In search of a "drunk road". Tuscany

If you were offered to drive along the Chianti wine road in search of a "drunk road", would you agree? So I had no reason to deny myself such an adventure. So what is behind this beautiful description What is this road famous for?

2. "Drunken road" - business card Tuscany, the Orci valley and the city of Montichiello to which it leads. Asphalt belt planted with cypresses, descending from the most picturesque hills, is included in the UNESCO heritage. Her images adorn magnets, spoons, postcards, stamps. Locals even sometimes pray for her. As a guide, I'll post a postcard. This is what we went for.

3. Traveling in Tuscany was given with great difficulty. Leaving Florence, we turned onto wine road Chianti and went for miracles. It would seem, what is so difficult? Go, you just have to go.

4. But the trouble is that the landscapes of Tuscany are insanely beautiful. And instead of the road, you want to look around, the speed drops to a minimum, cars honk behind you, you trudge like a stoned drug addict. In 30 minutes I drove only 20 kilometers, took a hundred photos and began to understand that we might not be in time. But I just didn't want to go any further. I could stop at every bush, stone, vineyard

5. The closer we got to the Val d'Orcia, the harder it was to press the gas.

6. People who are in love with landscapes, romantic natures simply should not be allowed into Tuscany. There is a chance that the psyche will be disturbed, and they will not want to return to their native country.

7. At a certain moment, a thought came to me, but did the "drunken road" surrender to me at all? You might as well stay here. Enjoy the views, uncork a bottle of dry white and experience Zen.

8. There are no problems with bottles. Along the road there are local shops where you can buy quality homemade Tuscan wine. How difficult it is to move on!

9. If you understand wine, then such cities as Montalcino and Montepulciano will be reflected in your ears with a gentle echo, your hands will reach for the glass themselves, and your lips will whisper I want.

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10. Oh, it’s not for nothing that this path is called the wine road, because 80% of the territory of Tuscany is covered with vineyards, and local wineries have received world fame and gold medals from various noble drink competitions.

11. Did I already say that it is very difficult to drive and not stop?

12. During the Renaissance, students of the Sienese art school honed their skills on local natural landscapes. The paintings still reflect the beauty of Tuscany. But how is it possible not to become an artist, a poet or a winemaker here?

13. Couldn't stand it. He abandoned the car and ran into the fields.

14. If there are beautiful landscapes, delicious wine then you can live here. We must pay tribute to the Italians, not to spoil the beauty of these places, but even to embellish - art. Soon I will tell you about a couple of local towns. They deserve a separate story.

15. Almost arrived. There is little left. Here she is already drunk dear, only the view from above. Did you drive in vain?

16. But first, a couple more landscapes.

17. Almost finished postcard or magnet. I'm thinking of ordering for friends and giving them as gifts. Good idea give magnets of your own production with your photos. Or I'll collect a collection and give it to New Year all calendar.

18. I didn’t drive in vain. Oh, not in vain. He denied himself wine, swallowed saliva, hurried at stops. Not in vain.

Chianti - red dry wine from Tuscany with a strength of 11.5-12.5%, named after the mountains in the South of Florence, a visiting card of Italian winemaking. It has a vivid ruby color and slightly astringent taste. Classic Chianti is made exclusively from Sangiovese grapes, in other variations blending with Cabernet, Merlot, Colorino and other varieties is possible, but the share of Sangiovese must be at least 75%.

The Chianti wine region is divided into zones: Classico, Colli Aretini, Colli Fiorentini, Colli Senesi, Colline Pisane, Montalbano and Rufina (“Colli” means “hills” in Italian).

The most famous zones are Chianti Classico and Rufina, the rest of the wines are sold most often under the name Chianti. Bouquet of Chianti - a combination of tart overtones, delicate aroma wild berries, refreshing cherry sourness and violet nuances. (c) Gunel Asadullayeva, sommelier.

Baron Giovanni Ricasoli-Firidolfi, President of the Consortium of Chianti Producers, claims that the real Chianti Classico smacks clean flower honey and freshly baked rustic bread, more noble wine should be slightly bitter.

characteristic color

Today, Chianti wines, like any other, are supplied to the market in thick-walled standard-shaped bottles. But earlier, when Chianti was the drink of the poor, and not the masters, it was poured into characteristic pot-bellied bottles of thin glass (called “fiasco”), and so that the container did not break on the road, the vessels were braided with straw and bast.

