Castello Vicchiomaggio Wine & Lunch Tour |TUSCANY | Bianca Valerio

Good morning everybody. I'm Bianca Valerio and welcome to Tuscany. You know Tuscan region has always been so dreamy to me because there's always time for wine. Even at this early day in the morning. It's actually April right now. It's spring. Yes I know that in the spring the weather is quite precarious. Unpredictable weather. Like literally it's not your typical April showers but the forecast today it's supposed to rain all day. So where am I? I'm here in Castello Vecchio Maggio. So Castello is castle. So apparently the place where we're going to used to be a castle. So we're gonna learn more about that. But for now it's our meeting up point. We're just waiting for a couple of people. Of course the tour it kind of depends how many people sign up. I think we're gonna go to a couple of places. But again depending on the weather that might change. But this tour actually also comes with a meal. And the great thing about the meal is there's a vegetarian option that is available. And of course with our wine pairing. And to cap it off I'm gonna be sleeping in a castle here in the heart of Tuscany. So we're gonna check that out. So if you notice that wine cellars are usually dark because light actually spoils the wine. So technically this light they're just turning it on for our sake or for my sake. But usually that's why cellars are dark and dreary and and even musty and cold. Because like you know those cryogenics. Like when you freeze things it lasts longer. So you know there's so many things that I'm learning as a novice when it comes to wine. So I'm just gonna share with you the things that I was able to absorb. So this is oak wood. Oak wood barrels. Of course the wood just like cooking barbecue. It leaves or injects a certain flavor from it. From the type of wood. You know it could be chocolate. It could be coffee. It could be cinnamon. It could be you know or even like fragrance right. It has like different notes to it. Okay now this one over here is a terracotta jar. And in fact the floor, the ceiling, it's actually just all terracotta. So if we're gonna go back to ancient times, we're talking the time of Jesus and before, they stored it in jars like this. But it was only in recent times that winemakers were like you know what why don't we put our wine over here. So this is actually, I don't know when they say that it's relatively new. I don't exactly know when. But this is sort of like people are making new discoveries, experimenting and see what flavors it gives you. And then these things right up top. If you see product in here, it shows that the jar is full, number one. And then two, it just prevents from oxidation. Because we know oxidation, even to the skin, so bad for you and it spoils it. And the more interesting thing that I learned is you actually see some water there and something about like if you need to release like CO2. The point is the guy who invented this, really awesome guy, Leonardo da Vinci. Yeah. Okay so a lot of these barrels you're gonna see, it says Chianti Classico. So Chianti Classico is actually a wine that is local to here, to the Tuscan region. So whether you're here in Italy or you're in another country and you want to enjoy let's say Tuscan wine, if on the label it actually says Chianti Classico, it means that the variety of grapes are called the Sangiovese. So Cecilia, you were just saying that there are two types of wine that they make here. So one of course is the Chianti Classico, which is you have to be able to, for it to be classified as that, you have to grow your grapes here and they have to be made from Sangiovese grapes. Exactly right, 80%. Now there's this other wine, which is this one, which you would classify as a Merlot and this is the one that has won obviously awards. But this one, it's like kind of make your own recipe, but it's a secret sauce. This is called a Super Tuscan. This makes this category of wine slightly more confusing, you know, because you never know in advance when you're going to get it. In other words, it's the priciest one, pretty much. And so now we enter the castle. So while Cecilia is accommodating our Russian friends, we are now entering the castle. So this castle is built from, I think, if I heard 950 AD. Wow, like after Christ, 950 after Christ. Now if you take a look at the architecture, it's actually a medieval castle. And you're probably thinking like, how is there even a castle that becomes like a vineyard? Okay, so the owner of the vineyard, so he's Italian, he had immigrated to England back in the day. He started importing We're talking a long time ago. I think he was like the first whoever did that he was importing like San Pellegrino into the UK. And that business did really, really, really well. And then he decided, you know what, I'm gonna go back home into Italy. And I'm gonna buy myself a castle, create a vineyard and make my own wine. You know, stuff and dreams, I'm telling you. So that's exactly what he did. So in the 1960s, he had purchased this castle. And it is as glorious as what you see it is today. Okay, so now we're going back in. So speaking of history, there are actually records that are sharing that there's evidence that Leonardo da Vinci had actually stopped by this place, which is pretty amazing. Wow. So if you're wondering where the Mona Lisa is, honey, she's right here. Don't worry, she's she's not lost. Oh my god. So this is our dining area. This is so stunning. Inside the castle, across the courtyard. Look how stunning that is. Obviously, depending on the season, or depending on how many guests there are. But it seems like there's so many names on each table. So there are a couple of people who take a look at that fireplace. Look how massive that is. I mean, of course, if we're talking about medieval times, it's not like they had heaters or they had air conditions. So these are the things that you would need in order to stay warm, especially in the colder seasons. And just take a look at this. Look at this candelabra. Oh, so beautiful. You've got here, grand piano. And all these windows are absolutely just huge. And the ceilings over here, very medieval style. You really do feel like you're in a castle. Oh, look, this is my table. I saw my name and voila, this is actually my table. I love that. So all these glasses, like, it actually has a label on it. Like it says, IGT Vipa del More. So it's sort of like, for the purpose of education, educating yourself. And also, if you actually want to buy the wine, you remember what's on your table. Correct? Absolutely. Sangiovese wine. Yes, Vado Anto, Sangiovese wine, Chianti Classico, what we would define Chianti Classico, Anga. So basically, it's the latest release of our youngest spoon. Compared to the other wines in the range, it's just more, the most simple one. So the first that she made me try, that I'm about to try, is a