans, tomato,

Having chopped the vegetables, make a fried oil with garlic and onion and some herbs, rosemary, sage, thyme, basil, when the onion is browned add two tablespoons of tomato, a glass of hot water, chopped carrots, celery, the cabbage into thin strips, sliced potatoes, salt and pepper, cook for 10 minutes, after that add the beans, half a liter of water and cook for an hour.

When the vegetables are cooked, add the sliced bread, beans and boil the whole mix for 10 minutes.

Pour into a bowl and serve with extra virgin olive oil

Good combination with wine: Chianti Classico, Rosso di Montalcino,

Tuscany: chianti in the Fall

2011-11-05T14:06:00.000+01:00

Some pretty pictures of this time of the year in Chianti

Piedmont: Barolo, Barbera, Barbaresco

2011-10-27T22:18:00.002+02:00

In late August I had a fantastic trip with three of my former clients Ava and Dorothy and two friends Marina e Pauline in Piedmont;

we wanted to discover the famous Barolo and Barbera wines, two DOCG wines with many rules such as Chianti or Brunello in Tuscany

Barolo is the most famous of the two wines, it is a strong, full body, robust, complex, the wine is made with Nebbiolo grape and one of the main rule is the aging: at least three years in oak casks after the vintage

The production area is located south of Asti, the views are stunning, the vineyards cover the region together with many castles being Piedmont rich of history

We went to Barolo, the town, house of the Barolo wine and we discovered three good wineries producing Barolo and Barbera.

Now we are already thinking at the next trip in Veneto for the Amarone tasting

Chianti Classico Collection

2011-10-26T23:30:00.000+02:00

The Stazione Leopolda was the first railway station built

in Florence in 1848 and now it is used as a venue for meetings,conferences and events.

right here every year in February we celebrate the launch of the

new vintage of Chianti Classico 2010 and Chianti Classico Reserve 2009

the interior is very nice and functional

of course the symbol of Chianti Classico made from natural corks

and in this room there are the

200 exhibitors presenting their Chianti Classico wine

don't forget to come in february next time!

Tuscany: Rose Garden in Chianti hills

2011-10-26T23:22:00.004+02:00

Roseto Fineschi

In Tuscany between the Arno and the Chianti hills is a famous and precious rose garden that was the passion of Professor Finaschi who began to collect his first roses in 1967

The rose garden is located in an area, Chianti where the vines and olive trees reign supreme

and therefore it is a surprise to find this beautiful rose garden that is considered the second in Europe for the richness and rarity of specimens

Brunello, Tuscany

2011-06-19T15:17:00.001+02:00

Desolate and arid zones are crossed before arriving in Montalcino to taste the famous Brunello wine.

areas called Crete Senesi very charming and special and protected by world heritage protection, UNESCO

the arid hills of the Crete Senesi are composed of limestone , sand and clay and after thousand years of rain and wind. have taken on strange and bizarre shape

Yet this land is perfect for the famous Brunello made from the Sangiovese grapes.

thanks to the soil, the volcano Amiata, the proximity of the sea, forests of oak, the long aging in oak barrels the san giovese delight us with a wonderful wine called brunello for the dark red of the berries ...

Brunello is a DOCG so can be produced only in a very limited area around the Montalcino hill.

Brunello requires so many conditions that make it a special wine

Florence walking tour

2011-06-04T16:52:00.002+02:00

A walk in Florence, starting from the old bridge, the oldest bridge in Florence built by the Romans in the narrowest part of the Arno river;

here the boys bring their girlfriends and declare everlasting love docking a lock and throwing the key into the Arno

Piazza della Signoria, the political center of Florence, created in 13 century by Arnolfo di Cambio, here happened every things, riots, celebrations, executions..

In the middle of the square, the Neptune Fontaine, the sea God, made by Ammannati, for the wedding of the son of Cosimo I dei Medici

Michelangelo said it was a waste of marble…

The Palazzo Vecchio, is designed like a fortress was the residence of Cosimo I of Medici; at the entrance the marble statue of David, a copy, the original is in the Academy.

La Loggia, inside a beautiful statue of Perseus showing the head of the Medusa made by Cellini in 1545 a masterpiece of Florence Renaissance sculpture.

The tower of Giotto, considered the father of modern painting, XIII century

The Duomo, the Cathedral one of the largest in the World.