Fiasco (fiasco) - an old Italian bottle for transporting wines

It is believed that real Chianti must have a recognizable emblem - a black rooster in a red circle. In fact, this symbol is just a sign of the Chianti Consortium, that is, evidence that the wine producer is part of a trade association created to promote the product on the market. The absence of a bird does not betray a fake at all - on the contrary, perhaps this winemaker is so good that he does not need additional advertising.

Emblem of the consortium of Chianti wine producers

But what is really important is the abbreviation DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) - a guarantee that the wine meets the most high standards quality and was created according to the technology prescribed by law.

The mystery of the black rooster

The rooster appeared on the neck of Chianti not by chance. According to legend, this bird helped the Florentines win a territorial dispute with their neighbors, the inhabitants of Siena, and the grateful Italians immortalized the morning singer in this way - especially since the historical zone of Chianti just extends between Florence and Siena.

It was like this: the arguing parties decided that with the first cock's cry, two horsemen would leave the cities towards each other, and where they met, the border would pass. Either the cunning Florentines did not feed their bird so that it woke up and sang as early as possible, or the rooster himself hurried to greet the sun, but the Sienese chevalier jumped on his horse 20 minutes later than the Florentine colleague. The result is still visible on the map of Italy: in that dispute, Florence really grabbed a noble piece.

Types of Chianti

Any wine produced in the municipality of Chianti in the territory from Pisa to Tuscany and corresponding to the standards of winemaking accepted in the region can be called "Chianti". In order not to get confused in this abundance, it is customary to focus on the following classification.

Wine Chianti. This is the easiest and inexpensive wine this category. It is usually only 75-80% Sangiovese. In the store, a bottle costs on average from 10 euros, you can drink it at dinner without waiting special occasion– a simple Chianti tastes good, but is neither rare nor gourmet delicacy for gourmets.

Chianti Superiore. This wine is already subject to higher requirements - it must be aged for at least 9 months, and the countdown is from January 1, after the harvest, so you can buy a young Superiore only closer to winter. It is already more expensive than a simple Chianti, it is not a shame to put a bottle of such a drink on the festive table.

Chianti Classico. Wine made on historical homeland» Chianti is the same piece of land between Siena and Florence. This is a rather vast area of 70 thousand hectares, so the characteristics of Chianti Classico are highly dependent on the area. For example, wines from Catellina have more delicate aroma, and their counterparts from Castelnouveau Berardegni are distinguished by a rich spicy taste.

Chianti Classico Riserva- aged Chianti, the pinnacle of winemaking excellence and premium wine. Aged for at least 27 months, has a strength of 12.5%. Chianti Riserva is the choice of connoisseurs or those who need an exclusive wine to celebrate a significant event.

Experimental Chianti. This category includes wines made in-house. family recipe winemaker using personal "chips". For example, only old Sangiovese vines or grapes exclusively from the sunny side of the hill can be used for a drink. Quality and taste depend on the manufacturer.

The best Chianti wines come from the provinces of Prato, Arezzo, Pistoia, Florence, Siena and Pisa, but ordinary wine lovers do not need to understand such subtleties, it will be enough to see on excise label coveted DOCG marking. Of the eight production zones, only Classico and Rufina are singled out separately, wines from other territories are usually marketed under the general name Chianti.

How and with what to drink Chianti

It is customary to drink Chianti wines from tulip-shaped glasses with a volume of 500-600 ml, filled to a maximum of a third. In such a vessel, the aroma of the drink is well revealed and preserved. Optimum temperature supply - 16-18°C.

Chianti pairs best with traditional dishes Italian cuisine, but goes well with red meat, poultry, cheeses durum varieties. The more expensive and better wine, the easier it is to pick it up as an appetizer. by the most expensive varieties enjoyed without appetizers or served with a bottle of white bread or red grapes.

Properly filled glasses allow you to capture all the shades of aroma

Interesting Facts about Chianti:

"Sangiovese" means "Blood of Jupiter".
Chianti wine was first mentioned in a 1938 document.
Italian winemakers produce about 98 million liters of Chianti per year.
The taste of wine depends on its terroir - a unique combination of soil, climatic conditions, grape variety and production method.
Today, Chianti can be made from 100% Sangiovese, but a hundred years ago such wine would have been considered table wine and would have been inexpensive - the classic formula included only 70% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo Nero, 10% white Malvasia and 5% Colorino.
The Chianti shelf life is from 4 to 10 years (for Riservo), then the wine does not age nobly, but simply degrades, representing only collection interest.

wine zone Chianti Classico DOCG located between Florence and Siena.

