Via Chianti Classico

The Chianti Classico region of Tuscany stretches from just south of Firenze to Siena, and I think we covered a large portion of the region during our wine tour today aboard a Mercedes Benz 8-passenger mini-bus. Our guide and driver, Danielle, was excellent and if you are ever in need of a wine tour or a guide in Tuscany, I have his contact infomation. Our first stop was just a few minutes away from our villa, at the Florence American Cemetary and Memorial( http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/fl.php ) honoring the US Soldiers and Sailors who died during the Second World War invasion of Itay. To see the hillside covered with crosses was very moving. (More stories to tell about this visit, but that will have to wait for another day).
On to the vino and the drive down the Via Chianti through the beautiful heart of the region. I am afraid my pictures will not do justice to the landscape. Just visualize all the lovely pictures you have seen of Tuscany and that is what we saw today.
We stopped in Greve in Chianti for a brief tour of the town, a walk-thru of a wonderful meat market, and a quick café on the square. Next was a wine tasting, again in Greve. This large wine store had a tasting system identical to Tastings in St. Petersburg, where you purchase a set balance on a magnetic chip card, select your wine, and the amount is deducted from your card balance. We also enjoyed free olive oil tastings. It was great fun, but we had an appointment for a tasting and lunch at Casa Emma, one of the many members of the Consorzio del Vino Chianti Classico (http://www.chianticlassico.com/english/index.asp ). This consortium requires that the producers follow very rigid standards to have the right to lable their wine with the black rooster, Gallo Nero. Casa Emma is a small to medium producer of approximately 90,000 bottles annually. After a tour of the winery, we moved to the cantina to taste three of their wines, a Chianti Classico, Chianti Classico Reserva, made with a minimum of 90% sangiovesse grape, and their Super Tuscan made with merlot grapes. Apparently they were the first to produce a Super Tuscan with merlot. All were great, but my favorite was the Reserva, which resulted in me spending many Euro on a bottle to bring home. (Which now means I will HAVE to check my bag, oh, well, we all must make some sacrifices.) Actually I really liked the Super Tuscan, but my QPR (Quality to Price Ratio) was highest for the Reserva. The tasting included a big selection of crostini and bruschetta topped with local meats, cheeses and vegetables. Have I mentioned "yummy"?
Next stop was in Radda in Chianti, another very quaint small Tuscan town, for café and dolce, before starting our drive back to the villa. Danielle took us on a very hilly and winding road across the highest point of the Chianti mountains for more breathtaking views. The road reminded me of the twisting, turning road going north out of Highlands NC. The days excursion covered many kilometers and almost 8 hours.
Back at the villa, after a brief rest, I am enjoying a pre-dinner glass of Prosecco. Good thing none of us like wine.