| Castello di Verrazzano |
Visiting wineries in Italy is absolutely nothing
like it is back here in the States. For one thing,
they are not even open on the weekends. Can
you imagine Napa being closed on Saturday?
Not a chance! If you were to pop in on a
winery in Italy, chances are they would be
offended. Not because they don’t want you
there, but because to them, having visitors is a
special occasion and they believe in going all
out to entertain you with wine and food. This is
how things are done in Italy. Man was that
point ever driven home when we visited Castello
di Verranzano.
Like most of the best and biggest wineries, they
too sit atop a large hill overlooking the valley.
And of course, the view was breathtaking.
Directly across from them was a large villa that
could have also been another winery, but I was
too chicken to ask anyone if it was. (I thought
it could offend them to ask) However, I kept
taking pictures of it until the sun went down
completely because the view changed rapidly
and made for an interesting timeline shot.
At Castello di Verranzano, they really know
how to roll out the red carpet for guests. We
were serenaded by three older men playing
various instruments and singing as we walked
up to the villa. These three men never stopped
playing the whole time we were there. I sure
wished I had their energy. Then our host came
out to talk to us. He was really funny and very
interesting to listen to. After a short history
lesson, they rounded us up to this open top
terrace where we had a little reception Prosecco
(Sparkling Wine). They divided us up into
three different groups and took us on a tour of
their cellars. Again, just like Monsanto, their
cellars were very medieval like and full of
history.
We started off in a room where they
demonstrated how to make Vin Santo, a dessert
wine made from dried Malvasia and or
Trebbiano grapes (both white). It takes a little
getting used to, but once I discovered the local
custom of dipping a biscotti cookie into your
glass of Vin Santo, I took a quick liking to it.
From there we went down to their large cask
room. These primarily held the current vintage
of Chianti wines. Further into the cellar were
the more modern small oak barriques that
housed the bulk of their other red wines. They
too also had many rooms that stored older
vintages of wine and I even found a bottle that
was made during my birth year, 1968.
After our tour of their cellars, we headed back
up to the surface where the party and feast
began. A large outdoor banquet hall under live
vines with many round tables awaited us. Since
Castello di Verranzano also raises wild boars,
the antipasti courses were centered around the
most incredible array of cold cuts. Fresh
prosciutto, salami and other meats and cheeses,
all made right there at the estate. They were in
a word, unbelievably good! They also made
their own Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar,
which were both some of the best I’ve ever had
in my life. As for the wines, they were all fairly
good, however, the Super Tuscan, a blend of
Cabernet Sauvignon and the local Sangiovese
grape was by far the most impressive. Large
and in charge and packed to the guilds with
gripping tannins. We ended up taking one
home with us.
The wines were poured all throughout the
dinner which featured a salad, pasta and a pork
dish. All were incredible and one of the best
meals we had the whole time we were in Italy.
All during dinner, those three old men
serenaded us and got people up to sing with
them. Some people even resorted to dancing on
the tables. Afterwards, myself and a couple of
guys I met on the trip went out onto a balcony
to smoke a couple of Cuban cigars while I
finished off the last glass of that Super Tuscan
wine. Isn’t life rough?!?
Later the winery guys brought out some of their
homemade Grappa. Say…did you know that
Grappa is Italian for Rocket Fuel? Okay, it is
not really, but I can assure you that after I
tasted it, I was sure that I was going to catch
fire if I put my lit cigar back up to my mouth.
Someone on the trip took a well timed picture
of my reaction to drinking it. Oddly enough, I
decided not to return to the states with any
Grappa.
None of us wanted to leave Verranzano, but the
buses beckoned us back around 11pm for the
45 minute ride back to the hotel. What a party
and a blowout. There were selling cases of wine
by the truckload to all of us. I didn’t have the
heart to inform everyone that they could only
legally bring four bottles of wine back to the
states per person with them. At any rate, once
you saw the line at the wine counter, you
understood why the Italians want to entertain
you the way they do. It is all about the
experience and people were lining up in droves
to bring that experience back home with them.
like it is back here in the States. For one thing,
they are not even open on the weekends. Can
you imagine Napa being closed on Saturday?
