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New Article Category: Italian Wines

I’ve started a new category for my blog articles. It’s about wine and it’s about time, right?!

Yep, it’s the category that captures all of the blog articles that I’ve created over the years that are concerned with Italian wines. I count 8 articles in that category.

If you click on the heading to the top right of this article titled ‘Index of Articles’, you will be taken to the ‘Index of Articles’ page…strange how that works, huh? If you scroll down a bit in the right-hand column of said index, you will find the new ‘Italian Wines’ category near the top…right where it ought to be.

To simplify things for today, I’ve summarized those 8 articles just below.

So, grab a bottle of your favorite Italian wine, open it, pour yourself a glass (if you need permission, you’ve got a standing approval from me), and read on. I list the articles beginning with the oldest, along with just a hint of what you find in the complete article.

Castello Brolio

08/25/2015

This article titled, “Beautiful Places Castello Brolio”, was written because of the importance of Castello Brolio to Tuscan wines. You’ve most likely enjoyed Chianti and Chianti Classico wines in the past…right? Well, they started right here at Castello Brolio. It was the castle’s owner, Baron Ricosoli, who created the formula for Chianti. After more than thirty years of research and experiments, he divulged his formula for Chianti in a letter in 1872.

As a reminder, the word “Classico” in Chianti Classico is not necessarily a designation of the quality of a wine, but is related to its geographic origin. It is a designation for wines grown in a certain place within the official Chianti region…it’s like the hole (Chianti Classico) in a donut (the overall Chianti region)…kind of. On the other hand, if you find the words “Riserva” after the words Chianti or Chianti Classico, you can assume that the extra aging has improved the taste of the wine.

Banfi Wines

05/24/2016

Castello Banfi sits proud south of Montalcio

Most of you know of my love for all things Banfi…be it the food, the castello, the borgo, the people, or the wine…they are all magnificent! In the article titled, “Stay Here, Eat Here, Drink Here: Banfi” you will get the full extent of what Banfi has to offer.

In the mid ‘70s, with earnings from their very successful importation of Riunite wines (remember, ‘Riunite on ice, that’s nice!’ commercials?), Brothers John and Harry Mariani went to Italy in search of the perfect place to start their own winery business…a business which has become an empire in the wine world.

A wine tasting is the best way to decide on your wine purchase

The prominent grape of the estate is Sangiovese, the same grape (among others) that is made into Chianti wine. But here, the wine of fame is Banfi’s Brunello. And then, Brunello isn’t the only wine made by the Mariani family, and you will find a good many of them available in the enoteca of the castello…like these that we tasted whilst there.

I don’t use the word ‘castello’ (i.e. castle) lightly. Yes, the estate is centered around a castello sitting atop a scenic hilltop, as seen in the painting, above. And within that castello, you will find Il Borgo Banfi (the hotel). I can’t recommend a stay at this lovely, peaceful place enough. We have such great memories of our time there. And, who wouldn’t appreciate just a wee bit of time away from wine tasting, sitting poolside in the Tuscan countryside? We certainly did…and to prove it, I’m sure you recognize Ellen’s toes in this photo.

Enjoying Your Italy-Bought Wine

02/02/2017

This article isn’t about a specific winery or wine type, though one does play heavily into the article. It is about spending a day being just a bit naughty, not doing anything other than relaxing and enjoying a bottle of wine that you purchased during one of your trips to Italy.

In this article titled, “Enjoying Your Italy-Bought Wine”, before we get to the wine that we sipped before a fire on a cold, winter day, you get the back story in the purchase of the wine.

There is the story of lunch at a fabulous restaurant in Radda in Chianti.

Then there’s the post-lunch drive on a Google-assured road that wasn’t much of a road after all.

And finally, we arrive for a wine tasting that turned to wine buying.

Ahhh, it was such a great day of enjoyment…both the day in Italy, and then the day at home, lounging away the day in our jammies. Give it a try…you’ll like it.

In addition to some of our favorite memories, this day’s activities led me to taking probably my favorite of all Italy photos, shown just below. The Tuscan countryside, just after an afternoon shower. Magnifico!

By the way, that same day in Italy led to these articles, also: Get Lost!, and Wild-Goose Chase. I hope you enjoy these two articles, too…it was a fun, frustrating, and then an interesting day.

Taking a Guided Winery Tour

09/03/2019

OK, first of all, who wouldn’t want to take a guided winery tour with Matteo? Right, ladies?

Beyond that, I can assure both male and female alike that getting around to the wineries of an area of Italy with a local, knowledgeable guide, is the way to go.

Our wine-travelling day with Matteo was spent in the Langhe area of Piemonte, in the heart of the Barolo wine area. If you plan to do a bit of wine tasting in Italy, you will find guides like Matteo (well, maybe not exactly like Matteo) throughout the Italian wine area.

