Going All Natural in Castiglion

June 4, 2014

ows of grapes in the vineyard

In the afternoon today we visited a vineyard called La Pevuccia that was located within Castiglion Fiorentino. The winemaker took us on a tour around the vineyard and taught us about how they grew their crops and how it was better for the environment and also created a superior taste in their products. He called it “bionatural”, which is one step above organic, because not only do they use all natural fertilizer and pesticides but the whole garden is sustainable. Basically, the various products and chemicals the other plants in the vineyard give off naturally are beneficial to other plants within the vineyard. So, no nutrients are wasted and the plants never need to receive water from any source other than rainfall.

Large wooden wine barrel

The winemaker took us to the wine vats next and described the wine making process and how to make the various types of wine. From the grapevine, the grapes were squished in a machine and then transferred to large vats. The vats were gigantic and they also had wooden barrels that held the wine for several months to age the wine. To make the different types of wines, it actually depends on the skin of the grapes and also what types of grapes that are used. So, red wine is made from fermented grapes AND the skin. Rose wine is made from grapes and the skins combined for several hours, but then the skins are quickly taken away, which gives that wine a pink or rosy color. White wine is made from fermented grapes only without any skins added. Then of course there are specific types of wine for each “color”, but that is very complex and it depends on the region it was produced and the species and percentages of each species of grapes used. I had my first wine tasting ever and the wine there was good. This was the first time I’ve tried rose wine, but my favorite was the red wine. We also tried the Vin Santo, which was the dessert wine for this region. Not many people liked it but I did.

Our class then did a hike up a surrounding hill that held a castle at its peak and it gave a magnificent view of Castiglion Fiorentino. I had an embarrassing moment on the way back down because I had a classic point and look “Hey, there’s Santa Chia-“, and one of my legs slipped into a ditch. I came out of it unscathed and everyone laughed once I got back up on my feet but I laughed right alongside them because it honestly was a goofy moment for me.

Castiglion Fiorentino countryside from the castle

Stay classy Castiglion,
Quinten Plumer