The house of Dante Alighieri, famous for his Divine Commedy and for his love for Beatrice Portinari, whose family lived in the same district;

Church of Santa Margherita, the Church of Dante and Beatrice, where here anyone with sentimental problems can write a letter to Beatrice asking for a miracol and put in the basket, something similar to the movie “letter to juliet…”

To finish this nice walk, San Lorenzo market

inside the market, nice food

and nice pasta

Tuscany: Chianti and Brunello harvest in October, day trip out of Florence

2011-03-17T17:16:00.008+01:00

Tuscany : day trip to see the grape harvest
in Chianti and Brunello

Chianti in the winter

2011-03-13T17:52:00.000+01:00

Chianti region in winter

is no less beautiful than the other months of the year,

and it is also fun to go to vineyards and wineries;

here are some photos taken this February.

I hope you like them.

Chianti hills and snow on the Apennines

medieval hamlet near Greve

medieval hamlet near Radda

twisted vines

winery

Sunset through a circle of clay

San Gimignano and Vernaccia wine

2011-03-05T16:48:00.002+01:00

Vernaccia di San Gimignano is presented annually to the public.

This year the event was held in a beautiful building of the fifteenth century, once a monastery of Benedictine nuns now a museum of ancient art and contemporary

there were all Vernaccia wine producers with their bottles of 2010 Vernaccia wine

during the wine tasting you could also see paintings

sculptures

or watch the towers of San Gimignano from the windows of the museum

Chianti Classico wine Collection 2011

2011-02-20T19:04:00.004+01:00

The Leopolda station, was the first railway built in Florence in 1848

and now it is used as a venue for meetings, conferences and events

right year every year in February we celebrate the launch

of the new vintage of Chianti Classico Collection 2009 and Chianti Classico Reserve 2008

the interior is very nice and functional

the bar

the inevitable symbol of the Chianti Classico wine made from natural corks

and the beautiful and huge area with the 200 wineries
presenting their Chianti Classico wine

next time don't forget to come in Tuscany in February!

Tuscan Vinsanto, Holywine

2011-01-31T22:00:00.003+01:00

For all my customers that came on my tuscan wine tours that have bought the delicious Vinsanto, dessert wine made only here in Tuscany!

do you remember that we use to dip the Cantuccini, inside the Vinosanto? so here it is the recipe of the Cantuccini, almond cookies... zero calories, no dairy, no fat

Ingredients:

- 3 cups of flour

-1 cup sugar

-1 cup almonds

-2 cups of soya milk

-1 cup of raisin grapes

- yeast

Almonds

Grate the skin of an organic lemon and put on the flour

then mix up all the ingredients (organic ingredients is better)

until it gets creamy and soft

so add as much milk as you need to get this result

later, prepar some long pieces to bake at 180° Celtius degrees (356°Fahrenheit) for around 30 minutes...different ovens different temperatures..

like three pieces of bread

now cut diagonally the cake to get severals Cantuccini

bake over again each side for 15 minutes...

after

uhm.... now, sorry, but I have to drink my Vinsanto with my Cantuccini!

ciao ange

Umbria, Sagrantino wine, part three

2011-01-23T23:37:00.002+01:00

Third part

Sunday

after a very nice breakfast, straight to the third well known winery : Caprai, Montefalco area

the vineyards

kind of a cultivation called Lyra because its shape recalls the music instrument

the technical facilities

the aging room

the wine tasting room: very glamour room

then going back to Florence, a quick visit to Assisi and the famous S.Francisco's Church

and the monastery in where S.Francesco would spend most of the time speaking with the animals and with close friends

view from his bedroom

the dining room

San Francesco loved animals so probably he would have loved also my dog zar

angie in Umbria

Umbria, Sagrantino wine, part two

2011-01-23T21:18:00.002+01:00

SECOND PART

Here I am again;

so later on the same day I went to visit another pretty little medieval town: Spello

eyes on arch

typical alley

Roman Arch

Typical cat of Spello

owls before the window

pretty view

a cat on my way

well is time for the third part of the trip!

Umbria, Sagrantino and Rosso di Montefalco wine

2011-01-21T23:54:00.002+01:00

FIRST PART

I have just spent three days in Umbria for tasting the typical red wine made in Montefalco:

Sagrantino wine is made with Sagrantino grapes.