Our first stop of the day was at the Aurelio Settimo winery. Here, Laura showed us both the traditional oak casks, as well as our first sighting of a glass-lined, concrete casks. Usage depends on the wine you are making, and the flavor you want to impart in that wine.

Next up was the DaMilano winery. Well, we didn’t actually tour the winery, but we spent a good bit of time, and money, at the DaMilano enoteca, where Alicia helped us sip and purchase. And, we were very pleased to find that DaMilano also produces the white wine called Arneis, which we had fallen in love with in the town of Nieve.

Next up was the Schiavenza winery. Here, Matteo’s buddy Waldo produces great wine in small quantiles. And, what’s Leslie measuring in the photo? Waldo had just told us how the casks were cleaned after being emptied. He says that he climbs through that little arched opening and brushes and hoses out the casks…and he wasn’t kidding.

And finally, we ended our day at the Giovanni Rosso winery. Here we had another new experience in wine tasting. Not only did we taste wine from the Giovanni Rosso bottles in their tasting room, but Francesca also tapped right into one of the wine casks for our tasting enjoyment…enjoyment you can see here on the faces of Matteo and Craig.

I neglected to tell you that we had a mid-day lunch at Trattoria Schiavenza. Sitting on the terrazza, we spent a bit of time with watercolors, painting the beautiful Piemonte-Langhe countryside.

Going to Italy? Going to taste a bit of wine? Check out Taking a Guided Winery Tour.

Renato Ratti Winery

09/17/2019

If you want to visit a winery that is state of the art…both in design and in presentation, then you definitely need to visit the Renato Ratti Winery.

Your entrance to the green-roofed Renato Ratti winery

First of all, the winery has been placed carefully into a hillside below the town of La Mora, where an environmentally-friendly green roof and gravity-fed winery have been expertly accomplished.

Next, you will find one of the most creative of winery introductions in a video developed by Pietro Ratti that is both fun and informative.

Christine takes us deep in the cellars of Renato Ratti winery

Then, take the tour of the wine making facility below you, deep down in the hillside.

Next, let Christine lead you through a series of vintage Barolo wines, where you can stick your nose in a glass and taste great wines. This way, you get to see how the ‘nose’, tannins, taste, and color change over time as a wine ages in-bottle. By the way, it changes in a good way! At least for Barolo wines.

And, note the view from the tasting room…probably the most magnificent in all of Italy as it frames the vines of the Nebbiolo grapes.

Finally, snap a photo with your hostess Christine, and engaging owner, Pietro Ratti.

Allegrini Winery

01/07/2020

It’s time to learn about appassimento! And where better than at the Allegrini Winery? That’s a rhetorical question, by the way, as there is no better answer than at Allegrini.

The Villa della Allegrini sits just north of Verona, in the heart of the Valpolicella area…known for both Valpolicella and Amarone wines. And, then there’s their own Palazzo della Torre wine.

Palazzo della Torre is made using the appassimento process. Appassimento means ‘withering’, and that’s what happens to some of the grapes as they are raisinated, or dried for about 3 months.

Here you can see Olmo as he describes the crappy (sorry, pardon the language) soil in which Allegrini’s grapes are grown. Mineral, rather than organics desired by most farmers, are the key to a healthy wine-making grape.

Wondering what a grape looks like during the appassimento process? Check out this photo.

Amarone wine is also made with the appassimento process. And, unlike the marvelous Brunello of Tuscany, which uses just the one Sangiovese grape, the production of Allegrini’s famous Amarone wine uses a blend of four different grapes.

Finally, I’ll leave you with a view of what I would call, ‘The King of the North’…a bottle of Amarone, lying comfortably upon a pillow of withering grapes, ready for you to gently lift it up and then savor it.

Michele Chiarlo Winery

01/21/2020

Our last winery visit will be to the Michele Chiarlo winery. Here, not only did we visit the winery, but also the vineyards.

We started at the La Court vineyard pictured above in the eastern portion of Piemonte. Beautiful, isn’t it?

We met Alberto at the vineyards, where he explains the layout of the vineyard, and the importance of south- vs north-facing vines, and the compass points in between.

Then, it was on to the winery and tasting room. Leslie listens closely to find out more about their Arneis white wine. And seeing the bottling room was fascinating.

DOCG, DOC, IGT & DOG

11/17/2020

The most recent article concerning Italian wines dealt with government-issued geographic and quality guarantees.

The importance of these designations is one of quality control…Italy doesn’t want inferior wines being produced that would lower the already very-high bar of Italian wines. Thus, the governments involvement in the wines produced in Italy.

As this was recently published in November, I will assume that you read DOCG, DOC, IGT & DOG in the very serious state of mind in which government decrees should be carefully examined…so I won’t dwell on it here.

