Seeking Wine Windows in Florence

It was our last day in Florence. My niece and I had just gotten back from our Tuscan wine country getaway. We had two goals that afternoon: do laundry and find a wine window. I had wanted to try the Florentine wine windows since I first heard about them. While it might seem like the touristy thing to do, these wine windows have a long history in the medieval city. Let’s get into that.

Wine Window by Mattes

First the Taxes

Wine windows (or buchette del vino) date back to the 1500’s during the Medici dynasty. Back then, a law was passed to allow prominent families in the city to sell wine directly from their homes. With this law, they did not have to open a shop and subsequently avoided paying taxes. Instead, these families used little windows located at the front of their palaces or mansions to transact the wine sale. Voila! Wine windows were born. 

Fiasco by Giulio Napi 

About 12” in height and 8” across with an arch on the top, wine windows were often found next to the front door of these wealthy families’ homes. While many were located at the eye level to facilitate sales, some were placed at the foot level with easy access to the basement wine cellar. Wine sold through the wine windows came in fiasco-style bottles (bottles with straw basket at the bottom). 

Then a Plague and a Flood

In 1630, Florence experienced an outbreak of the bubonic plague. The epidemic lasted four years with an estimated death toll of 60,000 to 100,000. Wine windows continued as a safe way for consumers to purchase wine with limited contact. However, as commerce laws changed over time, Florentine wine windows began to shutter. The last straw came about in 1966 when the Arno River broke over its banks and flooded the city, causing severe damages to buildings and streets.

Buchetta del vino (this is not a real wine window)

Fast forward to 2015, three residents of Florence founded a cultural association called the Associazione Buchette del Vino (Association of Wine Windows). Its goal was and still is to draw attention to “these small but significant testimonies of the rich cultural heritage” in the city. According to the Association, there was only one operating wine window in Florence just before Covid struck.

Finally the Pandemic and a Renaissance

While the Covid pandemic turned the world topsy turvy in the early going, Florence had a head start with its wine windows. Gradually at first, wine windows began re-opening, bringing back the old ways of safe business transactions. Soon, restaurants, bars, and gelateria also started selling food, other beverages, and gelato from the wine windows. 

Cantina de Pucci Wine Window

Even as the threat of the pandemic has loosened its grip in the past year, Florentine wine windows continue to enjoy a renaissance. Today, it is estimated that there are about 180 wine windows in the city and over 100 more in the broader Tuscany region.

Our Wine Window Hunt

My niece and I used Google Maps, which was not super helpful, in our wine window hunt. We had a couple of misses but eventually found an operating wine window by Cantina de Pucci. Not surprisingly, it had a line of tourists along its cobblestone sidewalk. Nonetheless, the hunt was worth the while, and it was a fine way to pass the time while waiting for our laundry. 

If you are doing your own wine window hunt in Florence, skip Google Maps and check out the following resources made available by the Associazione Buchette del Vino:

• https://www.bdv.one/eventi has a short list of wine windows (or gelato/coffee windows) and their addresses within the city
• https://buchettedelvino.org/home%2520eng/maps.html has a more comprehensive list and interactive maps of wine windows in Florence and even the larger Tuscany region

Then all you have to do is to find the wine window, stand in line, ring the bell, and order your wine. Thanks to the Association and its promotion of wine windows, you now get to experience a piece of Florentine history with a glass of wine. Salud!

My Tuscan Getaway

Late May in Tuscany was a gorgeous time of year. Warm sun and blue sky hovered over endless green meadows dotted with cypress trees and interspersed with vineyards and olive groves. With the help of the nice Google lady, our scenic drive ended at A Casa di Dona, the agriturismo or farm stay outside the town of San Gimignano. 

Our farm stay, A Casa Di Dona

The Farmstay

We found the farmstay on agriturismo.it, a sort of low-tech no-frills Airbnb that features farm stays from all over Italy. You will not be asked for your credit card information. Nor will you receive a booking confirmation number. You simply arrange your accommodation with the farm stay owner through email facilitated by the website. Voila! A gentleman’s (or in our case, a lady’s) arrangement is made.

