Wining in Chianti

Today is Danielle's 21st birthday and we decided to book a wine tour in Chianti to celebrate! We could not have asked for a more beautiful day. I wish I could say that everyone back home got to experience this same weather - Steve and mom say that they're getting 3+ feet of snow today (yuck)!

We had to report to class and then after a very quick lunch we boarded the van headed towards Chianti. The ride was bumpy (as usual) but the sights only got more and more breathtaking. We got to see the very best of the Tuscan countryside. After an hour and a half we wound up at the Verrazzano Castle for our tour. To enter the property we had to circle up a large hill until we found the castle at the very top. The entire Verrazzano property consists of over 500 acres including a house, wineries, banquet facilities, olive oil trees, and of course grapevines. Even from the top of the hill we still couldn't see the entire limits of the estate.

If you Google the Verrazzano family you may find many mentions of the Verrazzano bridge in New York - that's okay, it's the same family! I thought it was remarkable that we picked to go to a winery that had such strong ties with the United States. Mr. Verrazzano had even been to Delaware many, many years ago. We also learned the very important difference between a Chianti wine and the authentic Chianti Classico. Apparently many wine makers attempt to imitate the famous Chianti wines, but just because a bottle says "Chianti" doesn't mean that it's real. True Chianti has a pink label wrapped around the top - this acts as an official Italian seal. Chianti Classico has numerous restrictions including what types of grapes can be used, how the grapes must taste (if there's a bad growing season then no Classico can be made!), how it's processed, and how long it must age. No wonder it's so expensive.

Huge Chianti Wine Barrels - people climb into
 those little doors to scrub the interior every 70 yrs!

After a tour of the beautiful property and all the wine rooms we finally got to sit down and taste (my favorite part). We tried the Verrazzano Rosa, Chianti Classico, Chianti Reserve, Super Tuscan, dessert wine, and homemade olive oil. I'm surprised I liked the wines since they were all reds, but I really enjoyed them. Maybe it's because our guide, Matteo walked us through the smells and flavors of each individual glass. The olive oil was also outstanding - it was a bright green and full of flavor... not your typical olive oil.

We headed back just as the sun was setting over the Tuscan Countryside. I think I could stay here for a little while longer. As a matter of fact, can't I just move and do this for a living?