That’s it for today. Is that bottle empty, yet? No? Then get back to work on it! Meanwhile, I’ll cover the multitude of wine-producing grapes of Italy soon.

In closing, here is a toast of San Angelo Pinot Grigio from Banfi. This toast is to your continued health in 2021, and to your successful exit from 2020. Until next time…

Ciao for now,

Steve

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Stay Here-Eat Here-Drink Here: Banfi

Warning: This article may change your life forever!

The Banfi Story

“This is my longest article thus far...but there is a reason. I want you to know all there is to know about the Banfi Experience so that, you too, might enjoy this fabulous place.”

In 1967, the Mariani brothers, John and Harry, traveled to Italy with the aim of importing a wine that would appeal to American tastes (we didn't have much of a wine palate at that time, did we?). They succeeded when they brought Riunite to the US. Remember the slogan, "Riunite on ice, that's nice!"?

[to refresh your memory, click here to see a '70s TV commercial for Riunite]

By 1983 they had become the number one imported wine in America, with 11,000,000 cases of this popular wine having been imported.

With funds in hand (you do the math on the sales of 11,000,000 cases of wine), they headed to Italy in 1977 to purchase around 1,800 acres of land just south of the town of Montalcino. Here, they established Castello Banfi, the centerpiece being the dramatic castle itself, which sits atop Poggio alle Mura, seen here.

From 1978, the goal of the two brothers was to create a state-of-the-art winery, combined with the most advanced science in the vineyards, for the production of premium wines. The Mariani family has succeeded in a big way.

John and Harry purchased properties in other areas of Italy that had established vineyards. But it is interesting to note that the thousands of acres that they purchased in the Montalcino area was mainly barren land, just waiting for them clear and plant.

Their Tuscan estate is most well known for their Brunello wine. Most people would agree that they were instrumental in bringing Brunello to center stage as Italy's premier wine. But, more on wine a bit later.

The Property

The Montalcino-area estate is comprised of over 7,000 acres. In the 18th century, a stone hamlet sprung up surrounding the Castello Poggio alle Mura. That hamlet became the borgo (hotel) and the principal tourist destination of the estate. Below is a photo of the castle, taken many years ago.

[click on an image for a larger view]

Today, the Castello Banfi still sits proud upon its knoll.

Here are a few more photos of the property surrounding the castle.

Here you can see one of the quiet courtyards, as well as the well-presented and educational Etruscan-glass museum.

Whilst the vintner makes the wine, the bees make the honey

Castello Banfi - Il Borgo (The Hotel)

For us, the main attraction of the property is the hotel, or 'borgo'. The Borgo is comprised of 6 rooms, 8 suites, and a junior suite. In this photo from their website, you can see some of the rooms that cascade down the hillside.

And here is my wife, Ellen, as she returns to our room from the pool on a path through rosemary...a heady experience.

That is rosemary…not the woman - that’s my wife Ellen…but the plant, which smells heavenly as it is pruned

Our room was the fabulous Summus Suite. Now, we are not accustomed to staying in suites...and that is not what we had booked. But owner Pam Mariani was very sweet to upgrade our room to this extraordinary lodging.

I was so stunned by our accommodation that I think I took only one interior photo during our stay. That photo is from our living room (there was also a very large bedroom and an expansive bathroom...any of the three rooms exceeded the size of a normal hotel room).

The view from our room of the Tuscan countryside was like a painting by Cezanne!

As I wrote to Pam, "We felt like royalty!"

A full breakfast was made available each morning in the guests-only breakfast room. We opted to dine on the terrace under the glorious Tuscan sun.

And then there was the pool, where we spent the good part of one day.

Cold, refreshing beverages await you!

We were joined at the pool by swifts that skimmed the pool to drink water as they flew by.

And what is that strange bird that kept visiting?

The greenery was well kept by the grounds keepers.

The Vineyards

A portion of Banfi's expansive vineyards surround the castle. Here are a few photos taken during our stroll through the makings of a future Brunello.

In this photo, you can see that olive groves and grape vines align on the Banfi lands.

Dining at Banfi

There are two dining options at Banfi -- La Taverna for a traditional, rustic lunch, and La Sala dei Grappoli for an elegant dinner.

La Taverna

In this photo, the entrance to La Taverna lies just ahead.

La Taverna is a classical Tuscan restaurant in the shade of the medieval castle of Poggio alle Mura. Taverna Banfi is positioned beneath the vaulted arches of the former barrel cellars of the castle, where Brunello once rested in large oak casks.

But today, the menu offers the traditional dishes of Montalcino and Tuscany.

On our 2012 visit to La Taverna, we had a special tasting menu with wine pairings.

We dined well on both of our trips to Banfi. Below are some photos from our meal with our great friends, Debbie and Scott Kennedy. For more on traveling to Italy with friends, see my blog article titled, "Traveling with Friends".

