Upon entering Italy, one learns that all Italian wines are not equal. One is a step above the rest, known to all as Chianti Classico, made in the Chianti region. This Saturday, Sarah and I had the opportunity to visit Castello di Verrazanno in Chianti. Yes, this castle is the original castle, owned by the same family of the Verrazanno Bridge in NYC. When the Verrazanno Bridge was built, three stones from the castle were incorporated into its structure. The Verrazannos created one of the oldest wineries in Chianti. The tradition is that during the times when water was no longer safe for Florentines to drink (as it spread the plague), the rich began to move to the outskirts of the city. Wine, a beverage created by a natural process that incorporated alcoholicity, killing the diseases, was imbibed by all. Parents would give their children wine to spare them from disease. Wine became in integral part of Italian culture, a beverage to be enjoyed with food and to spur conversation.
The trip to Chianti was a taste of knowledge for those as ignorant as I about the creation (and love) of wine. Our guide, a man who thoroughly appreciated and knew wine, took us through the vineyards and the cellars, not only explaining the process, but also the culture. We concluded our tour with a amazing meal. We were served Verrazzano Rosso with Verrazzano olio extra-vergine di oliva (6 days off the press) and freshly baked bread. Later, with our garlic bread and tomato basil pasta, we were poured Chianti Classico, a garnet colored, slightly sweet wine. The Tuscan specialty, wild boar, was served with Chianti Classico Riserva, a wine that has a longer sojourn in the wooden barrel, allowing the sugars and the wood to even out and have a more balanced taste. As an after dinner treat, we were allowed a taste of Verrazzano's most cherished and expensive wine, Sassello Supertuscan. It was a full-bodied, heavy wine with wonderful flavor. For dessert, we enjoyed the traditional Vin Santo with Cantucci (biscotti). Vin Santo is a very sweet and extremely strong dessert wine, very different from the sweet Moscato vino that I love.
Looking out over the Italian countryside, dotted with olive groves and accentuated by castles, it was easy to transcend into Thanksgiving. What a beautiful world we live in.
The trip to Chianti was a taste of knowledge for those as ignorant as I about the creation (and love) of wine. Our guide, a man who thoroughly appreciated and knew wine, took us through the vineyards and the cellars, not only explaining the process, but also the culture. We concluded our tour with a amazing meal. We were served Verrazzano Rosso with Verrazzano olio extra-vergine di oliva (6 days off the press) and freshly baked bread. Later, with our garlic bread and tomato basil pasta, we were poured Chianti Classico, a garnet colored, slightly sweet wine. The Tuscan specialty, wild boar, was served with Chianti Classico Riserva, a wine that has a longer sojourn in the wooden barrel, allowing the sugars and the wood to even out and have a more balanced taste. As an after dinner treat, we were allowed a taste of Verrazzano's most cherished and expensive wine, Sassello Supertuscan. It was a full-bodied, heavy wine with wonderful flavor. For dessert, we enjoyed the traditional Vin Santo with Cantucci (biscotti). Vin Santo is a very sweet and extremely strong dessert wine, very different from the sweet Moscato vino that I love.
Looking out over the Italian countryside, dotted with olive groves and accentuated by castles, it was easy to transcend into Thanksgiving. What a beautiful world we live in.
Comments
aura