The Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta on the road from Pienza to San Quirico d'Orcia

In 2001 I came to live in Italy. I had some fun, wrote a journal and this is the blog of my story...

"Tuscany is a state of grace. The countryside is so lovingly designed that the eye sweeps the mountains and valleys without stumbling over a single stone. The lilt of the rolling green hills, the upsurging cypresses, the terraces sculptured by generations that have handled the rocks with skillful tenderness, the fields geometrically juxtaposed as though drawn by a draughtsman for beauty as well as productivity; the battlements of castles on the hills, their tall towers standing grey-blue and golden tan among the forest of trees, the air of such clarity that every sod of earth stands out in such dazzling detail. The fields ripening with barley and oats, beans and beets. The grape-heavy vines espaliered between the horizontal branches of silver-green olive trees, composing orchards of webbed design, rich in intimation of wine, olive oil and lacy-leaf poetry. Tuscany untied the knots in a man's intestines, wiped out the ills of the world. Italy is the garden of Europe, Tuscany is the garden of Italy, Florence is the flower of Tuscany." Irving Stone from my favourite book " The Agony and the Ecstacy" A fictional biography of Michelangelo



135. Villa Le Corti

The long awaited 'Villa Le Corti' wine festival has arrived!



Saturday

I drive up to San Casciano with Annette to this lovely countryside villa, park up in the olive groves! Get my glass and head for the tasting booth...

We taste some of the best wines Tusany has to offer and even bump into the host of the event, Prince Duccio Corsini himself and have a chat by the pool! Some of my favourite wines are:

Petrolo's 100% merlot, 'Galatrona'

Bibi Graetz's Testamatta

Frescobaldi's 'Luce

Some great cru Brunello's; Manachiara feom Silvio Nardi, Poggio Banale from La Poderina, Poggio al Vento from Col d'Orcia and Vigna del Fiore from Barbi.

We even buy a bottle of dessert wine, Pourriture Nobile... wonderful!

The weather isn't as sunny as last year, but the wine more than makes up for it!



Sunday

I return with work colleague and friend, Peter and his wife Alessandra to check out some wines I missed yesterday... the weather is slightly better and I get to see wine legend, Piero Antinori, who is hosting a lecture and vertical tasting of his mythical 'Tignanello' wine, sounds interesting...

I taste about 40 different wines.Some of my favourites include;

Il Carbonaione from Poggio Scalette

Tenuta di Valgiano

Avvoltore from Moriss farms

Antica Chiusina from Del Cerro






See you next year...




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