Chianti Classico - the historical and oldest area of Chianti production.
It includes 14 communes. Greve in Chianti, Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti and Radda in Chianti are included in their entirety. Partially, the zone affects the communes of Barberino Val d'Elsa, San Casciano in Val di Pesa, Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Castelnuovo Berardenga and Pogibonsi.
The total area is about 70 thousand hectares, of which only 10% is occupied by vines.

Undoubtedly, Chianti- one of the most popular and recognizable Italian wines and peace.

Wine has been produced here since the Etruscan times. The first written references date back to the 13th century, when the Chianti League regulated relations between the "terzieri" (third part) of Radda, Gaiole and Castellina, who produced Sangiovese wines. Borders wine zone were defined by law in 1716 by Cosimo III Medici, so Chianti Classico can be called the first real DOC zone.

So the story Chianti Classico began in the 12th century. Then Siena and Florence competed with each other, and Chianti zone lies right between these two cities.
There is a legend according to which two cities decided to define the boundaries of their possessions in a rather strange way, namely in the morning with the first roosters to send their townspeople towards each other, where they will meet, the border between the possessions will pass.
The Florentines chose black rooster who was supposed to scream that morning. The cunning inhabitants of Florence did not feed the rooster for several days and kept him in the dark, so as soon as they released him, the rooster crowed, although it was still far from dawn. The Florentine horsemen managed to overcome 20 km more than the Sienese.
This determined the fate of land holdings in favor of Florence - the border passed through the central zone Chianti Classico.

The legend served as an election The black rooster is the symbol of the consortium of Chianti growers formed in 1924.
Those producers who are members of the association can decorate their bottles with a black rooster, but in fact this does not mean that this wine is better than the rest.

Until the end of the XVIII century. Chianti produced only from Sangiovese, with early XIX V. began to experiment and add different varieties of grapes to improve the quality of the wine.

Among the experimenters was Baron Bettino Ricasoli, who in 1840 published his assemblage for red wine "pleasant, effervescent and ready to eat".
Later, his assemblage became the standard for Chianti wines: 70% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo, 15% Malvasia. The law allowed the use of another white grape variety - trebbiano.

Contemporary Chianti Classico has a different composition. According to the law Chianti Classico wines must contain a minimum of 80% Sangiovese and 20% other varieties such as Canaiolo, Colorino, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and others. White varieties for Chianti were used until 2005.

Terroir zone Chianti Classico is a heterogeneous mosaic, in addition, manufacturers use Various types barrels, so the wines are obtained in different styles.

There are three styles:
- Traditional. Fermentation takes place in stainless or cement vats, aging in large barrels. As a rule, 100% Sangiovese is used in this case. (Badia a Coltibuono)
- Modern. Vinification processes partially take place in barriques, using both Sangiovese and international varieties. The aromas are dominated by floral and fruity tones. (Fontodi)
- International. Vinification processes are carried out in barriques, Sangiovese and international varieties are used. The aromas are fruits and spices. (Barone Ricasoli).

Newly introduced category "Gran Selezione" has not yet been finally approved and is causing heated debate among manufacturers who cannot understand its purpose and are sure that it would be more useful for consumers to put the name of the commune on the label. The consortium postponed consideration of this issue to September 2013.

The law allows the use of Bordeaux bottles and fiascos for Chianti wines, braided with straw.
Fiaschi- historical bottles, today they have become a tourist attraction, from which high-class wine is not expected.
Medieval winemakers were not rich people, it was expensive for them to buy bottles of thick glass, then they began to buy cheap pot-bellied vessels made of thin glass to wrap with straw braid - fiasca, in order to preserve the wine during transportation, and the famous Chianti bottles appeared.

And in conclusion, let us quote the words that the president of the consortium of Chianti Classico producers and the owner of the famous winery Castello di Ama

"Chianti Classico is a wine with which you can safely look into the eyes of the French."

Producers of Chianti Classico.

February 16, 2015 2:24 pm Greve in Chianti - Italy February 2014

We travel abroad by public transport. Somehow I'm afraid to mess with a rental car. I don't drive myself. The daughter steers quite confidently, but this is in the vastness of Israel, but in other people's open spaces ... In short, I'm afraid and that's it.

And if visiting large cities, an individual does not really need this car, then in order to travel to the expanses of suburban and suburban personal transport is necessary. This need is especially felt if you are in such a region replicated by its beauties as Tuscany. And where should the poor tourist go? That's right - book a private tour. Pleasure is not cheap, but fortunately, I did not regret it for a second.

