Montecarlo Wine

Bacco is crowing the Montecarlo tourist season with a series of events from 28 August to 8 September, weekends 6 pm to midnight, weekdays 7.30 pm to midnight.
This year the  garden of the Instituto Pellegrini Carmignani in Via Roma, which recently underwent a conservative restoration, is the site of the “Salotto del Vino e del Verde” in collaboration with Moreno Vannucci International Association of Green Producers.
Tastings under the Stars wine with cheese and salumi, daily in Piazza Garibaldi, 8.00 pm to 11.30 pm.
Salotto del Vino e del Verde at the Istituto Pellegrini Carmignani, information and reservations 329.3703751
Essenza del Gusto, wine food encounters hosted by FISAR sommeliers. Information and bookings 348.7557216
Sept. 3-5 ex Chiesa della Misericordia, via Cerruglio, 9.30 pm.

Each evening in Piazza Carrara 9.30 pm:
3 Sept. duet by “Gli Opera”, songs from the 70′s to the present.
4 Sept. Gruppo Storico Montecarlese, parade with drummers and costumes throughout the Centro Storico.
5 Sept. Saltimbanchi, students from “I. Calvino” middle school, winners of the national Rassegna del teatro della Scuola.
7 Sept. Doowoop present songs from the 60′s to the present.
8 Sept. Candlelight procession to the Santuario della Madonna del Soccorso, with Montecarlo Philarmonic Band.

Tuscany wine

In vino veritas
Convinced that there is no more sane and simple way to live than the Montecarlo way, you may now be ready to join us on a country tour.
Landscapes that have not been overly re-modelled (sometimes ruined in the process) offer scope for the immagination, for self-expression and creativity. just look around and see what appeals to your taste: Montecarlo DOC reds or whites (especially Trebbiano, Malvasia, Sauvignon, Chardonnay, San Giovese, Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, Merlot, Pinot, Cabernet, Sirah and Roussanne) and excellent golden olive oil (with an acidity level below 0.4% and an almondy after-taste), for example.

Many Montecarlo events are centered on wine. In mid-May Via Vinaria offers tastings of DOC and IGT wines with a Wine Bus for carefree visits to the Fattorie; Montecarlo in Festa honours the Madonna del Soccorso on 8 september but for 10 days glories in the grape, local gastronomy and cultural and musical entertainment; the Festival of New Wine and Oil takes place on the second wekend in November. Then of course there is the summer Jazz and Wine Festival.

With its surroundin vineyards and olive groves, Montecarlo has existed at least since 1000 AD. Its people moved from a nearby site called Vvinaia (property of the Duchi della Tuscia) after suffering a disastrous attack by the Florentines: soon thereafter in 1333 Carlo IV of boemia founded his “Montecarlo” by building the Fortress. Little has chenged, at least architecturally and agriculturally, since that time. Montecarlo wines were appreciated even in the 16th century, by Pope Paul Farnese III and Gregory XII and many others. In 1999 the wine route became “officially” identified; see www.stradadelvinoeoliolucca.it for more information and enjoy Montecarlo wines in Lucca at Enoteca Calasto (piazza S. Giovanni) and many other fine establishments.

Lucca Wine

Lucca and its territory do not only have extra virgin olive oil, they also boast a very respected wine production, which is becoming ever more noteworthy.
The wines of the hills of Lucca and of Montecarlo possess a tradition which, based on precise historical documents, dates back to mediaeval and Roman times. It seems than even before the Romans, the hills of Lucca were cultiveted by the Etruscans and then the Ligurians who were well versed in the art of viticulture. These wines were well appreciated in the past by popes, in particular Gregory XII and Paolo II Farnese, who, respectively in the 15th and 16th centuries, made ample use of them. In the development of viticulture, one shiuld remeber the influence exercised by religious orders in wine making.

Among the wines of Lucca, those that stand out are those with the domination “Montecarlo“, which is reserved for wines coming from vineyards located in the municipalities of Montecarlo, Altopascio and also Capannori and Porcari. The Montecarlo white obtained its DOC denomination in 1969, the red in 1986. The DOC Montecarlo white is excellent as an aperitif and goes together very well with starters, soups and all types of fish dishes.
The Montecarlo red, which with two years of ageing is allowed to be called “reserve”, combines naturally with meat dishes, stews, pultry, mushrooms and roast white meats. The domination of Montecarlo also refers to types of vinsanto.

The secon denomination of origin of the province of Lucca is called ” Colline Lucchesi” (Hills of Lucca), and contrary to how it happened for Montecarlo, in this case it was the red wines which were first denominated DOC in 1968, while the white wines gained the same distinction in 1985.
The “Colline Lucchesi” and “Montecarlo” wines are among the main grape harvests of the selected wies, and their appreciation has recently been confirmed by numerous awards both in Italy and abroad.

