So, for those of you who don't know yet, one of the classes I'm taking while studying in Siena is a class entitled "Wine in Italy and the Western World." I know what you're thinking - wow, that class sounds uninteresting and boring because who likes wine???
And I'm going to stop you right there because I love wine and this class is awesome. Not only do we learn about wine - the production of the grapes, how it's made, how to taste it - but we also learn about the cultural history and significance of drinking wine. It's a really unique way to study the history of the Tuscan region and all of Italy, and it's cultural significance in the western world cannot be denied, which means we have plenty to discuss in class.
So the past couple weeks, we have putting this vino knowledge to the test by going on a couple wine tasting tours. The first one was a trip to Brolio Castle, where rumor has it the Chianti Classico was first invented. We started our trip off with a tour of the castle, which has been renovated several times throughout the years, meaning it is mostly still intact. The family of the castle has been living there since the 1100s, and one of the men in the family was the second prime minister after the unification of Italy - Barone Bettino Ricasoli. Today, the castle is a summer home to the current baron, and the area is surrounded by beautiful vineyards on the idyllic Tuscan rolling hills.
most recently renovated part of the castle
rolling Tuscan hills and vineyards surrounding Brolio Castle
After our tour of the castle, we departed for the winery down below where we toured the cellar and got to take a look at all the barrels where the wine they make ages.
barrel room - so much wine! photo credit to my friend Andrea
We then had a wine tasting, where we tried three different types of wine - Torricella, a 2012 white wine with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes grown in Tuscany; Brolio, a 2012 red Chianti Classico DOCG (Chianti Classico DOCG meaning 80% of the wine has to be composed of Sangiovese grapes grown in the regulated Chianti area); and Casalferro, a 2010 Merlot with grapes grown in the reigion. My personal favorite was the Casalferro, which is a Supertuscan wine - meaning the wine did not originate in the Tuscan region, yet the grapes for the wine are grown and the particular wine is produced in Tuscany. It was a very smooth red wine that would have gone great with a fancy, red-meat dinner.
The next wine trip was one a friend organized for his 22nd birthday. He found a wine tour that took us through the Tuscan region, visiting some small towns and tasting wine at a vineyard/farm in the Chianti region.
My goodness, the tour did not disappoint (good job, Chris!). We visited Monteriggioni first, a small medieval walled town that honestly does not look much different than it probably did 800 years ago (it was built in the 1200s). Unfortunately, I did think to bring my camera on this trip, so I am lacking decent pictures. However, I can assure the view from Monteriggioni was beautiful - any trip in the Tuscan region would be lacking without an afternoon stroll around this town. My iPod photos don't do the views justice!
Montereggioni from atop the wall surrounding it
view of Montereggioni on our way to the next stop
Next we went to a small family-owned farm called Poggio Amorelli. We tasted four wines - a white one, a Chianti Classico, a Chianti Classico Riserva, and a Supertuscan. We also tasted several food products made on the farm - olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, and cheese. One of the balsamic vinaigrette had been aged for twenty years, so it's consistency resembled syrup more than regular vinaigrette - and it was my favorite thing we tasted! The olive oil was superb as well, but I couldn't get over the aged balsamic - such a unique flavor! At the end of our tasting, we all took shots of grappa - a liquor made solely from grape skins. It's very strong liquor, and it's been used throughout Italian history as a medicine of sorts. Some people even put it in their morning coffee!
Wine tasting is fun because not only do we get to taste a variety of wines, but we also get to apply things we learn in class - and if that doesn't help the information stick for the final exam, then I don't know what will.
my friend Andrea and I at Poggio Amorelli for our friend's birthday celebration
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