Our lovely guide, Elite, met us in the lobby of the hotel, put us in the car, and we set off under a measured drop of rain, which decided to spoil our pleasure. But from this gray veil of rain, on the contrary, for some reason it became very comfortable and humbly. You know, when peace descends on the soul, and she, wrapped in this peace, like a fog, without excessive zeal, but with sincere curiosity, watches what is happening.

A gray day, under a rainy drizzle, could be mistaken for autumn, if it were not for the almonds blooming in early February. The smell of preli, the sloping wet slopes, evoked thoughts of the November hunt for wild boars, which the locals love to indulge in, or at least picking mushrooms in the predawn morning.

The elite drove the car carefully and confidently along the wet road, rising uphill, where the first stop at the Verrazzano castle was waiting for us at an altitude of 348 meters. (You can get to the castle on your own from the bus station of Florence (located in Piazza Santa Maria Novella near the railway station) by intercity bus number 365 (about 1 hour on the way).

Built as a fortress during the Lombard era (the name of this place was first mentioned in 1170 in a manuscript preserved in the abbey of Passignano), in the 13th century it was transformed into the so-called “signor’s house”. And in the XVI century it turned into a classic villa with a typical Tuscan farm, surrounded by a beautiful garden. And these lands belong to the family, already, from the 7th century.

But the family recently sold the castle. I don't know who. We didn’t manage to enter the house, because the next day we were waiting for the arrival of the new owner, either for a name day, or for my daughter’s birthday. And so out of season they even let you inside. But we didn't succeed.

But it was completely free to look around and admire the neighboring castle of Vicchiomaggio and the vineyards, stretching like a fan right up to the forest estates. And in this castle lived none other than Mona Lisa Gherardini. It is believed that it was she who posed for one of the most famous paintings by Leonardo da Vinci. The incomparable landscapes of Tuscany served as a background for the image of the beautiful and mysterious Mona Lisa.

And then we had a tasting, and absolutely free! We liked the wine. And I liked the youngest, two-year-old. We ate this magnificence with bread and olive oil. And it's even hard to say what I liked more - wine or oil. Tart with bitterness, the smell of beveled mint, chrysolite gold, it spread over the bread crumb. We bought them there, without further ado.

Yes, they still sell vinegar. Its consistency is more like liquid marmalade. And it tastes sweet with a hint of wine. It ripens 8!!! years in oak barrels. And by the end of the 8th year, the volume decreases by more than 2 times.

The far barrels are larger than the near ones. kind of like a pyramid.

It was here that the famous navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano was born in 1485. Served Giovaniya, however, the French crown. He was the first European to explore the lands of the eastern coast of the Atlantic, reached New York Bay and Naragansset Bay. In New York, a bridge is named after him, which connects Brooklyn and Staten Island.

The sailor's death remains a mystery. According to one version, he was killed and eaten by cannibal tribes from the Antilles. According to another, he was captured by the Spaniards and hanged as a pirate in Cadiz. But his countrymen remember and honor him. In the neighboring town of Greve in Chianti, where we went after the castle, a monument was erected to him.

Of course, we went to this Tuscan town not for the sake of a monument to the navigator, but for the sake of tasting local cellars. Imagine our surprise when it turned out that the tasting room was closed. In fairness, it should be said that there was not a single tourist on the street of the town, even the locals hid somewhere.

Greve, in fact, is a commune with a population of about 14 thousand people. The town is tiny, but the buildings there are very old XIV-XV centuries. In 1325, Greve was completely burned down and literally reborn from the ashes. It took almost a century to restore it, but now it is considered one of the main cities of the valley.

On the main square of the city, an unusual triangular shape, rises the church of Santa Croce, it is on the sharp top of the triangle. And on obtuse corners there are statues of the aforementioned navigator and such a cupbearer god, which is more like a quartered lover.

As one of my friends said: "I fell in love!"

Despite its microscopic size, Greve in Chianti is the capital of the valley, symbolized by this lively black cockerel.

According to one legend, in the 13th century, Siena and Florence had armed disputes over their borders (in the end, the Florentine Republic absorbed Siena). And so it was decided, at dawn, with the first cock crow, to send messengers from each city, and through the point where they intersect, to draw new borders. And while the well-fed, white and fluffy Siena cockerel slept sound sleep, the Florentine messenger has already set off, thanks to the premature cry of a black rooster, which roared with a good obscenity, when it had not even dawned yet, because they had not fed him the evening before. It was this bird, and it was for these merits, that they first placed on the flag of the Military League of Chianti Classico, and later on the labels of bottles of famous wine.

