Nothing to Wine About

One of the first experiences we had as a class when we arrived in Italy was going to a local winery in Castiglion Fiorentino called La Pievuccia, which is also considered to be an agriturismo. This is a term I was completely unaware of before this experience. Agriturismo is a combination of the words agriculture and tourism. It can be broadly described as an independently owned farm that is also used for accommodation purposes. However, the best part of an agritursimo is in my opinion the food! The food they prepare on their farm is from raw materials that they grow themselves or at least locally. Once we arrived to the farm, we were taken on a tour of the vineyard and also their garden, which was in an interesting spiral shape.  Apparently it is an example of permaculture, which is designed to grow diverse types of plant types together, that can be sustainable and self-sufficient. My dad enjoys growing different types of vegetables on our land, but I was very interested in this technique since it was something I had not seen before! I am excited to share La Pievuccia’s growing techniques with him when I get back home.

Once we were finished with the tour we were able to have a wine tasting, which was complete with food from the garden! We started with white wine, then to rosé, red, and finished with dessert wine. My favorite food item I tried was the asparagus on top of bread. The flavor of everything we tasted was incredible, and it really cool that it was all grown at the very farm we were visiting. I learned so much from this local trip to the agriturismo. For example, I was able to learn about how they produce their wine, all the steps and time that it takes until it is ready to be served, and the fact that they use glass corks to not disrupt the wine’s flavor. It was such an interesting place, and I would absolutely love to visit another agriturismo in the future. -CJC