Email
Print
Letter to Editor
ShareTuscan wine sweet
Published: September 23, 2008 3:00 PMUpdated: September 23, 2008 5:13 PM
Ever wonder about dirt or germs when volunteers crush grapes with their bare feet?
Not to worry. Alcohol, formed in the winemaking process, kills them off.
Last September, eight of us boarded a van and were listening to a wine connoisseur rhapsodize about the making of wine. We also listened to the infectious laugh and running commentary of our driver/guide Rebecca, of Tuscan Wine Tours.
In store for us? A day of sensuous delights, wine, and the romance of the Tuscan countryside. Leaving Florence, we crossed the Arno River. The dome of the Duomo seemed to bid farewell as we began our climb into the hills.
Billowy white clouds drifted through a robin-egg-blue sky. Olive trees twinkled as a gentle wind rustled their leaves.
Blue road signs beckoned to other Tuscan villages, but we were headed for Montalcino, a small hilltop town south of Siena. Brunello di Montalcino was invented here decades ago and has become a world-class wine.
We passed a patchwork quilt of vineyards and olive groves, reminding me of the background in a Renaissance painting. Stone estates graced the hillsides.
We arrived at a winery where the owner showed us around. The Brunello grape has its origins and exclusive growth in this area.
Out in the vineyard, our host let us pick ripened Brunello grapes. My tastebuds exploded with the sweetest grapes I have ever tasted. I was barely able to keep myself from grabbing a whole bunch off the vine.
Our hostess educated us about yellow spiders that suck sap from the backs of leaves, how winemakers want a small amount of mildew on the vines to keep mildew-eating organisms alive, and how she uses a hand-held meter to test the sweetness of the grapes.
She produced cheese, a 2004 vintage red, then a 2002 Brunello di Montalcino. I don’t have the educated palate to distinguish between reds, but both were velvety and went down well.
On to a remarkable surprise, the most important piece of Romanesque architecture in Tuscany, the Abbey of Sant’Antimo (12th century) where we listened to the monks chant. I wish I could have recorded their melodic sounds.
After that, lunch in the Tuscan countryside. A wonderful breeze drifted through while we feasted on Italian bread with scrumptious toppings, a tasty pasta, followed by meat and mozzarella and a dessert of sweet grapes. All accompanied by wine, of course.
We rounded off our day by visiting the hillside town of Montalcino, with its imposing medieval fortress and winding cobblestone streets filled with craft and wine shops. No boiling oil from the high walls of the fort to greet the hoard of tourists.
Instead, I left with mango gelato oozing from both sides of my mouth. Napkin, anyone?
For me, leaving the Tuscan countryside was like leaving a lover before having to catch the last train.
Sad but necessary.
Bill Peeler is a freelance travel writer based in Courtenay.
