The seven of us set out for the Ricasoli winery. Fiona has now become a much appreciated addition to our group. She has encyclopedic knowledge of the area and we have enjoyed her engaging conversation and insights into all things European. The drive to the winery via the GPS was spectacular and we parked, hiked up to the castle and started the tour after the obligatory stop at the comfort station.
Our tour started with the historic element of the politics of the area over the centuries and the construction of the castle built over many generations and reflecting the different construction techniques and styles of each era.
We started the inside segment of the tour with a visit to the family chapel and the crypt below containing the remains of the Baron and his many generations. I think it will be necessary to find a biography on Bettino Ricosoli to completely appreciate his contributions to the history of Italy as well as his expertise in chemistry, botany, art and architecture. He was a very impressive man for his time and the second prime minister of unified Italy.
The castle is loaded with historic artifacts creatively displayed in a very small part of the castle. The remaining castle area is off limits since the descendants of Bettino are still using it as their summer home.
We next descended to the wine production facility at the bottom of the hill and were treated to the olfactory reminder that we were in the wine country during the season of production. Odors of grapes and malolactic fermentation filled the air and we observed the stages of wine making in action.
Finally we were taken to the wine tasting facility. Nace and I have been to California wineries too numerous to count. Every experience is different and special. Just when you though you saw it all, we stepped into a room enclosed by glass with a 150 foot glass top table surrounded by high backed upholstered chairs. It looked like the dining party at Downton Abbey with sparking Schott wineglasses in front of us accompanied by bottled water and biscuits for palate cleansing. We started with a white combined from chardonnay and cabernet savingnon that was crisp and refreshing. Next was a recent production chianti reserva that was very nice. Finally, we tasted an Italian Merlot blend that had some age on it and promised to be capable of improvement over the next two decades. Trust me, it was fantastic right now. Last, we headed to the osteria on the property for a lunch we had arranged in advance. Pranzo outside in the midst of a cedar forest is hard to describe with words or photos. The air was dry and cool, the fresh smells of the forest were the perfect backdrop for what proved to be an off the charts lunch. Included was a bottle of wine, of course, and a starter of a brocoli flan drenched in a pecorino cream sauce. The carnivores had slices of delicious roasted pork atop spinach and fagioli. The vegans enjoyed a medly of zuchini, potato,spinach and fagioli. Dolci was a mocha mousse.
We set off for our next and last destination , San Gimingnano, having abandoned the plan for three additional stops due to the late end to our Ricosoli adventure. The drive to San Gimignano was sinuous and long but we found a great parking place thanks to Fiona, within a short walk to the ancient entry gate of the city. SG is primarily a tourist destination but if you lean on the walls while the ladies shop you appreciate what things looked like centuries ago. All the roadways lead to the highest point of the city, topped by a church and we enjoyed watching the gelato shops compete for bragging rights. We were also serenaded by two musicians playing accordion. These guys have been working together for a while and I would have gladly paid to see them in concert. We retreated to the car and Joe discovered that he had lost the parking ticked somewhere in SG. We found the automated pay station which has communication with a remote attendant who instructed us in payment of the full days toll, 20 euros. Ouch. Our drive back to Scannano was a bit straighter as we took the A1, saving a little time and reducing the risk of car sickness.
Back at home we gathered ourselves, watched another spectacular sunset with Scanano's house vino. We had a pizza party with several selections of hand tossed, thin crust pizza topped with pomodoro, cipolini, zucchini, potoato and rosemary. Dolce was a frozen hazelnut mousse.
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