Villa Santo Stefano in Lucchesia: The Tuscan Dream of the Reitzles Between Vineyards and Olive Groves

A lifetime spent among the world’s luxurious cars suddenly changed direction for Wolfgang Reitzle. Owner of Villa Santo Stefano along with his wife Nina, German-born Wolfgang was an important manager in the automobile sector before arriving in Lucca. After studying Mechanical Engineering and Economics in Munich in 1971, Wolfgang graduated as the youngest Diplom-Ingenieur in Munich at the age of 22. Soon after, he finished … Continue reading Villa Santo Stefano in Lucchesia: The Tuscan Dream of the Reitzles Between Vineyards and Olive Groves

Arnolfo Ristorante of Colle di Val d’Elsa: Fine Dining Weekend Stay in the Tuscan Hills

In the silence of the Tuscan hills, nestled among the cobbled streets of the medieval town of Colle di Val d’Elsa, there is a small jewel that overlooks a breathtaking view: the Arnolfo Ristorante. Probably inspired by Arnolfo di Cambio, a sculptor, architect and artist who lived in Colle di Val d’Elsa during the thirteenth century, Arnolfo Ristorante also has at the basis of all … Continue reading Arnolfo Ristorante of Colle di Val d’Elsa: Fine Dining Weekend Stay in the Tuscan Hills

L’Asinello: One of the Best Restaurants in Italy in a Small Town of Sixty in Chianti

L’Asinello is not your usual Michelin-starred restaurant. It is housed in an old barn in the small 9th-century town of Villa a Sesta, a fraction of Castelnuovo Berardenga, where the population is just sixty, surrounded the iconic endless rows of vineyards. You can go around this tiny town in just a few minutes and one of its nearest neighbors is another Michelin-starred restaurant of 20 … Continue reading L’Asinello: One of the Best Restaurants in Italy in a Small Town of Sixty in Chianti

Torre a Cona: Tuscan Wine, Food and Hospitality in a Majestic Villa on the Florentine Hills

Driving around Tuscany is a captivating experience as roads can lead to a series of varied panoramic backdrops of neatly-rowed vineyards, olive groves, ancient hamlets, cypress trees standing like soldiers guarding long driveways, dried up mowed fields with scattered bales of hay, and yes, the magnificent medieval castles and villas. In one of the stretches of ancient country roads from Florence to Rignano sull’Arno, stands … Continue reading Torre a Cona: Tuscan Wine, Food and Hospitality in a Majestic Villa on the Florentine Hills

Ricasoli 1141 in Chianti Classico: The Castle, the Baron and the Wine

For almost nine centuries, the Ricasoli family of Castello di Brolio has played a leading role in Tuscany’s history of wine including the conception of Chianti Classico. In the year 1141, there was a written testimony linking the family to wine in the castle making them the first to dedicate themselves to the improvement of agriculture and viticulture after perceiving the great potential of the … Continue reading Ricasoli 1141 in Chianti Classico: The Castle, the Baron and the Wine

Discovering the Chianti Classico of Casale dello Sparviero

“When my father, in the mid-70s, decided to invest in Tuscany, I was enchanted by the nature that surrounded the farm. I soon realized that behind a bottle of wine there was a world of passion and effort that took years to show its fruits. I tried to pass on the same passion handed down by my father Olindo to Arrigo, my son, firmly convinced … Continue reading Discovering the Chianti Classico of Casale dello Sparviero

Fine Dining and Conceptual Italian Cuisine of Emanuel in the Tuscan Island of Elba

A simple concept of “less is more” reverberates in strength in the conceptual kitchen of Chef Michele Esposito. He expresses the desire to propose a kitchen that circumvents superstructures and focus on balanced and intense flavors. Straightforward and clean in the palate but a studied complex technique behind every dish. It is a modernized cuisine that doesn’t forget the familiarity of flavors that we are … Continue reading Fine Dining and Conceptual Italian Cuisine of Emanuel in the Tuscan Island of Elba

Castello di Meleto Casi and Poggiarso Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2017