Web-site: www.stradavinoeoliolucca.it

Montecarlo

Montecarlo  wines
One of the oldest wines in Tuscany comes from the Lucchesia: Montecarlo. Almost certainly wines were already being grown in this area in Etruscan and Roman times: according to the experts, the ancient name of Montecarlo, Vivinaja, comes from “via vinaria”, the road that joined the via Cassia to the via Romea and passed through the village.
Subsequently, a document of 846 talks about the income from perpetual leases in kind, which also included “pure wine, grapes pressed three times according to the rules, and then decanted. In the 14th and 15th centuries, Montecarlo wine was very well known throughout Tuscany, and the people who got  tipsy on it included the doge, Giovanni dell’Agnello, who governed Pisa and Lucca from 1364 to 1368.

The Prato merchant, Francesco Datini ( who invented the bill of exchange), wrote to his Lucchese correspondent: ” If you could have a perfect and good white wine {…} and you knew that Monte Chiaro is the one from Lucha, you would only want that”.
When Pope Gregory XII went to Montecarlo in 1408 he, too, was able to taste and enjoy the wine “of the land of the Cerrugli”; even those eternal rivals, the Lucchese noblemen, Paolo Guinigi and Pietro Cenami, were in perfect agreement about one thing at least Montecarlo wine.
Its consumption in the Florentine area grew when, in 1437, the domination of Florence began to spread to this land. In 1567 for example, the rural community offered “Trebbiano” to Duke Cosimo I of the Medici, and it was consumed also by his son, Francesco I.
In 1930 it was on the table of Umberto I of savoy in the Quirinale Palace.

In 1969, Montecarlo white obtained the official Denomination  “Origine Controllata” recognition, and in 1985 the red wine also awarded the D.O.C. recognition.
At the end of 19th century an enthusiastic Lucchese winemaker, Giulio Magnani, brought some wines from France to improve the Tuscan Trebbiano: these innovations led to a new Montecarlo made in “french style”; other producers followed hhis lead and also used this type of grape and method of making the wine. The area of production includes the municipality of Montecarlo and part of the municipalities of Porcari, Altopascio and Capannori.

Montefioralle - Tuscany

Montefioralle is situated in the middle of Florence province, at the beginning of the Chianti area.
It is one of most ancient village of Chianti, today is still closed by original walls.
The distance of Montefioralle from Florence is about 28 km and 37 km from Siena.

About Montefioralle you can find informations on:

www.abctuscany.com
www.aziendamontefioralle.com
www.montefioralle.info

Siena - Piazza Del Campo

Welcome to Siena!
A week devoted to discovering the beauties of Tuscany, from Siena to the vineyards and castles of Chianti; from San Gimignano, the town of one hundred towers, to Colle Val d’Elsa, the town of  crystal; from the Val D’Orcia to Montalcino, to discover unique flavours; from Pienza to Montepulciano.
All topped off with a day of relaxation in a spa and mini sommelier course (with a certificate!) at the Enoteca Italiana.

More informations on: www.terresiena.it

Tasting wine

Arezzo Wine 2010, show and market.
Tasting food stalls, forums, Vini d’Epoca sale and swap of vintage wines.
Entrance euro 10,00 with free Artezzo Wine Glass.

From 27 february till 1 march.
Place: Centro Affari e Congressi città di Arezzo (10.000 mq)
Official web site: www.arezzowine.it

It’s not usual for me to write about an event that has been and gone, but there’s always an exception to the rule. And of course, the fine wines i shall be describing can be enjoyed at any time.
During the last weekend in May, the beautiful palazzo Real Collegio behind San Frediano Church in Lucca hosted a special event.
The Anteprima Vini della Costa Toscana has been a low key, annual event in Lucca for the past nine years. But this year was different. For the first time the event was open to the public.
The Anteprima is a presentation of wines from the Tuscan Coast. Provinces along the Mediterranean Coast. That principate include Massa Carrara, Lucca, Pisa, Livorno/Bolgheri and Grosseto. Like the french tradition of en primeur, the event allows consumer sto taste wines before they are released into the market. This tradition has esiste in Bordeaux for centuries and is occasionally used in other French and Italian areas. Currently there is a big push to develop the en primeur market in Italy.
Over the years in Italy the Anteprima has been only for a privileged few, but as part of campaign to promote Tuscan coastal wines this year, the event was opened to the public on Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday. There was a small entrance fee wich included the ubiquitous wineglass in pouch around neck for tasting, and then it was open season on a range of wonderful wines.
One display and available for tasting were more than 70 red wines from the Tuscan coastal region (unfortunately white wine lovers would have to sit this on out).
Wine producers included the likes of Fattoria Buonamico, Tenuta Maria Teresa, and Fattoria di Fubbiano from Lucca province and Campo alla Sughera, Grattamacco, and Tenuta San Guido from around Bolgheri, just to name a few.
Rich in the traditional sangiovese grape grown throughout the coastal area, there were also some wines blended with merlot, cabernet and syrah grown locally.
Along with the finale of crowing the Best Sommelier in Tuscany for 2009 Andrea Balleri, from grotta Giusti in Monsummano Terme, the weekend hosted wine seminars, wine tastings, and also included a display of wine paraphernalia and “wine design”, glasses, cork sculptures, carafes and corkscrews object dedicated to the world of wine.
There were so many wines and so little time, as they say.
The promoters, the Associazione Grandi Cru della Costa Toscana (www.grandicru.it) are looking to make this an annual event in Lucca.
By all appearances the inaugural Anteprima looked to be a successful weekend. This wine tasting is certainly worth marking in the calendar for next year.
Newsflash: last month at the Syrah du Monde ( the International competion of best Syrah in the world) local Lucca Winery Tenuta Lenzini was awarded the best Syrah in Italy for its 2007 vintage.