Chianti Classico Guado Alto. So this is like the first of three, right? So we do the swirling, correct? And then you do a bit of the smell. So they say, like, you taste first with your eyes and then with your nose. And then I have to do it a little sexy, sexier. I'll do it again. But what I learned from Cecilia earlier, the goal is you kind of want it to wrap in the sides of your mouth. Oh, I can feel it now. Yes, the watering, which means like it's that acidity. And so now it's sort of like working up an appetite. You, oh my god, and I can taste like, even more flavors. Oh my god, it's making my teeth, like, kind of, gums kind of tingly. And look at that! What? So this is the second glass of wine. The name of the wine is Agoschino Verdi. The vintage is 2021. The blend for this wine is 90% Zanduvia, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. So here's the second wine. Okay, my honest opinion about this, this is drier. Maybe. I find this a little drier than the first one. The first one has a milder sweetness to it. This one, the second one, the Agoschino Verdi, it's a little bit bolder. Yeah. It's a little bit bolder, but I find that there is more dryness than this first one. But yes. Okay, so now we're moving on to our third and last wine. Rippa delle Mori, 2021. So we said, we spoke about this category of wines, right? Yeah. It's a super tough. This is super tough. And it's 50% of a bottle is Zanduvia, and 30% is Cabernet Sauvignon. 20%. And so, it's like, it has a chianti heart. I noticed that the packaging is different. It's not like, it's so long. Yeah, the label is different just because it's a super tough. And so, on our Chianti Classic, it was just, the label is always the same. Just the color of the label changes. So what I'm learning from Cecilia is the first one, you know, it's sort of like, like, you know, how some people, they only like their wine red, or they only like their team red or team white. So it doesn't always mean that red should always be like with meats, right? Yeah. Look, so I had learned from Cecilia, not necessarily because I'm vegetarian, they're actually serving me a vegetarian meal today. And that there are certain vegetables, like an eggplant, Parmesan, tomato-based sauces would actually complement the acidity with the wine. Look at me sounding like a sommelier. Okay. And our second glass of wine, she was saying that you can do it like with a pasta, something a little bit like a bolder flavor. And then the third one, it's one of those like, it's like Madonna and Cher or Beyonce. They don't need a Jay-Z or anybody. You just campfire the fireplace and all you need is a glass of this baby right here. You don't need nobody else, correct? Netflix and vino. Okay, so now I have my appetizers. It's a plate of bruschetta. So we have three types of bruschetta that we have here. There's one, they're just a plain one. I reckon it's just with olive oil. So let's try that first. Phenomenal. Okay. Really nice. You know, in a way, this is very tart, but then when you have it with the olive oil, it kind of brings it to this earthy, leafy, it's like a swaying from like one side over the other. They're really nice and it's not heavy. So let's try the one where this is an artichoke flour. Okay. And artichokes are huge in Italy. It's a season now. It's actually coming to a close this season. So let's try that. So it's fried artichoke flour with some, I don't know, string beans. I'm not really sure. Okay. There's a bitterness from those string beans and a bit of sweetness from the flour. Very nice. It's almost like they purposely paired this with a bitter, a bit of a bitter vegetable because the tartness of this, it kind of like balances it off. Like it neutralizes it. Okay. This I reckon is cheese. So let's give it a try. That cheese is excellent. Holy cow. It's a soft cheese, but even if it's soft, it has this really strong, pungent flavor. But then when I have it with the wine, it's almost like it brings out the milkiness, like the dairy, like the milkiness of the cheese. It's almost like a smooth sauce. Like it's kind of hard to explain. We're having the Agostino Patti. It's the Chianti Classical Riserva. Here we go. And we're having over there Chianti Classical Riserva. That's nice. You know, the first one, it was red, but it was light. You know, the second one, it has a very homey type of a feel. I know it doesn't sound like a taste, but then again, when you think about food, when you think about wine and food, it also gives you a lot of feelings. Like it feels like a bowl of ice cream, feels like a warm hug, you know, a big bowl of soup or pasta. In this case, very simple pasta. And they say it's usually the simple dishes that are hardest to make because there's no hiding. You just have that. It's literary pasta, which is very al dente. And then because it's flat, so you know, it's not like a big chew in your mouth where you're just savoring the wine. The acidity of the wine together with the acidity of the tomato with the pasta all together. And because it's also warm, or rather room temperature with a warm pasta, it in a way kind of neutralizes it to make it more of a peaceful taste. Very nice. Sorry. Oh, there you are. Hi. Thank you so much. So now I'm on my last course, but this is the last wine, which is the IGT Eripa del More. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to do with something crisp and light. We're going to start with the fried zucchini flowers. Okay. So what I also learned from Cecilia, you know, when you're eating like a lot of savory foods, it can be really, really rich, especially when you're eating a lot of fried food. And the acidity from the wine cuts the greasiness or the oiliness of your food with the acidity. Okay. From something crispy and oily, we're going to go with something roasted. So there is like a smokiness to it. Okay. You have like this warm, it's super earthy, it's super rustic because it's a mash, but it's still like slightly solid components in it. And then you have your roasted vegetable. And for me, because it's, you can see it, it's not like super charred. It's still relatively fresh. So there's cold, there's warm, there's chunky, there's creamy. Amazing. I can still taste the pecorino. And then voila, you cap it off with that wine. Wow. That's really, really good. You know what? Before I give it away, I want to just enjoy this meal this time, just all by myself. Even if the meal is over, just have a little, as my server said, a time of meditation. Yes. Some quiet time and reflecting on how amazing this meal has been. So thank you for being my date here in Tuscany at Castello Vecchio Maggio. I'm Bianca Valerio. Do subscribe to my YouTube channel. I mean, as you can see, I have a very simple following, but I do have a passionate way of sharing with you travels through the world, not just through experiences, but through life. Until next time. Cheers, everyone.