October 15, 2021

CASTELLO DI VOLPAIA Chianti Classico Riserva 2017

(Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy) $25

Volpaia is a walled village built in the eleventh century on the top of a hill near the commune of Radda. In 1172, the village’s vineyards began to be planted. Over centuries, most of the village (with its formerly stunning churches and towers) and vineyards were abandoned or fell into disrepair. But beginning in 1966, the Stianti Mascheroni family began buying parts of the village and vineyards and painstakingly restoring them. Today Volpaia (the name means “foxes’ lair”) is a thriving rural village and wine estate, and nearly every inhabitant works directly or indirectly with the winery. The wine (not surprisingly) tastes of tradition, with its lovely aromas and flavors reminiscent of violets, ripe cherries, dried leaves, spices, truffles, and a walking-in-the-forest scent that’s totally seductive. A wine like this makes you crave great pasta. (14% abv)

95 points KM

Available at Gino Vino

Drinking establishments in Florence, Italy, are reviving the old practice of:

A. Refusing to serve wine to women before 5 pm

B. Putting sprigs of herbs in wines to add a sense of freshness to the flavor

C. Serving wine through “windows” to customers standing outside

D. Using a gallo della fortuna pitcher to pour wine directly into patrons’ mouths from 6 feet above

Known as buchette del vino, the windows were first used in the 17th century, during the plague, as a way for merchants to sell surplus wine without touching the infected. After customers left their payment on a metal pallet, the vendor would disinfect the coins with vinegar. The Associazione Buchette del Vino provides a map of the estimated 150 windows that still exist in Florence (with another 100 or so scattered throughout Tuscany). While the windows were traditionally used to serve wine, modern tastes call for cocktails, espressos, and gelato to be added to the menu. Fascinatingly enough, the gallo della fortuna (rooster of good fortune) wine pitcher is believed to have been commissioned in the 1500s by Giuliano di Lorenzo de’ Medici (1479-1516), a member of one of the most powerful landowning families in Florence during the Renaissance, to celebrate his narrow escape from an assassination attempt. As the mercenaries approached de’ Medici while he lay sleeping, the providential crowing of local roosters roused the nobleman and his guards. In Tuscany since then, the rooster has been a symbol of blessings, prosperity, and well-being, as well as one of the symbols of Chianti Classico.

Cooperage

Cooperage is the general term for containers used to store wine. Small barrels, large wooden casks, and stainless steel tanks are the most common kinds of cooperage, but containers made from concrete, fiberglass, and glass… Continue reading

CASTELLO DI VOLPAIA Chianti Classico Riserva 2017

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