Tuscan Powerhouse Wines: Santa Cristina at the Astor Center
Emily Berryhill investigates Santa Cristina Estate’s superlative wines, traditions and heritage within the context of the notable Astor Center tasting event this month.
A group of VIP visitors touring campus facility stopped by a classroom where TuttoToscana student event managers were meeting.
“Ah, Santa Cristina” a man exclaimed as he glanced at Thursday’s blog post projected on the wall.
We are fortunate to have Santa Cristina Estate as sole wine sponsor for the TuttoToscana October 25th event at the Astor Center titled Italian Riviera: Coastal Flavors of Tuscany and Liguria event. Santa Cristina wine estate and wine brand is a property of the Marchesi Antinori, a group that stands out out for its excellent international reputation and heritage of producing Tuscan wines.
Santa Cristina Estate is perched over the Chiana Valley in the heart of Chianti, near Cortona. “Just like a good story, Santa Cristina never gets old.”
So as Apicius truly brings the culture of Tuscany and Santa Cristina to Astor Center, we wanted to review Camilla Carrega’s picks and pairings:
Santa Cristina’s first vintage was produced in 1946. Featured at the Astor Center are:
Santa Cristina Toscana IGT 2010: Pleasurable, easy drinking personality, this ruby red wine has purple glints. Distinctive, ample, intense aromas with notes of cherry and raspberry. Soft and balanced, tannins are supple and fruit is persistent in the finish. Paired this with our antipasti and focaccia course, this wine will bring out highlights of classic Tuscan ingredients: sage, onion, yellow pumpkin and veal.
Santa Cristina Campogrande Orvitieo Classico 2010: Our first white wine is savory, soft, easy drinking, full on the palate, aromas recalling bananas, pineapple, flowers and a sunny yellow color with green lights. Delightfully paired with first course pastas including spaghetti with clam sauce (alle vongole), tagliolini with mushroom sauce and testaroli with pesto.
Santa Cristina Chianti Superiore 2009: With 90% sangiovese grape content, the palate is balanced with polished tannins. Ruby red with purple lights, red fruit, particularly cherries and black currants, with vanilla come through. A robust wine to pair with hearty braised wild boar, stewed beef with artichokes, lamb.
Santa Cristina Pinto Grigio 2010: Full and soft, flavors of white and citrus, with an accent on pear, green apples and oranges. Perfectly paired with a delectable assortment of Tuscan dessert pastries.
See and explore Santa Cristina through this videoclip.
Check the Santa Cristina online cookbook, created in collaboration with Apicius! Seasonal Tuscan recipes and videorecipes featuring no other than Chef Trapani are available.
Astor event details and ticket prices can be found at the Riviera event page.
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About the blogger: Emily Berryhill is an undergraduate student completing studies in marketing, management, and hospitality at the University of South Carolina.
Photo courtesy of: Santa Cristina