Not a chance! If you were to pop in on a
winery in Italy, chances are they would be
offended. Not because they don’t want you
there, but because to them, having visitors is a
special occasion and they believe in going all
out to entertain you with wine and food. This is
how things are done in Italy. Man was that
point ever driven home when we visited Castello
di Verranzano.
Like most of the best and biggest wineries, they
too sit atop a large hill overlooking the valley.
And of course, the view was breathtaking.
Directly across from them was a large villa that
could have also been another winery, but I was
too chicken to ask anyone if it was. (I thought
it could offend them to ask) However, I kept
taking pictures of it until the sun went down
completely because the view changed rapidly
and made for an interesting timeline shot.
At Castello di Verranzano, they really know
how to roll out the red carpet for guests. We
were serenaded by three older men playing
various instruments and singing as we walked
up to the villa. These three men never stopped
playing the whole time we were there. I sure
wished I had their energy. Then our host came
out to talk to us. He was really funny and very
interesting to listen to. After a short history
lesson, they rounded us up to this open top
terrace where we had a little reception Prosecco
(Sparkling Wine). They divided us up into
three different groups and took us on a tour of
their cellars. Again, just like Monsanto, their
cellars were very medieval like and full of
history.
We started off in a room where they
demonstrated how to make Vin Santo, a dessert
wine made from dried Malvasia and or
Trebbiano grapes (both white). It takes a little
getting used to, but once I discovered the local
custom of dipping a biscotti cookie into your
glass of Vin Santo, I took a quick liking to it.
From there we went down to their large cask
room. These primarily held the current vintage
of Chianti wines. Further into the cellar were
the more modern small oak barriques that
housed the bulk of their other red wines. They
too also had many rooms that stored older
vintages of wine and I even found a bottle that
was made during my birth year, 1968.
After our tour of their cellars, we headed back
up to the surface where the party and feast
began. A large outdoor banquet hall under live
vines with many round tables awaited us. Since
Castello di Verranzano also raises wild boars,
the antipasti courses were centered around the
most incredible array of cold cuts. Fresh
prosciutto, salami and other meats and cheeses,
all made right there at the estate. They were in
a word, unbelievably good! They also made
their own Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar,
which were both some of the best I’ve ever had
in my life. As for the wines, they were all fairly
good, however, the Super Tuscan, a blend of
Cabernet Sauvignon and the local Sangiovese
grape was by far the most impressive. Large
and in charge and packed to the guilds with
gripping tannins. We ended up taking one
home with us.
The wines were poured all throughout the
dinner which featured a salad, pasta and a pork
dish. All were incredible and one of the best
meals we had the whole time we were in Italy.
All during dinner, those three old men
serenaded us and got people up to sing with
them. Some people even resorted to dancing on
the tables. Afterwards, myself and a couple of
guys I met on the trip went out onto a balcony
to smoke a couple of Cuban cigars while I
finished off the last glass of that Super Tuscan
wine. Isn’t life rough?!?
Later the winery guys brought out some of their
homemade Grappa. Say…did you know that
Grappa is Italian for Rocket Fuel? Okay, it is
not really, but I can assure you that after I
tasted it, I was sure that I was going to catch
fire if I put my lit cigar back up to my mouth.
Someone on the trip took a well timed picture
of my reaction to drinking it. Oddly enough, I
decided not to return to the states with any
Grappa.
None of us wanted to leave Verranzano, but the
buses beckoned us back around 11pm for the
45 minute ride back to the hotel. What a party
and a blowout. There were selling cases of wine
by the truckload to all of us. I didn’t have the
heart to inform everyone that they could only
legally bring four bottles of wine back to the
states per person with them. At any rate, once
you saw the line at the wine counter, you
understood why the Italians want to entertain
you the way they do. It is all about the
experience and people were lining up in droves
to bring that experience back home with them.
