Wine Club Trip: Travel Journal - July 28, 2008

Italy Trip - Day 2: La Cuccina

Why is it that one can drink during lunch, through dinner, here in Italy, and still feel fabulous? It must be the Mediterranean climate, or the Italian food, or the clean air, or the rustic wines – at any rate, today has been heavenly here at the Castello.

We start early in the morning with a fresh, country breakfast; Just-squeezed orange juice, organic yoghurt, fresh fruit, Italian meats and cheeses, house-made jams and, of course, Italian espresso! Feeling fresh from our sleep and caffeine, we head up the hill to our cooking class – where we are met by Chef Fabbrizo Candela and Sous-Chef Richard Taylor.

Over the next three hours, we rolled dough, melted cheese and zested lemon in the 17th century farm house that houses the restaurant at Gabbiano, the Il Cavaliere. We took a break mid-way for a tour of the Italian herb and vegetable garden to learn how most of the food for the restaurant is grown.

After our hard labors, we sat down to lunch to see how well we did. Our menu:

• Parmesan Basket with Arugula and Tuscan Ham
• Pici (hand made-and-rolled pasta) with Cinta (Tuscan sausage) sauce-Lemon Cream with Strawberry and Amaretti
• Buonissimo! (If I don't say so myself)

Then we move onto our wine tour. A thunderstorm erupts as we rush into the 11th century castle to listen to Silvia Bottelli, the wine educator, talk about the history of the castle (Did you know Michelangelo stayed here? That is way more impressive than George Washington). Then, with the rain stopping, we walked around the 100-acre property and ended up in the ancient wine caves, that used to be used for production, but are now used for ageing wine. Silvia told us about the huge oak casks that typically hold Chianti, and then the smaller 225-liter barriques that are used to impart more oakiness to more tannic vintages of other wines. We saw the old cellars, and where in the mid 15th century, the animals were even kept!

We finish up, of course, with a wine tasting. Silvia is joined by winemaker Giancarlo Roman, who has been at Castello di Gabbiano since 1990. We tasted through all their wines, and the undisputed favorite was the 2004 Alleanza! The blend of Merlot and Sangiovese was a hit with the crowd.

Dinner tonight is back at Il Cavaliere – but this time we are much benefited from a professionally made meal! We enjoy asparagus cream with baby clams and eggplant with mint, pork tenderloin with red pepper sauce and pannacotta. As usual, the service is relaxed, and the conversation flowing. Many bottles of Gabbiano Sparkling wine, and Alleanza are opened, and we enjoy the vineyard terrace all to ourselves in the evening (which cooled down considerably from the rain.)

As I go to sleep in my canopy bed and look out at the stars, I cannot imagine a more perfect day.

Ciao from Tuscany,