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!

Tuscany Tasting: Chianti Classico

My niece and I are planning to go to Tuscany next year. It will be my first trip to Europe since the pandemic and my first time in Italy. Tuscany conjures in my mind images of sunshine and sunflowers, culture and cuisine, and wondrous wines. I can’t wait!

Tuscany by Johny Goerend on Unsplash

In the meantime, I will have to settle for experiencing Tuscany with my palate. Lucky for me, I happened to have two bottles of San Felice Chianti Classico Gran Selezione of different vintages in my cellar: 2013 and 2016. Both of them are made with 100% Sangiovese.

There is Chianti, and There is Chianti

The area known as Chianti today was a wine growing region demarcated in the 1700s by Cosimo III de’ Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany. It has since expanded in size and production. In 1967, shortly after the launch of the Italian wine classification, Chianti was designated as a Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC). Sangiovese was and remains the primary grape variety allowed by the designation.

A couple of decades later in 1984, the Italian government added an even higher level of classification known as Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) and designated the area as Chianti DOCG. Then in 1996, Chianti Classico separated from Chianti DOCG to become its own DOCG.

Today, Chianti is the largest wine region in Tuscany with two DOCGs. 

Chianti DOCG has seven sub zones: 

• Chianti Colli Aretini
• Chianti Colli Fiorentini
• Chianti Colli Senesi
• Chianti Colline Pisane
• Chianti Montalbano
• Chianti Montespertoli
• Chianti Rufina

There are also two quality categories: Superiore, for wines made from vineyards with lower yields, and Riserva, for wines aged at least two years before release.

Chianti Classico DOCG, on the other hand, is marked with the black rooster (gallo nero) seal and has nine communes:

• Barberino Val d’Elsa
• Castellina in Chianti
• Castelnuovo Berardenga
• Gaiole in Chianti 
• Greve in Chianti
• Poggibonsi
• Radda in Chianti
• San Casciano Val di Pesa
• Tavernelle Val di Pesa

The DOCG has three different quality levels based on aging requirements prior to release: Annata (12 months), Riserva (24 months), and Grand Selezione (30 months).

San Felice Chianti Classico Gran Selezione

Agricola San Felice owns estates in two famous Tuscan territories - Chianti Classico and Montalcino. The Chianti Classico estate is within the commune of Castelnuovo Berardenga. With 140 hectares of vineyards, San Felice is recognized as a top producer in the region with a strong commitment to viticultural research. In the 1970s, the estate developed Poggio Rosso as a Chianti Classico ‘cru.’

Vertical Tasing of Poggio Rosso

This later earned the designation Gran Selezione in 2011, which required the wine to come from a single vineyard and be aged for at least 30 months.

2013 Poggio Rosso

Gran Selezione is only released during outstanding vintages. In fact, the 2013 Poggio Rosso was only the second vintage of the Gran Selezione. The year started cooler with an abundance of rainfall that led to delayed flowerings among the vines. This recovered quickly with above average temperatures in early July and gradual maturation in August and September. By harvest, the grapes had plenty of aromatic substances and polyphenols.

Medium ruby with a tinge of garnet in the glass, a swirl of the wine brings an opulent aroma of cherries and herbs. The palate is delicate and pleasant with tart cherries. It is medium-bodied with high acidity. The tannins are fine and integrated, and the finish is very long.

2016 Poggio Rosso

2016 is the fourth vintage of the Gran Selezione. That year, the winter was mild and rainy. Unlike 2013, high temperatures in April of 2016 caused the vines to flower a couple of weeks early. A regular May followed by unseasonably hot summer months with periodic rains allow the vines to fruit without water distress.

Possessing the classic Sangiovese medium ruby color, the wine gives off a yeasty, earthy aroma. On the palate, the funk eases into a vibrant burst of tart cherries. The wine is light to medium-bodied with high acidity and hairy tannins. The finish remains very long.

My Verdict: While both vintages differ in the finer flavor profiles, the underlying structure of the wine is typical of a Chianti Classico - the ruby color, the tart cherries, high acidity, and long finish. The older vintage has an elegance to it, while the younger vintage is livelier and has more character and complexity. I look forward to enjoying a glass of Chianti Classico next year in Tuscany itself.

My Diet Pairs Well with Barolo

I am on a diet. I need a wine to pair with my diet. Or a diet to pair with my wine. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to.

One of the go-to dishes if I want to shed some pounds is my Italian-inspired salad. OK, I am not really sure if it is Italian, but it has salami and all kinds of deliciousness. (Check out my recipe below.) I believe an Italian red is called for.

When people think of Italian reds, most people think Sangiovese, the grape variety that is the backbone of Chianti and the darling of Italian wine marketing. Few other Italian grapes have received the same level of attention, not even the noble Nebbiolo. But I'd like to focus on Nebbiolo instead.

Piedmont

Nebbiolo is native to the Piedmont region, which lies in the northwestern part of Italy, bordering France. If the shape of Italy reminds you of an over-the-knee boot, then Piedmont would be in the thigh area.

Oftentimes, Nebbiolo is compared with Pinot Noir. Both are finicky grapes that grow well only in certain terroir. They are also both genetically unstable and prone to mutations. Both varieties have thin skins that produce light-colored but highly-perfumed reds. While Pinot Noir is best expressed in Burgundy, Nebbiolo is best expressed in Barolo, located in the south side of Piedmont.

Barolo wine is considered a DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita), the highest classification of Italian wines. There are two methods in making Barolo today: the traditional and the modernist. Barolo made using the traditional approach is oaked for three years before bottling and aged for five years before release. The resulting Barolo is complex and extremely cellar-worthy, with the ability to age for decades. The modernist method of making Barolo favors shorter maceration with two years in oak and one year in bottle prior to release. The modern Barolo is more fruit-forward and less complex. While it can age for over a decade easily, it still pales in comparison with a traditional Barolo.

My Barolo collection

Now for my Italian-inspired salad diet, I chose the 2009 Fontanafredda Barolo Serralunga d'Alba, a more modern expression of Barolo. On the nose, it is gently scented with rose and red fruit. Typical for a Barolo, the 2009 vintage is young on the palate, with lively acidity and firm tannins, earthy and stewed plum-y.

Why does Barolo work with my Italian-inspired salad? First, a confession - I am a Barolo fiend. I am already biased. As you can see, my salad is rather hearty. There is a fried egg, salami pieces, and crumbled blue cheese. The salty, savory, fatty elements work well with a high-acidity, tannic Barolo. Also the flavors of the dressed greens, chickpeas, peppers, and avocado work really well with the fruitiness of the wine.

Adrienne's Italian-Inspired Salad (serving for 2)

Dressing

Adrienne's Italian-inspired salad 

1 tbsp of good balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp of EVOO
1 tsp of Dijon Mustard
1 tsp of chopped garlic (I use garlic instead of shallots, a trick I picked up from my friend, Virginia)
Season to taste with salt and pepper

Salad
2-3 cups of organic mix greens
Thin slices of red onion
1/4 cup of chickpeas (I use the canned version, rinsed and drained)
1/4-1/3 avocado, diced
1 tbsp chopped pickled peppers (I use Mama Lil's) 
Crumbled blue cheese (as much as your diet allows you to add)
5 slices of salami, torn into small pieces
2 fried eggs over medium (chopped hard-boiled eggs will work too!)

I'm really thrilled with this pairing. It is delicious IMHO. Perhaps next I will write about My Valentine Pairs Well with Barolo.

Disclaimer: Following this diet may not lead to actual weight loss. However, it makes you feel better as you sip some Barolo.