A Week of Wine Tasting

This past week our class walked to an Agriturismo for a wine tasting and vineyard tour. The walk itself was beautiful, as we would stop every few minutes to take pictures of another gorgeous flower or talk about a certain plant species and its characteristics. When we arrived at the Agriturismo the owner took us on a tour around his vineyard of grapes and olives, and through his seasonal garden. This agriturismo allowed their guests to use the seasonal vegetables from the garden during their stay to make their own dinner if they wanted to. We were able to walk through the vineyards and observe the different varieties of grapes that he was producing, including chardonnay and Merlot vines. Everything was grown completely natural, with no fertilizer other than the natural compost that they make themselves. They also hand pick their fruits rather than using a machine; it was incredible to learn how much time and dedication they put into the production of their products. After the tour of the vineyard, we were able to see the barns that he uses to produce and store all of his wine, and then we proceeded over to the tasting room. We tried a white, rose, red, and dessert wine. Each was paired with a fresh tasty snack. To work off all that we had just consumed, our class hiked up to a castle afterwards, which was incredible! It was a steep trek, but completely worth it! We ended the week with another wine tasting in Montepulciano, which was incredible as well. At this one we were given three different red wines, allowing us to compare and contrast them side by side. Wine is one of those things that will never get old because each bottle has so many unique techniques put into its production that create such different flavors. I think that we have all enjoyed developing our individual palettes for wine!

Wine Tasting #2

Chardonnay Vines

Cheers,

Kara P.