Living the reality of Castello di Meleto is like breathing more than a thousand years of history inside the four walls of its castle on a hilltop of Gaiole di Chianti, in the road between Siena and Florence in Tuscany which overlooks the Chianti valley. What was once the Abbey of Coltibuono belonging to the Benedictine monks in the 11th century, has traversed a rich … Continue reading Castello di Meleto Casi and Poggiarso Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2017

Sensi Governato Toscano IGT 2018: Using The Old Traditional Chianti Vinification Method

Governato Toscano IGT 2018 is a product of Sensi’s passion to explore the best techniques in creating wine. With this particular vinification process, they used the “Governo all’Uso Toscano”, a vinification technique that goes back between 1834 to 1837 institutionalized by Baron Bettino Ricasoli. He divulged that the composition he considered as the most suitable for obtaining a good ready-to-drink red wine, which later became … Continue reading Sensi Governato Toscano IGT 2018: Using The Old Traditional Chianti Vinification Method

Highlighting The Characteristics of Sensi Wines From Tuscany With Food Pairing

It’s a particular period we are all going through right now. With the stay at home orders that has been going on for months, there is much more time to dwell in the kitchen, take out the lost creativity and whip up appetizing dishes that can pair well with some bottles of wines that are waiting to be tasted in the cellar. I am dedicating … Continue reading Highlighting The Characteristics of Sensi Wines From Tuscany With Food Pairing

Tasting of Carpineto Chianti Classico Riserva and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva

Carpineto is a wine estate that produces world-renowned wines from their five estates in Tuscany. It was founded in 1967 by Giovanni Carlo Sacchet and Antonio Mario Zaccheo who envisioned an enormous potentiality in their region in producing great traditional wines. In their quest for innovative viticulture and winemaking techniques aimed at producing the best red wine that expresses the best that the terroir can … Continue reading Tasting of Carpineto Chianti Classico Riserva and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva

The Distinction of Tuscan Cuisine With Carpineto Wine at Ristorante Le Logge del Vignola in Montepulciano

Situated in front of the loggia attributed to renowned 16th-century Mannerism architect Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola in the old center of Montepulciano, Massimo Sella named his restaurant Le Logge del Vignola when he opened it in 2001. Now entering its second decade, it has always been the referral point of both locals and tourists for an excellent Tuscan meal, earning the place a number of … Continue reading The Distinction of Tuscan Cuisine With Carpineto Wine at Ristorante Le Logge del Vignola in Montepulciano

Rascioni & Cecconello Expresses The Excellence of Tuscan Ciliegiolo in its Wines

Considered as a minor grape, Ciliegiolo has long been overshadowed by Sangiovese throughout its course of history but in the recent years, interest has grown in the grape variety. It is now being produced as a dominant variety in blends and even more, single varietal wine in various wine regions of Italy like Liguria, Marche, Abruzzo, Lazio and Tuscany. Historically, its earliest mention was in … Continue reading Rascioni & Cecconello Expresses The Excellence of Tuscan Ciliegiolo in its Wines

Keeping the Centuries-Old Chianti Tradition at Dianella Estate in Vinci, Italy

When Francesco and Veronica Passerin d’Entreves took over Dianella Wine Estate in 2003, they started to apply the process of modernization in the vineyards and the cellar from the previous Billeri Family’s centuries old wine making facilities. In its history, they have seen success at the beginning of the 19th century when Dianella’s Chianti were being found on the tables of the best Italian trattorias … Continue reading Keeping the Centuries-Old Chianti Tradition at Dianella Estate in Vinci, Italy

Frescobaldi Tenuta Perano: Tasting The Chianti Classico From Their Newest Estate

There’s a 700-year story that the Frescobaldi Family has maintained in Tuscany which has a strong bond towards the world of wine. In the year 2017, Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi acquired a new addition to their already substantial wine empire pegging the number to seven estates in Tuscany. Prior to the acquisition, they have been managing the estate since 2014. The six other estates are Castello … Continue reading Frescobaldi Tenuta Perano: Tasting The Chianti Classico From Their Newest Estate