View from my balcony

Donatello Rubicini is the proprietress of the namesake farm stay, which translates to At Dona’s House in English. The bubbly hostess was all smiles as she grabbed a heavy piece of luggage with ease and showed us to our rooms. Each of the five rooms in the farm house has an en-suite bathroom and a balcony that overlooks more vineyards and olive groves. Our room costs 90 Euros a night and includes breakfast!

The Food

The one thing that drew us to A Casa di Dona is the many reviews about her culinary skills. Trained in Italian Chef Academy in Empoli, Dona also runs a reservation-only restaurant from the farm house. And boy! Were we in for a treat! For 25 Euros per person, Dona served up seven courses of mind-blowing Tuscan dishes made from scratch with local ingredients. This includes produce from her garden.

Starting top left (clockwise) Freshly baked Tuscan foccacia, onion fritters, foraged mushrooms sautéed in olive oil, grilled beef and chicken over arugula with olive oil, handmade pasta with pesto, herbed riso with beet and hard boiled egg

Dona serving vin santo and cantucci for dessert to her happy diners 

It suffices to say that we stayed in for dinner the second night as well. What was also included in the meal was the perfect wine pairing - a red and a white. Despite being from nondescript bottles with no labels, the wines were exceptional. We found out later that they were made by her cousins who live next door. 

The Wine

Monaldo and Emanuela run Rubicini Winery that is next to the farm house. At our request, Dona arranged a wine tasting for us with Emanuela. The tasting room was modest and simply decorated with framed accolades from Decanter and newspaper clippings, including one from Taiwan! 

Emanuela Rubicini and I at the winery 

Emanuela then walked us through a generous lineup of two whites and three reds. To my delight, they were all DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) and DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) wines, which are the top two tiers of Italian wine classification respectively. That explains the high quality of wine we had with dinner the prior night. 

Rubicini wine tasting

2022 Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG (8.80 Euros) - Made with 100% Vernaccia grapes, this was the white wine we had with dinner at A Casa di Dona. Vernaccia is a white grape that is often associated with San Gimignano. Harvested ripe, the grapes were gently crushed using pneumatic press to lightly extract the flavor from the berries. The juice was then fermented in temperature-controlled steel vats. Straw yellow in color, the wine was aromatic on the nose and crisp citrus-y on the palate with lively acidity. It was a crowd pleaser.

2021 Etherea Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG (12 Euros) - The Etherea is a step up from the Vernaccia. After gentle crushing, Vernaccia grapes were co-fermented with a small percentage of Chardonnay in oak. It was similarly straw yellow in color with added almond and vanilla notes on the aroma from the oak. On the palate, it was more rounded in texture while balanced with acidity.

2022 Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG (8.80 Euros) - This was the red wine served with dinner, and it was fantastic! Made with Sangiovese (minimum 75% by Chianti DOCG rule), Colorino, and Celiegiolo, pump down was used during primary fermentation (instead of punch down) to ensure gentle extraction of color and flavor. After alcoholic and malolactic fermentation, the wine was left to age in steel and had no oak contact. Ruby red in color, the wine was aromatic, fruit-forward with a good balance of tannins and acidity. 

2017 Pepenero San Gimignano Rosso DOC (17 Euros) - The only wine in the lineup that came in a a Burgundy style bottle, the Pepenero was also the only DOC. According to the San Gimignano Rosso DOC regulations, it must include at least 70% Sangiovese. Pepenero had a small percentage of Merlot. Both grapes were vinified separately, blended together, and aged in oak for eight months. Punch down took place during primary fermentation for more extraction of color and flavor. A darker wine, Pepenero expressed a fruit-forward aroma with vanilla and spice undertones from the oak. It was delicious with soft and smooth tannins.

2019 Tripudio Rosso Riserva Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG (15.50 Euros) - Tripudio was vinified in the same way and with the same grapes as the Chianti Colli Senesi. The difference was the additional 12-month maturation in French oak barriques after malolactic fermentation. Fruit-forward on the nose with berries and cherries, there were also notes of vanilla and spice from the oak. The fruit profile extended to the palate and was balanced with plenty of tannins, structure, and acidity. The finish was long and lingering. 

Me in Rubicini vineyard

My Verdict: This trip to the Tuscany wine country has been magical. Its simplicity and celebration of life was transformative for me. And it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to enjoy a rustic Tuscan vacation. Hope this post gives you a flavor of what you can look forward to. I highly recommend a visit!