Up Close With A JBF Wine Producer: Castello di Volognano, 100% Farm to Table
Emily Berryhill’s first hand account of her trip with TuttoToscana co-bloggers and team members Meaghan Kacsmar, Kati Peters, Kathy Martinez and Tyler Bagwell, to Castello di Volognano to investigate wine production from the producers perspective.
At 10:00am Friday morning, the Apicius team boarded a train from Florence’s Santa Maria Novella train station, to Castello di Volognano, a Chianti vineyard owned by TuttoToscana’s wine coordinator, Camilla Carrega’s family that has produced wine, olive oil and grappa for over 30 years.
Camilla Carrega and an associate demonstrated each step of wine production, clearly illustrating the concept of farm to table. From weigh station to fermentation rooms the see, sniff, sip and summarize finally became crystal clear.
“Behind every bottle of wine is the passion of the wine maker,” Camilla emphasizes.
Next, a blind tasting took us by surprise.
We were ushered up the stairs, into a large dining room and seated with three mystery wines in front of us. Each of us could carefully taste and select a favorite.
Afterwards, bruschetta and pecorino cheese were paired with the same wines so that we could discuss wine personalities, and which flavor combinations tasted best. This was all together a different exercise. Wines really taste totally different when tasted with food.
Meaghan’s first pick was the aged table wine for it’s well balanced taste, but when it came to the pairings she opted for the 2008 Chianti Colli Fiorentini, which seemed to become rounder and smoother. Kati’s palate leaned towards the same Chianti, but her opinion remained unchanged even after the pairing.
My personal favorite was the aged table wine, with a fuller body than the younger table wine but more acidity than the Chianti.
Our last course was a petite glass of precious amber-colored Tuscan super-specialty Vin Santo liqueur, served with cantuccini, traditional almond biscuits.
This Castello di Volognano Vin Santo will be the dessert wine served at the James Beard Foundation lunch.
The best Vin Santo is made in three regions of Tuscany: Chianti, Chianti Classico and Montepulciano. Mentions of Vin Santo are traced back to the 14th century. Although the true origin of the name is uncertain, one sure fact is Vin Santo or “holy wine” was widely used for Mass and other church events, as well as to greet guests with hospitality. Ranging in color from amber to even neon orange, Vin Santo exudes an aroma of almonds and dried fruit compliments that enhance the distinctive nutty flavor of the biscotti and lingers delightfully on the palate.
The entire day is now indelibly engraved in our collective memories as an exquisite Tuscan sensory experience, and we can only imagine that guests at the James Beard Foundation will enjoy this delicious piece of Tuscan culture as much as we did.
Reserve your seats at a TuttoToscana event! Seats are still available at the Astor Center on October 25. 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 credit: Meaghan Kacsmar