For our Tuscan tour we are concentrating on the wine producing area that lies to the South East of Tuscany from below Montepulciano towards the Umbrian ‘border’ and across towards Cortona. Two of the vineyards fall within the Vin Nobile catchment area but are from lesser known, high quality vineyards on the periphery of the area. We start this tour at the comparatively new Baldetti vineyard whose business philosophy is quality & passion.
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Produttore Baldetti,
We selected this vineyard because whilst sharing with the others the passion for quality and development, their position, Lake micro-climate and sandstone soil has allowed them to develop a white I.G.P. wine ‘Chagre’ , A spumante brut ‘Baldo’ and a D.O.C. Vin Santo as well as two red D.O.C. wines ‘Crano’ made 100% from Syrah grapes and ‘Marius’ made with Sangiovese & Merlot grapes. In fact the vineyard was one of the first to extol the virtues of the wine from the Cortona area producing a white wine ‘Bianca Vergine della Valdichiana’ in the 1970’s. After a guided tour of the winery we will taste three wines ‘Chargre’, ‘ Marius’ & ‘Crano’ accompanied by Bruscetta and the estate olive oil. |
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Ristorante Casa di Francesca
From Baldetti vineyard we go just a Kilometre down the road to eat at La Casa di Francesca, sampling wonderful antipasta and pasta dishes followed by roasted meats . In the afternoon we will visit two Vineyards on the edges of the Montepulciano region, both producing Vin Nobile.
Tenuta Tre Rose
This Estate stands out for its production of the Nobile di Montepulciano wine, called so not only for its fineness but because its production was originally in the hands of the Noble families of Montepulciano. In the last 4 years it has received the highest vote in the much sought after three glasses, and four times now has received the five bunches grade from the Italian Sommelier Association. It is a wine that has won international prizes and awards with the Simposio label ( pure Sangiovese obtained only from long standing vines) and with La Villa. which combines Sangiovese with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. In addition to the Vin Nobile wines Tre Rose produces other traditional local wines such as Vino Santo and new experiments have also been carried out such as the introduction of the Viognier grape variety, originally from then banks of the Rodano river.
Just a short distance away our second vineyard visit is to the atmospheric Palazzo Vecchio located in the Valiano area.
As in our other vineyards, the Fattoria di Palazzo Vecchio is characterised by the painstaking care the owners dedicate to the landscape.
Wine is produced using Prugnolo Gentile, Vanaiolo Nero, Mammolo and Sangiovese grapes. New vines have been laid out in a herringbone formation to maximise exposure to the sun’s rays. Here in addition to the traditional wine tasting there is the opportunity to take a short cookery course learning how to make Pici a hand rolled pasta. You make the pici which is cooked and served with a tomato & garlic sauce accompanied by the estate ‘vin sfuso’ (literally ‘loose wine’ i.e drawn direct from the stainless steel containers). What better way to end your tour drinking & eating the flavours of rural Tuscany as you watch the sun slowly setting over the Tuscan Hills.
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