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UNCORKED WINE TRAVELS

Musings Along The Wine Trails

Vin Santo Reigns In Chianti’s Medieval Hamlet of Castello di Volpaia

November 16, 2018 by Deborah Mines

On a recent trip to Tuscany, I had the good fortune to revisit the medieval hamlet of Castello di Volpaia, rising five miles atop the Tuscan hills near Radda in Chianti  The fortified borgo (village) dates back to the 11th century and is most well-known for it famous resident clockmaker and namesake, Lorenzo della Volpaia, and of course, its Vin Santo.

Vin Santo translates to “Holy Wine”, and is a type of Italian dessert wine.  One theory on the origin of  the “Holy Wine” is referenced in the historic use in the Catholic mass, where sweet wine was preferred.  Another claim dates back to the Renaissance era when wine merchants peddled the sweet nectar on the streets of Rome.

Interestingly, Vin Santo can be made sweet or bone dry, depending on how the wine is finished. Typically, Malvasia or Trebbiano grapes are used to craft a white Vin Santo and in Chianti, the flagship Sangiovese grape is used to make the red or rose Vin Santo.

Grapes destined for the dessert wine production are harvested in September or October and are hung to dry in the warm rafters or laid on straw mats in attics for several months, allowing the moisture to evaporate and the sugars to concentrate.  Sometimes these wines are also called “straw wines”.

The longer the wines are dried, the higher the residual sugar content, and the sweeter the wine. It is not uncommon to let the grapes dry naturally and hang in the rafters until March before crushing and fermenting the grapes.

Vin Santo is aged and stored in small oak barrels, for a minimum of 3 years and often aged up to 10 years.  The color of Vin Santo can range from pale to dark amber, even neon orange.

Vin Santo’s flavor profile has nutty or raisin notes with honey and cream attributes.  In Italy, Vin Santo is traditionally served with biscotti for dunking.

 

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Tuscany Wine Trail Tagged With: Chianti, Malvaisa, Sangiovese, Siena ~ Tuscany, Trebbiano, Vin Santo, Wine Tasting

Addio Miei Cari Amici ~ Renee & Michele Buccelletti

February 26, 2015 by Deborah Mines

15968259376_364898d86eWith a heavy heart, I bid Renee and Michele Buccelletti a bittersweet farewell and much love, success and happiness in their new Italian adventure.

Next month the newlyweds embark for a new life in Castiglion Fiorentino to join the family agriturismo and viticulture business.

Michele will manage and assist in wine making with his mother, Lydia Castellucci at the family’s Agricola Buccelletti  winery.

And, Renee will spearhead the marketing of Casali in Val di Chio, an enclave of renovated stone vacation villas dating back to the early 1800’s.

castiglion-fiorentino Castiglion Fiorentino is a tiny walled hilltop hamlet which lies a few kilometers north of the sleepy medieval village of Cortona, which was featured in the romantic soul-seeking movie, Under The Tuscan Sun.  Only 12,000 residents make their home in Castiglion Fiorentino which dates back to the 13th century Etruscans.  Aaaah Bella Toscana!!! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tuscany Wine Trail Tagged With: Buccelletti, Castiglion Fiorentino, Cortona, Italian weddings, Siena ~ Tuscany, Tuscan Sun, vacation villas, Winery

Villa Dievole ~ Chianti’s Most Heavenly Retreat

May 4, 2013 by Deborah Mines

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…]

Filed Under: Tuscany Wine Trail Tagged With: Cabernet Sauvignon, Canaille, cellars, Chianti, Chianti Classico Riserva, Chianti wine trail, Merlot, olio d'olivo, olive oil, Peti Verdot, Sangiovese, Siena ~ Tuscany, SP222, Super Tuscan, Tuscan, wine resort, Wine Tasting, Wine Tour

Enoteca Consorzio Del Vino Nobile – Montepulciano

February 10, 2013 by Deborah Mines


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I highly recommend starting your day at the Enoteca Consorzio Del Vino Nobile in centro (historic center) Montepulciano.  The Consorzio is located on the lower level of the Palazzo del Capitano in the renown Piazza Grande, across from the duomo (church).

cropped-IMG_0818.jpg

There you can taste the wines from all 230 members of Montepulciano’s  Consorzio and with any luck, plan a same day cellar tour and private tasting at a local vintner.

cropped-IMG_0807.jpg

Appointments to tour the cellars must be made in advance as most wineries in Tuscany do not accept “drop-ins” and some wineries are closed to visitors.

It is standard practice to tour the cellars and grounds before wine tasting, (oftentimes the winemaker will actually lead the tour).

Tours are routinely conducted in English, Italian or French, followed by a semi-private wine tasting in a small reception room.  Tour prices vary according to the number and types of wines sampled.

Of course, Montepulciano is best known for its Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, but the Rosso di Montepulciano and the Vin Santo are also widely cultivated and promoted and can be sampled at many of the local wineries and enotecas. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tuscany Wine Trail Tagged With: Enoteca Consorzio Del Vino Nobile, Montepulciano, Palazzo del Capitano, Piazza Grande, Sangiovese, Siena ~ Tuscany, Super Tuscan, Wine Tasting

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