UNCORKED WINE TRAVELS

Musings Along The Wine Trails

Montalcino Is Most Famous For Brunello

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Breathtaking vistas surround Montalcino
Breathtaking vistas surround Montalcino as Cipressi (Cypress trees) dot the hills.

One of the highlights of my Tuscany travels was visiting the medieval borgo of Montalcino.  Steeped in history that dates back to the Etruscan times, this hilltop village holds a lot of charm and is best known nowadays for the Brunello di Montalcino wine.

Montalcino is perched atop a hill that dates back to the Etruscan times.
Montalcino is perched atop a hill that dates back to the Etruscan times.

Only 5,300 people live in Montalcino, which sprawls from the centro district along the valley floor below Monte Amiata, a dormant volcano (last eruption was over 300,000 years ago).  Montalcino is a very picturesque area with vineyards lining the country roads and Abbadia di S’Antimo gracing the southern wine trail.

Gregorian monks chant daily at Abbadia di S'Antimo.
Gregorian monks chant daily at Abbadia di S’Antimo.

In centro Montalcino, enotecas (wine stores) are plentiful, all pouring the heavenly juice of Bacchus ~ aka Brunello di Montalcino.  So little time, and so many Brunellos! [Read more…]

Wine Spectator Awards Casaloste 92 Points

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Casaloste is nestled in the bucolic hills near Panzano
Casaloste is nestled in the bucolic hills near Panzano

I was on a mission to find Casaloste in Panzano in the hills of Chianti, about an hour south of Florence.  The wine farm sign pointed down another infamous narrow “white road”, meaning unpaved–adventure ahead!  This time, there were no forests to weave through, just field after field of vineyards!

On the white road to Casaloste...
On the white road to Casaloste…

In the early Spring, the grape vines are pruned and placed in stacks beside the dirt roads.  The cuttings are then set ablaze along with the olive tree branches.   That day, the air was crisp with the sweet smell of burning wood drifting through the air.  Rain was forecasted in the late afternoon, so I wanted to reach Casaloste before the rains would flood the low spots on the rutted road.  After a few missed turns, I found Casaloste!

Bienventu a Casaloste!
Bienventu a Casaloste!

[Read more…]

La Ciarliana ~ A Sparkling Gem In Montepulciano

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In the rolling Tuscan countryside, only a few miles down La Strada di Vino Nobile,  you will find one of  Montepulciano’s crown jewels, La Ciarliana winery.

The glorious San Biago stands at the base of Montepulciano
The glorious Chiesa di San Biagio stands at the base of Montepulciano
La Ciarlian's logo features the bellower of La Chiesa di San Michele c. 1615
La Ciarliana’s logo features the bell tower of La Chiesa di San Michele

La Ciarliana is a small, family run boutique winery, gently positioned on approximately 22 acres, that produces some very, very notable Vino Nobile wines.  

The founder of La Ciarliana was Santo Pellegrino Frangiosa, who was born and raised on the podere (farm), just a stone’s throw from centro Montepulciano.   Santo Pellegrino was one of the first wine pioneers in the valley to plant the famed Prugnolo gentile, otherwise known as Sangiovese, in the early 1960’s.  Thirty-five years later, grandson Luigi Frangiosa inherited the family wine estate.  Under Luigi’s careful guise, intensive soil studies were done and the vineyards were replanted with Sangiovese clones, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and other local red varietals.  

Winemaker and Owner of La Ciarlian ~ Luigi Frangiosa
Winemaker and Owner of La Ciarliana ~ Luigi Frangiosa

I had the pleasure of meeting Luigi and his lovely sister Gessica for a private wine tasting and cellar tour in March.  Luigi was delightful –he was easy going, kind and humble, speaking slowly in Italian, with a twinkle in his eyes.

The tour was very unique in that it was conducted mostly in Italian by Luigi himself, with translation by Gessica. At one point in the tour, we were at a loss for words for a specific wine making method, so Luigi pulled out his Italian-English Wine Dictionary!  It was a most memorable afternoon filled with laughs and good stories. 

What could be better than drinking wine and playing Italian charades? [Read more…]

Villa Dievole ~ Chianti’s Most Heavenly Retreat

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l'aria...in questo luogo e magica
l’aria…in questo luogo e magica

It was love at first sight! I had found the perfect sanctuary– Villa Dievole, a wine resort!  Could there be anything more sublime?

From the minute you approach the resort, you feel that you are in a most special place in the world.   And you are…

Show me the way... to Vaglagli per favore
All signs point to Vagliagli

Villa Dievole was nestled among rolling fields of vineyards as far as the eye could see, and bordered by the Tuscan wooded hills off of one of the “white roads” near Chianti’s main wine road,  the SR222.

The long road to Vagliagli was a solitary drive, meandering six kilometers  through the woods on a secondary unpaved road.  

The "white road" to Vagliagli
The “white road” to Vagliagli

My eyes were peeled for wild boar and deer, but the only “wildlife” I encountered were a few cars madly passing me on the narrow road leaving me in a cloud of dust. [Read more…]

Tracing Perugino’s Life In Umbria

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Lake Trasimeno, the 4th largest lake in Italy
Lake Trasimeno, the 4th largest lake in Italy

Following Perugino’s footsteps was not easy and often led to circles around Lake Trasimeno. Pietro Vanucci, known by all as Perugino, was a famous Renaissance painter who lived in the wooded villages near  Lake Trasimeno  in the 15th century.

Adoration of the Magi by Perugino c. 1505
An Adoration of the Magi          by Perugino c. 1505

Born in Citta della Pieve in Umbria around 1446, the little town lays claim to one of Perugino’s grandest works in the Chapel of Disciplanati of Città della Pieve – “An Adoration of the Magi”.  This masterpiece was said to have been created around 1505 and is attributed in great part to the work by Vannucci’s pupils. His most famous pupil was the famed Raphael, who would later surpass Perugino in greatness during the High Renaissance period.

Perugino also founded the Umbrian School of Art in Perugia, (the main city of Umbria and hence, his nickname).

Perugino was best remembered for his serene and docile faces of the saints and angels poised in bucolic landscapes–a perfection of light and color. [Read more…]