April 7, 2019
A trip to Italy without wine tasting is like a trip to Japan without eating sushi. While staying in the Florentine hills, we had to visit one of the many vineyards surrounding us at every angle. We chose Castello Vicchiomaggio — a premium wine and olive oil producing estate. The castle itself was breathtaking when the sunlight broke through the clouds. On the tour, we learned about the different types of grapes grown and monitored on the vineyard and what makes a wine a “Chianti Classico”. A Chianti Classico is a blend of 80% Sangiovese and 20% of another type of wine. These wines must have the black rooster seal to prove authenticity and there is a special committee that oversees the authentication and validation of each wine that leaves an estate.
After visiting the maturation cellars and production rooms, we made our way to the best part of the day: the wine tasting. The Chianti Classico wines tasted even better with fresh olive oil from the estate.
The charming little town of Grève-en-Chianti absolutely stole my heart. The small town squares, local gelaterias, and salumerias with bottles of Chianti from the region on tap completed the entire Italian countryside and vineyard experience. I can’t wait to go back and tour more of the vineyards in the future. Florence, I’ll be seeing you soon again!!