But besides wine, the valley is also famous for its pigs, from which all sorts of delicacies are made. These pigs are the product of selection of a restless person, but in this case glad that the crossing took place naturally, not with genetic engineering. So, a domestic pink pig was crossed with a wild free boar guy, and the Sinta Sinese breed turned out. sausage different varieties we stocked up to the eyeballs of the suitcase. It was delicious.

For the next famous product produced in the Chianti Valley, namely the Florentine steak, we went to the nearby village of Panzano to visit the famous butcher Dario Cecchini.

When an epidemic of mad cow disease swept through Europe, the Florentine steak was banned in Italy, since the causative agent of rabies was first found in the animal's spine. At this tragic moment for all the butchers of Italy - Dario arranged a "bistecchi funeral", he was shown on all Italian television channels and he immediately became famous.

This steak, Florentine in the sense, is made from local Chianina cows.

To be honest, we did not order a kilogram steak for each nose (one for two is not allowed, the policy of the institution). My pancreas is not someone else's, it will not endure such excesses, and I do not like to throw away food. Ordered two deli meats and one, like, hamburger. First time eating raw meat. I thought a terrible thing would happen, but nothing, the body did not protest either during the process of absorbing the evidence, or afterwards. True tasty, but not a masterpiece, again.

We sat and chatted about life with the Elite. We drank, we ate, we paid. I like it. A kind of local Tuscan popular flavor. Not true, it was good.

And the end point of our journey was the famous city-commune of San Gimignano. I was already in it, but my daughter was not. My first visit happened at the peak of the tourist season, when tourists rushed in swarms along the two streets of this fortified city, spinning around 14 medieval skyscraper towers in Brownian motion.

In the famous Chianti Valley in Italy, we managed to arrive at the wrong time. better weather. You can never trust forecasts... This summer does not please Italy at all with hot and sunny weather, it should be noted. At first we were upset when we saw the sky in the clouds. But, gradually blurred landscapes of Tuscany, blurred by high humidity and periodically starting rain, we were simply fascinated.

The views were like on the picturesque canvases of the old masters! As if the bright colors of summer have slightly lost their brightness from time to time ...

I deliberately did not improve the brightness in the photos with Photoshop.

The first breaths of autumn are already felt in Italy.

It comes at the end of October, but already at the end of August we saw slightly yellowed trees.

Endless vineyards with juicy bunches of almost ripe fruits and olive groves in the rounded Tuscan hills - such is it, the Chianti Valley.

Grapes were grown here by the ancient Etruscans.

Medieval castles and farmhouses, which often host cozy hotels; small wineries where you can taste all of the above wines, as well as local sausages and cheeses - you can get stuck here for a long time.

The famous Chianti Classico wines are produced in the Chianti Valley from Chianti grapes. As well as Brunello di Montalcino and San Giovese wines made from San Giovese grapes. The taste of wine differs significantly in different parts the Chianti valleys.

The Chianti Valley is located within the cities of Prato, Pistoia, and covers an area of about 90,000 hectares. We drove through the central part, called Chianti Classico. In addition to the central part, there are several more areas in the Chianti Valley:

Chianti Montalbano is located near the town of Montalbano north of Florence.
Rufina is located in the northeastern part of the valley.
Colline Fiorentini - south of the central part, in the Siena hills.
Colline Aretina - east and southeast of the city of Arezzo.
Colline Pisane west of the Chianti Classico, near Pisa.
Colline Montespertoli is located along the hills of Montespertoli in the western part of the valley.

The symbol of Chianti is the black rooster depicted on all bottles of wine and numerous souvenirs. The rooster was elevated to the rank of a symbol in the 13th century, when Siena and Florence were actively sorting out relations over the borders of their territories. Then the black cock of Florence crowed before the cock of Siena, bringing victory to his city. (How simply territorial disputes were sometimes resolved in those days ...)

After such a "rooster" victory, the cities of Castellina and Gaiole united in the Military League of Chianti Classico and placed the image of a cockerel on their flag. We drove through the territory of this former league by car.

Classical Tuscan landscapes with cypresses have not left anyone indifferent.

We stopped literally every kilometer to take a couple of shots.

In the Chianti Valley, amazing intoxicating fresh air.

In addition to vineyards, the Chianti Valley is famous for its olive groves and olive oil produced here.

Sometimes cities and towns suddenly appeared among the vineyards. Greve is the capital of the Chianti Classico. Without exception, gray hairs in this area are called with the ending "in Chianti", so most often when communicating in the valley this ending is omitted.

This time we only visited the city, which turned out to be right on our way. By the way, that path is the road from Siena to Florence, called Via Chiantigiana.