Weekly Highlight of the World’s Best Wineries
The world is full of wineries. New vineyards and vintners arrive on the scene every year. Travel to these esteemed properties give wine lovers a wide variety of places to visit.
How do you choose the wineries to visit?
This blog series will highlight a wonderful winery from around the globe each week. How many of these fabulous establishments will be added to your travel bucket list?
This week we travel to Italy!
This winery is in the heart of Chianti region and its property’s history connects with United States history. Get ready to explore.
I am sure you have guessed, by now, that the winery holds the very name of the famous Italian explorer, Giovanni Verrazzano who discovered much of the east coast region including the New York Bay area.
How many have traveled over the Verrazzano Bridge that crosses over the New York Bay from Staten Island to Brooklyn?
Bridges and Wine
The property of Castello di Verrazzano was the childhood home of the Explorer. While the Verrazzano family line fizzled out, the current owners have kept the name in homage.
This winery is proud of it’s over 1000 year history, bringing back traditional vineyards in 1958 when the Cappellini family purchased and restored the property.
Sustainable Winemaking
What makes this such a wonderful winery is the balance of historical preservation of winemaking and implementation of modern sustainable farming practices.
Wines are certified organic, along with the other agricultural products the vineyard produces.
The property is powered using renewable resources. In the colder months, they use wood for heating, all sourced from the property.
From the moment you step onto the property, there is a sense of care that honors the long history and wants to see it maintained for the future.
EcoTourism & Wine
There is nothing like sitting on a stone terrace overlooking a vine-filled landscape in the middle of Tuscany.
Does it make the wine taste better? I can’t tell you. Perhaps the scenery and experience elevate the taste of the wine. Or perhaps it is the simple but exquisite food paired alongside the wine.
The Winery offers tours almost daily and I highly recommend the tour that includes winetasting and lunch. Besides wine, they also offer balsamic vinegar tasting. Don’t miss the vinegar. I promise you will be very impressed.
Their must try wine is the Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG Gran Selezione. This wine must be from grapes 100% grown, fermented, and bottled by the producer. Also, the majority ofthe grapes must be the Sangiovese grape and the wine is aged an extra 6 months from the standard Chianti Classico.
Stay and Play
This winery also provides lodging nestled among the vines and a short walk from the castle.
Accommodations range in price from 110 euros for a singleroom per night to 245 euros for 5 person apartment (2 night minimum). The property also includes bicycles that guests can use to explore the surrounding area.
In some cases, breakfast at the castle is included in the price and where it is not, you can add the meal for an extra 10 euros. The food is delicious and much of it is grown or sourced from the property. It is definitely a good idea to add breakfast to your stay.
Florence Connection
Castello di Verrazzano is located in Greve and is only about 12.5 miles from Florence and approximately 24 miles from Siena.
If you have never been to Florence, I highly recommend a visit to this beautiful city. If you love walking and exploring cities, this is not going to disappoint. It’s history, architecture, art, and food are all impressive.
In keeping with the theme of historical preservation, the Cappellini family purchased an old Florentine bakery called, Semellino. Restoring and updating the building, the now named, Cantinetta dei Verrazzano, holds a baker’s counter, wine shop, and table seating.
This establishment offers both the best of the Verrazzano estate and of local Greve producers. When you finish your gastronomic visit here, save room for Gelato. I’d try the Buontalenti flavor… a Florentine original.
コメント