That’s me toasting our Banfi hosts…and a Brunello toast is always in order!

Both Daniela and Erney took care to make sure all was perfect, including the wines that were paired with our meal.

You can see that Erney is serving up our dessert wine, which is called 'Florus' -- it is hard to describe just how yummy this sweet wine is as it crosses the palate.

I have to say that it has surpassed Moscato d'Asti as my favorite dessert wine.

Here you can see the rich golden, straw-colored, dessert wine.

And here is the noon-time detritus that we left behind as we departed to explore the winery.

La Sala dei Grappoli

It is hard to top the fabulous lunch at La Taverna, but you will have to trust me when I say that La Sala dei Grappoli is an elegant treat. I am embarrased to say that I left my camera in our room when we dined there...so please settle for these photos from the Banfi web site.

The Winery

The Banfi winery is state-of-the-art. As new-comers, they were not tied to centuries-old traditions in wine making. So, Banfi defined state-of-the-art wine making through their revolutionary technical research and innovation. And do they keep all of their gained knowledge to themselves? No, they do not. They freely share all they have learned in wine making with their Montalcino-area neighbors, as they believe that it is not a single wine label that makes an area known to wine lovers, but a whole varietal area. As such, Banfi has put Brunello di Montalcino on the world-wide map.

Here are a few photos from our tour of the pristine Banfi winery, which is about 2 miles from Castello Banfi. What you see first is the incoming Sangiovese grape.

Michela was our lovely winery guide. She did an excellent job of explaining such Banfi inspired processes as their dual-material, oak and stainless steel fermentation vats…truly innovative.

Michela explains the intricacies of the Banfi winery

Here you see the hybrid stainless-steel and wood, temperature-controlled vinification tanks.

After vinification, their Brunello di Montalcino is held for a long, silent, two-year rest in wood, where it gains its distinctive characteristics of strength, elegance and longevity. There are more than 7,000 barrels laid out in orderly rows.

They poetically say that this aging in wooden barrels and casks, "make up the heart of Banfi, which beats in the silent and peaceful ambiance surrounding our winery."

I can say no more.

The Kennedys and the Burketts amid the aging Banfi wines

Enoteca

But, there is still the Enoteca, or wine shop. Here, one can taste and purchase wines for shipment home, including wines that are hard for us to find in the U.S.

Banfi’s Enoteca is the most beautiful of all the Italians that we have visited. Scott and Debbie were certainly pleased.

And, let's not forget that you can purchase Banfi's extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar (read below regarding quantity), also.

But, from whence does the balsamic come? Read on!

Balsameria

Banfi's balsamic is called 'Salsa Etrusca', in honor of the traditional methods of the ancient Etruscans.

While in the Enoteca, ask for a key to the balsamaeria. But be forewarned: prepare to have your head explode with the pungent, sweet goodness of aging balsamic! When you step through that door, as Ellen is doing here...wow!

The Trebbiano and Moscadello grapes are harvested late, when their sugars are concentrated, and they are then gently pressed. The must is filtered and then simmered to reduce it in volume and further concentrate its flavor. After cooling, it is transferred to wooden casks for 4 – 8 months.

In the balsameria, you can read about the process and see the barrels as the salsa balsamica ages. Note the linen cloths that sit above the evaporation hole in the barrel, held down with a circle of silver chain.

During this aging, the process of “balsamization” begins. Successively the balsamic is racked into progressively smaller barrels (from 60 to 25 liters) of different woods, in the order of oak, chestnut, cherry, ash and mulberry, until the filling of the 25 liter barrels. As liquid heaven is removed from the oldest barrels, an equal amount is added from it’s younger neighbor. After about 12 years of aging, you can enjoy the salsa balsamica.

I was flabbergasted to learn from their website that, because of the long process and limited number of barrels, each year only three liters of Salso Etrusca are bottled from the oldest finishing barrels. Because of its very limited production, pick it up in the Enoteca while you are there.

Our thanks to Daniela, Erney, Gabriella, Lucio, Magdalena, Marco, Margherita,

Massimo, Michela ,Paul, Sarena, and all of the others

who made our stay seem one as family, rather than clients.

“You might ask, “Do you drink only Banfi wines?” I’d have to say when it comes to wines of Italy, it accounts for the majority of wines that we drink, both whites and reds. ”

Well, that's Banfi as we see it. A magnificent place...not to be missed when visiting Tuscany. And if you are able, please plan to stay for a couple of nights...or more. I know that you will enjoy it as much as we enjoyed it.

Write if you plan to go. Maybe we can meet for a nice lunch or elegant dinner, just as we did with these friends.

Here are the webpages you will need to learn more about beautiful Banfi:

Ciao for now,

Steve

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p.s. Well, as I can't resist, one last, parting view of this magnificent retreat...