The origins of this grape is still a mystery, one supposition is that was imported by Byzantine monks from Greese and the name seems to be connected with something sacred... maybe was used by priests in their religious ceremonies

The first winery I decided to visit on Friday is a well-known winery, Cantine Antonelli or San Marco winery in Montefalco area

Sagrantino DOCG wine is made with pure Sagrantino grapes

Sagrantino blended with other red grapes is called Montefalco Rosso

The colour is intense, ruby red with pourple reflexes, the arome

intense with black berry,

prune, leather flavours and with powerful taste.

After the winery, a relaxing lunch in a typical Osteria, keeping on

drinking another glass of Sagrantino wine

after lunch a quick visit to a roman/medieval little town, Bevagna

Saturday longer day

in the morning, I went to another well known winery: Tenuta della Custodia a beautiful place surrounded by vineyards and olive trees, beautiful even if we are still in the deep winter....

view from the terrace of the winery

tomorrow the second part of my little vacation, goodnight!

San Gimignano Vernaccia and Saffron tasting

2011-01-09T12:05:00.002+01:00

San Gimignano

XI century pretty village... tough to pronounce even in italian..

is famous for its 14 grey stone towers

for its special white grape and wine, Vernaccia

and for its saffron, very precious and expensive spicy

It takes about 125,000 flowers to get 1 kilogram of saffron and the price on the market is 35,000 euro per kg….. can you immagine? The gold is sold for about 22,000 euro per kg!

The delicate red pistils are dried at low temperature for one night

Vernaccia was the first white wine that got the appelation in 1993 of docg wine, so stricly controller by the State. It is an old grape dates back the XII century and can be produced only in the small area of San Gimignano, and cannot befound in any other wine region

the colour is pale straw-yellow, fine smell, delicate, dry, armonic, with a little bitter aftertaste

enjoying the Vernaccia and the Saffron

during my San Gimignano tours

rise with saffron

home made ravioli with saffron sauce

homemade saffron gelato

Tuscany: cats of Montalcino

2011-01-01T19:57:00.001+01:00

Montalcino in Tuscany, is famous not only for the prestigious wine, Brunello di Montalcino, but also for its cats...

sleeping...

sleeping in a Brunello winery

sleeping on a garden roof

looking for mum

too tight here

waiting for lunch in a Montalcin's restaurant

what time is it?

wines and cats

Florence and the snow

2010-12-21T15:32:00.001+01:00

Florence with the snow three days ago, almost 10 cm in a couple of hours!

so Saturday after a nice walk with zar in the vineyards and olive trees

I decided to go downtown from my house in the Chianti countryside

walking by Pitti Palace

watching strange cars on the road

crossing Ponte Vecchio (the old Bridge)

entering in a Pinocchio store nearby

looking at the Lion, the symbol of Florence and the statue in the Loggia in Piazza della Signoria

and finally arriving in piazza del Duomo after the sunset

to see the Brunelleschi's Dome, the Giotto's Tower and the Cathedral....

with the snow

The Black Rooster and the Chianti Classico Wine

2010-12-08T23:44:00.001+01:00

The Black Rooster is the symbol of the Chianti Classico, one of the most famous region of Tuscany, producing a very good wine called Chianti Classico.... down below the picture of the symbol

Ops....

I meant this other picture:

good night!

angela

the Black Rooster

Chianti Classico Wine

tuscany: olives harvest in chianti region, tuscany

2010-12-06T19:32:00.001+01:00

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

TUSCANY: TUSCAN EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

2010-11-30T22:49:00.007+01:00

TUSCANY : Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Tuscany

In Tuscany, November is the season of the olives harvest and it takes almost 2 months;

a net under the olive tree and the harvest begins!

Olive grove in a Chianti vineyard

of course in Tuscany the olives harvest is all by hand or by means of combs or a kind of whisk that shakes the olives and they fall down to the net.

Picking the olives in a sunny day in the Chianti region, Tuscany

at the olive oil mill there is a machine that takes off the leaves and a tape that carries the olives to the "shower" a washing machine that washes the olives with clean water

Olives waiting to be pressed

Olive Oil Mill in Tuscany

After the shower the olive mill grinds the olives and the stones altogether to obtain the olive pasta then a sort of kneading-through separates the liquids and the solid parts and a centrifugal machine completes the process to get the best extra virgin olive oil!

An old man proud of his gold treasure

Cheer!

click here

Olive Oil Tour