We split into two groups today: half went to the beautiful hill towns of Siena and San Gimignano while the other half of us learned about wine-making at two Tuscan wineries. (We will switch destinations at the end of the month.)
The winery lessons were led by Todd Bolton, a Californian who met a Florentine woman in the United States and relocated to her home city. Bolton, a trained sommelier, explained the agriculture, chemistry and marketing that mark Italian wines. About 20 percent of wine sold worldwide comes from Italy, he said.
At the Castello del Trebbio winery, we learned about its links to one of history's greatest coup attempts: the Pazzi conspiracy to slay the ruling Medici leaders at Easter mass in 1478. The Pazzi crest can be seen in the castle wall at the winery. Todd offered tastes of three different wines and explained the chemistry and sensations that made each distinct.
After a great lunch at Toscana da Sempre restaurant, we toured the Selvapiana winery, where (talk about history!) the seventh, eighth and ninth generations live in the original family home. Todd offered three more wines, explaining how they differed from each other and how they were distinctive from the previous winery just a couple of miles away. In grape-growing, as in real estate, it's location, location, location.
Click on each photograph to enlarge it or treat it as a gallery.
The winery lessons were led by Todd Bolton, a Californian who met a Florentine woman in the United States and relocated to her home city. Bolton, a trained sommelier, explained the agriculture, chemistry and marketing that mark Italian wines. About 20 percent of wine sold worldwide comes from Italy, he said.
At the Castello del Trebbio winery, we learned about its links to one of history's greatest coup attempts: the Pazzi conspiracy to slay the ruling Medici leaders at Easter mass in 1478. The Pazzi crest can be seen in the castle wall at the winery. Todd offered tastes of three different wines and explained the chemistry and sensations that made each distinct.
After a great lunch at Toscana da Sempre restaurant, we toured the Selvapiana winery, where (talk about history!) the seventh, eighth and ninth generations live in the original family home. Todd offered three more wines, explaining how they differed from each other and how they were distinctive from the previous winery just a couple of miles away. In grape-growing, as in real estate, it's location, location, location.
Click on each photograph to enlarge it or treat it as a gallery.