Enjoy the Grape Harvest in Tuscany
October is a beautiful time in Tuscany, and the perfect time for local vintners to harvest their crop. Our recent adventure in Italy was timed perfectly for the harvest of grapes for the world famous wines of Southern Tuscany, including our favorite- the Brunello di Montalcino.
The Brunello wines are made by many wineries in Italy, about 250 in fact. This is surprising when you consider how hard it is to be a true Brunello wine. The type of grape used, a special type of sangiovese grape, only grows well in the beautiful Val d’Orcia region of southern Tuscany. If you haven’t been to this area yet, start planning your trip! Val d’Orcia, like Chianti, is known for its own special wines. It boasts rolling hills speckled with vineyards and olive groves. However, the hills seem more dramatic in the Val d’Orcia, with hilltop towns perched dangerously at the peaks and the silvery Orcia river weaving by below. It’s simply breathtaking. This region is where you will find some incredible towns rich with history and gorgeous scenery, like Pienza, Montepulciano and the capital of Brunello itself- Montalcino.
Now, back to the wine. Anyone that has traveled to Italy has experienced and enjoyed the relaxed culture. You take your time in restaurants. No one minds if you are late to anything. However, things are quite different in the wine industry. The Italian government regulates wines by very strict rules, and only compliant wines receive the label Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOGC), or controlled designation of origin guaranteed. Brunellos must contain 100% sangiovese grapes and must have been aged in specific ways under specific timeframes. Vintners are not allowed to irrigate at all, and are simply at the mercy of the weather. It is not easy to run a winery under these conditions. But thankfully, people do it… and they do it well. When you pick up a bottle of Brunello with the DOGC seal around the neck, you know it will be fantastic.
On our recent trip to the Brunello region of Tuscany, we brought our favorite wine experts – our husbands. We had a great time touring the facilities and tasting the wines of two of the finest wineries in the area, Poggio Antico and Conti Costanti. In addition to Brunellos, each of these wineries also makes its own stunning Rosso di Montalcino and one or more “Super Tuscans,” which are wines that are uncategorized by the regulators, allowing more freedom and variety among wineries. And both wineries were more than happy to ship to the U.S!
Just another beautiful experience in Tuscany. We’re looking forward to sharing the next one with you soon.
