50. Greve Wine Festival

So nearly a year after my first wine festival in the centre of Florence, we discover that Greve has its very own wine festival and it's held every September. So I must have just missed it last year as we didn't arrive until November. It is actually only the 12th edition, so it must have only started in 1990.

It's a weekend festival starting on the Friday evening and going on to the Sunday. There are lots of different activities planned and we come down to the square on the Friday evening, where they have set up two huge booths, with the bottles all numbered. We pick up 2 glasses, a ticket which allows us to have 8 tastes and a small booklet where all the wines are listed. I have no idea what I'm looking for! But with about 120 wines on show we're only going to get an idea of what's on offer.

To be honest they are all pretty impressive. I'm tending to go for the 'Riserva' wines as they are usually made from the estates best grapes, aged for 1 year to 18 months in huge Slavonic Oak barrels and then aged for an extra year in the bottle. The Riservas are a little fuller bodied than the basic Chianti Classicos, with some more interesting scents of violets and toasted vanilla. There are wines called 'Super Tuscans' here too, sometimes made with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes instead of the usual 'Sangiovese' which is the local grape variety in Tuscany. I'm still getting my head around all this new information...

My top 7 wines at the festival are:

1. Chianti Classico Riserva 1998 - San Andrea
2. Chianti Classico Riserva 1998 - Carpineto
3. Chianti Classico Cetinale Riserva 1999 - Tracolle
4. Chianti Classico Riserva 1998 - Buonasera
5. Chianti Classico Riserva 1998 - Castello di Meleto
6. Chianti Classico Doccio a Matteo Riserva 1999 Carpasa
7. Farnito Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 - Carpineto

(For my tasting notes on these wines see my wine blog    )

We have a few tastes left on our ticket and return on the Sunday only to find that they've almost run out! Thank goodness we came on Friday! However if this happens every year then it's a date that I will have to put in my diary!

(Original journal entry 13/9/02)

34. Gaiole-in-Chianti and 'the road of the castles'

Gaiole is one of the main towns of the Chianti region and one that we haven't visited yet.

Today we change that as we have a work-free late morning and early afternoon. It's a lovely sunny morning and the hour's drive not too much of an effort, especially considering the scenery!

Gaiole is one of Chianti's smaller towns and while it is nicely situated on two small rivers, there isn't really much to it, but on the way in we spot a very fashionable looking restaurant with some cool looking al-fresco seating.

As it's lunchtime we install ourselves on a table and enjoy a relaxing lunch, that is, until it's interrupted by a huge Alsation, which bounds over the fence and after sniffing around a small poodle, decides to start mauling it! Fortunately the owner follows him over the fence and manages to stop the potential blood bath!

We hastily move on to one of  Gaiole's main attractions and that is  'La Via Dei Castelli' or 'the road of the Castles'. There are many Castles in the area, but on one particular short stretch of road, thre are three together.

The most impressive of these and dating from the 13th century is the Castello di Meleto, with its two cyclindrical towers, definitely one of the most Castle-like looking structures. 

We bump into one of Annette's American classmates, whose studying Italian with her at the moment. She's doing some summer work at the castle.

We drive a bit further on and find Spaltenna, which is more of a curch than a castle. Built on an Etruscan site in 1115.

It's a pretty, but simple structure and next door is a granary, cellar and barns.

Our final destination for the day is Vertine. Here there is a small hamlet which dates to 1013, so the oldest of the three and once belonging to the Ricasoli family, apparently famous in these parts.

We enjoy a pleasant stroll here, soaking up the history and charm of these ancient buildings, certainly there's still much to learn about our new surroundings...










(Original journal entry 21/5/02)

9. Radda-in-Chianti and a 2,500 year old Etruscan tomb - 15th Dec.

 

Winter has arrived in Tuscany, in the form of snow! Our hill has received only a very light dusting, but as you can see it has changed the landscape and at least the normally crazy drivers have slowed down a touch!

(the view from our lounge window at Olmastrino!)

Fortunately it only lasts a couple of days and as today is Saturday, we venture out for some more exploring. The other day we spotted a sign for an Etruscan tomb, sounds intriguing...

The Etruscans were the indigenous people who lived in Tuscany from 800 B.C. to 500 B.C. A smattering of tombs and artefacts in

terracotta and bronze have been discovered and preserved in various museums across Italy. We head back out towards Castellina, to investigate.  The site is at Montecalvario high up on a hill overlooking miles of beautiful countryside and basically consists of a very large mound with four separate entrances leading to various sized burial chambers. The site was discovered in the 16th century and the treasures have long been looted, but it has been dated to the 6th or 7th century B.C. The final resting place of Castellina's rich and famous! It's stange to think we're standing amongst blocks of stone that were fashioned over 2,500 years ago! The view is spectacular, shame the dead can't enjoy it!

 A short drive to another of Chianti's main towns and one time head of the league of Chianti, Radda. Again very pretty, with superb views, but today, completely deserted! We have a quick stroll, but it's too cold and dead to enjoy, so head on to check out the Villa Miranda. Hot chocolate and local Pecorino (sheep's cheese) sandwiches in Lucarelli and then home to a warm open log fire!

8. Castellina-in-Chianti

Today we have a couple from New Orleans with us and as it's a beautiful sunny day, we have decided to take them with us to see Castellina-in Chianti. It's the first time here for us too, (we've only driven through it before) so it should be interesting...

Castellina is one of the three towns at the heart of Chianti. The other two being Radda and Gaiole. It has its origins in the 6th century B.C. in the Etruscan town of Salivolpe and was rebuilt by the Romans for military purposes. Today it has a population of less than 3,000. The surrounding countryside is spectacular with vineyards, olive groves and woods. We stop off at the famous 'Gelateria', Antica delizia, but unfortunately it's closed. Well it is December after all!

We take a wander through the very pretty medeival streets and check out the 'Rocca', a 14th century castle at the top, which houses an Etruscan museum.  There is an interesting restaurant, but it's closed too! It seems that we are out of the tourist season, so many places have shut up shop! There is a vaulted passageway, which is more like a tunnel, but very atmospheric. It's like you've gone back in time a thousand years...

We are after somewhere for lunch and spot an interesting place just outside the town, it's called Pietra Fitta.

They only have a few tables, but just enough to fit 4 hungry mouths! As we start to order, we realize that most things have either finished, or are off the menu. However, the pasta with truffles is on! So we get our first taste of the noble fungus, washed down of course with that quaffable Chianti Classico house wine.

We have to get the couple back to Florence, but this has been a nice introduction to Castellina, one of our neighbouring villages, where I'm sure we will be back to dig a bit deeper...


(Original journal entry 7/12/01)