Siena

Caution: this post involves drinking, gluttony, and theft.

In other words, my favorite things. 😉

We left Siena from Montalcino on a tour bus with 4 strangers and a tour guide, Mattea. It was to be a relaxing wine tasting, followed by lunch, another tasting, and then a ride back to the hotel. Little did Mattea know, this was no ordinary tour group.

First fateful stop: Il Cocco

It was here that we met our new BFF – Christal. A New Mexican woman living at the winery with Giacomo, her wine-maker boyfriend (yes, we were all jealous of this modern-day Cinderella story).

Giacomo and juice

Christal labeling bottle at lightening speed

Wayward Wandering Wino Tour Group

At Il Cocco we tasted a fabulous Rosso di Montalcino and a Brunello di Montalcino.

Montalcino is a small hill town about 30 miles outside of Siena in the Tuscan region. It is believed to have been founded in the early 9th century. The town is famous for its Brunello – and rightfully so.

Brunello is the first wine to be awarded DOCG status. It is made from the sangiovese grosso grape and must be aged 5 years before it is ready to be sold. The Riserva must be aged 6 years, and is only produced only during the best vintages. Brunello is a smooth, fruit-forward wine, often with notes of blackberry, black cherry, and chocolate. I like the leather taste more commonly noted in the Riserva.

Rosso di Montalcino (aged just one year) is made from the same grape and is often called “Baby Brunello.” It is good, but much lighter (and less expensive) than Brunello. It’s all much cheaper in Italia.

Check out the price tag on the bottle below. I paid $80 USD or the same bottle at a restaurant in Atlanta.

Back to our crime novella.

We needed to leave Il Cocco to get to our lunch reservation… but how could we leave our new BFF behind?! Into the van went Christal the winemaker’s girlfriend! Bwhahahaha!

After a lunch (and a limoncello digestif) we were off to…

Second fateful stop: Le Potazzine. A Potazzine is a small bird found in the hillside, but it is also and endearing term used by adults to refer to children. The two birds on this winemaker’s label represent his two daughters. How cute is that?!

I particularly enjoyed their Brunello

Here’s where the hijacking begins. We were supposed to be dropped back in Siena after this stop. Tour over. What had happened was…

There was a bottle of their absolutely fabulous 2004 Riserva. And there were several of us that thought it would be a good idea to buy this bottle – it was one of the last bottles left! Did I mention this was a magnum bottle? Wine is better in magnum bottles. How could we NOT buy it and solidify our friendship by sharing with the backdrop of a Tuscan sunset?

Corinne and me with our bounty

It only took a little convincing, but eventually Matteo caved to the pressure and agreed to take us all back to Il Cocco to drink the bottle.

Matteo, Corinne, and a thirsty kitten

I wish we had more time to open the bottle and let it breathe (often these wines will be opened the day before drinking to allow it to open up), but we did hold off for an hour. It was fabulous.

Check out those legs!

We took our glasses and walked down to Giacomo’s vineyards, where we cheered to our perfect, unpredictable day and took in the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen.

Bright green vines, the smell of fresh grapes, a Tuscan sunset, and a special bottle of wine with friends. La dolce vita.

I’m going back to Il Cocco next year to help with the harvest. Not kidding.

Get ready, Christal!!!

***

Check out my “dream vacation” guest post on Corey’s blog – Learning Patience!

What is your dream vacation?

If money, family, other obligations, etc. were no object, where would you live?

Today the Italian adventures continue in Siena.

I took a little recap break to post some of the dishes I’ve made. Some – like this and this – were inspired by my travels… only I made them like your vegan-ish Italian grandmother would. 🙂

The Tuscan region was home to some of the best food on the trip. Certainly the best gelato!

In order to get to Siena, we braved the overnight trains (not recommended without a seat reservation… using the restroom on the train also not recommended) and arrived in Siena sometime around 6am. Thank god our room was ready early and we were able to take a nap before exploring the city.

Despite the train-lag, we got moving in time for lunch. The view from our room had me bouncing out of bed!

For lunch we followed a Rick Steve’s recommendation that promised vegetarian fare (we were deprived of veggies after all that travel). He was spot on – this Osteria was awesome!

The servers were very nice (and patient). One was even wearing a Fenway Park shirt. The veggies were just what we needed to begin the day:

We wandered through town before resting at the main piazza to enjoy a coffee while people-watching. Followed by gelato (banana and nutella for me).

Next on the agenda was the Duomo (the tallest point you can see in the pic of our view from the hotel room). They sell a pass for the whole artistic complex of “Opera della Metropolitana di Siena” for 10 Euro! Sold.

In the opera museum we were able to view some incredible paintings, sheet music from operas, and sculptures. It still blows my mind to think the history behind it all. From the museum there is a long, winding staircase to the top of a tower offering a view that will take your breath (so will all those stairs!).

The 10 Euro tour then took us inside the Cattedrale, followed by the Cripta below. I was most excited about the crypt, but they must have been renovating because much of it was blocked off or not labeled (unmarked mounds containing bodies = not as exciting).

The cathedral was stunning. I was back to my over-used phrase: This doesn’t even look real!

At this point my camera died… which didn’t stop me from making everyone pose for a pic in the Battistero (a smaller church housing works from many of the greatest Renaissance sculptors).

Dead cameras don’t end the day – we hauled it back to out hotel to re-charge batteries – electronic and our own. We had met a friend along the way earlier in the day who promised us a delicious dinner.

He was the chef at a restaurant we had also found via Rick Steve: Antica Osteria da Divo. If you are ever in Siena, I highly recommend this place. It’s a gorgeous dining room and the food is top-notch.

Beautiful setting

2007 Castello di Ama Chianti Classico

Rolled zucchini filled with pecorino cheese from Pienza and kale served over caramelized red onions

Scallops browned with citrus-bread crumbs, served over pumpkin cream and watercress

Risotto with fresh Porcini mushrooms and Saffron served table-side in a form of demi-seasoned pecorino cheese

I almost asked for seconds

Hand-rolled Senese pasta with Selvatic meat (Wildboar-Venison-Deer) sauce, “Taggiasche” olives, juniper berries and rosemary-scented crispy bread

Rolled pork stuffed with spinach and fresh pecorino cheese, truffle sauce and caramelized scallions

Rolled pan biscuit ,vanilla cream, and pear cooked in Chianti Classico with a caramel net

A picture cannot begin to do that dessert justice. It was a work of art.

Feeling fat and happy, we took a walk back to our hotel. The chef and waiter invited us for drinks, but we were still tired from the train and needed to wake up early. The next day would bring a trip to Montalcino to learn about Brunello wine.*

*This is the part of the trip where we hijacked a tour bus. No joke. Check back for the rest of that story. 🙂

***

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Do you enjoy going to museums when you travel or are you more of an unorganized explorer?

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Hijacking a Brunello Wine Tour

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