A wine tour is a discovering experience that starts from the vineyard and ends into a glass.

Tuscany is rich in high quality wine areas, each one with its own story, more or less famous, but always enchanting. 
You do not have but to slow down and begin your journey along Wine and Beauty.

The wineries we propose for our wine tours have been chosen according to the quality of their wines and to the friendly and welcoming nature of their owners and managers, mirroring the absolute passion for their work.

This selection is still in progress because our work is to research always the best! This is what we love more, discovering and falling in love with our land again everyday, hoping to transmit this passion to you.

Our wine tours usually start in the morning from the place you require, according to the distance from the wine area you want to visit. You must know that most wineries are on hilltop and country roads to reach them are not always so smooth, so it takes some time to go from a geographic area to another one and we need to plan carefully a tour as to let you enjoy it.

Visits to wineries usually start with a panoramic view of the vineyards, passing by the vat room, where the process of de-stemming the grapes and vinification is passionately explained by an expert wine guide.

Then, you visit the cellars, where wine ages in the oak barrels, and, some times, the bottling rooms, where the bottled wine reaches full refinement.Each visit ends with a wine tasting, often coupled with oil tasting (because many farms produces both wine and oil) and then, if you want, you can buy some bottle of wine and oil.

According to the schedule of a tour, you can have also lunch in a winery, a good chance to understand how coupling wine and food! Anyway, each tour is carefully planned for you and according to your requests and needs and we will always be happy to realize your ideas!

Article offered from Tuscany Relais.it a new charming way to promote Tuscany

Ok, going on talking about Tuscany and Wine…

As you know I’m from this region so what can I do for you today? Easy, try to help you discovering any kind of information about Tuscany wine that I consider helpful for your trip, holiday or visit you will have here in Tuscany. So, dear Friends, feel free to be in touch with me asking all that you need to know about this beautiful region… No one knows Tuscany like me!

Tuscany is one of the most romantic and culturally vibrant wine regions in the world. After all, it was in Florence that the Renaissance was born and the place is still a haven for all sorts of artisans, from the sculpturer to the winemaker. Tuscany is packed with endless villages and hill towns that seem untouched by time. The country roads, by now mostly paved, are twisting and more suited to horses and scooters than to smart cars. No road even resembles a straight line. Signs are many, so a good advice is to go very slowly and pay attention to signs that may indicate anything from towns to museums and wineries. Indispensable even for an Italian is a good detailed road map.

Wine estates vary immensely in size, from tiny family run farms to colossal wineries owned by coops. Whether large or small, a Tuscan winery is almost always a challenge to find. Sometimes there are no signs or street addresses on the properties themselves. You simply have to zigzag around a “comune” (township) and with a little luck (or by asking for directions, which is not a guarantee either) you will bump into the winery which is much likely to be found hidden at the end of a gravel road.

Useful info:

- English is often spoken, but you shouldn’t expect it. If English is not spoken, you’ll normally get by with a little basic Italian or by signing – Italians are generally extremely helpful towards foreigners – and most wineries will have a brochure written in English.

- Some wineries have small shops where you can just pop in and buy the estate’s wine, as well as extra virgin olive oil. These are usually signed with the words: “Vendita Diretta”.

- Wine tastings are either free (but then you are expected to buy) or offered at a fee which can vary from winery to winery. Some do organized tastings and tours, but you should inform yourself before going as you normally will have to book.

- Bigger wineries that have a shop/reception room are open to the public and you can walk in at any time during the day. Most places close during lunch, so from 1 – 3 pm, so relax and go and have lunch.

- And a lot of wineries require that you phone to make an appointment or let them know that you are coming.

- To know where to go and which wineries you can visit – and when, it might be useful to pay a visit to the Consorzio of the area first to get maps, directions and guidance on wineries to visit (see the Links page).

- Very few wineries do not accept visitors, but bear in mind that it is possible and not because the winery is hostile to foreigners!

- If you don’t have a lot of time to visit the wine country, a good idea might be to work out a tour with a specialized company that will take care of the necessary appointments in the wineries.

If you are going to Tuscany, but you are not going into the wine regions for some reason, a good idea might be to visit one of the many Enoteca’s (wine bars/shops) in the bigger towns. Many have wines by the glass to try and a wine expert (sommelier) available to explain the wines. Often you can have crostini (toasted bread with toppings), local Pecorino cheeses and selected cured meats to accompany a wine. The most famous Enoteca in Italy is placed in the Medici Fortress in Siena, Enoteca Italiana, and is definitely worth a visit.

Last but not least, a word on “drinking and driving” in Italy. Remember that it is no different from home – no more than 1 unit before you drive, even though controls are scarce. But the roads are windy and the pace of traffic very different in Italy. So make sure to “taste and spit” or choose a designated driver for the day.