Day 7 was the first of the day trips we have arranged through the school. Today was a nice bus ride up to the Tuscan countryside.
This area is known for the production of peccrino cheese, amazing views, and of course WINE. This region produces more wine than the rest of Italy. It is famous for its tuscans and super tuscans.
To give kinda a really crash course of how wine regions are divided, first you have the country, in this case, Italy. From there you have the reigon (there are 20 total in the country): Tuscany. Then comes the sub regions within that area: 7 for Tuscany. We visited the Piedmont area. From the Piedmont area you have your vineyard, in my case Bindella.
To kinda put this in American terms: USA, California, Russian River Valley, "brand name".
Bindella is on a picturesque hillside that faces the southwest and west on approx. 300 acres. They produce primarily Red wines and are known for their Barbaresco which is considered a king of wines in this region. They also produce Asti, a sweet wine and one or two white wines. Most of their wines are DOC or DOCG, some being IGT.
These two classifications are ways that wines are graded. Every single process is inspected to ensure that the wines meet qualifications to be considered a DOC or DOCG.
DOC is a lesser grade than DOCG. A vineyard must be DOC for 5 years in order to be considered to be DOCG. However, the revenue and industry position that can be gained from these classifications are worth the money and hard work.
In both processes everything from the type of grapes in a wine, % of the amounts of the grapes, the year of the grapes, artificial watering of the vines in case of a drought, the amount of water, how they are watered. How long the juice is aged and fermented for, how long it is left in the bottles. The type of wood used, labeling processes, etc. etc. This is a very intense process, but worth it to produce a quality wine in the end.
For instance, one of the wines we tried was a 2007 Bindella Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG. This wine was aged for 2 years in french oak barrels, an additional 1.5 years in the bottles and then could be sold. A the same wine from this season would be available to purchase in early 2015 to put into perspective of the long process that it takes.
However, this is not to say all of their wines are aged that long. We also tried a 2009 DOC, which doesn't have to be aged as long.
One of the biggest things in wine selections is to make sure that you are buying the right thing. Reserva means reserve. This means that it was the best of the best grapes that year and an exceptional wine. Grading does not always mean a good tasting wine. IGT, DOC, DOCG are all terms to refer to the quality of the production process, not the wine itself. Finally an old wine isn't always a good wine. Some wines are produced to be drank young. Others are produced to be drank old, it all depends on the wine. Confused a bit? Its okay, wine is a language of its own that takes years of speaking to begin to understand.
We also had a tour of the vineyard. Which was really AWESOME. we saw the earliest grapes just begining to grow on the vine, the aging rooms, mashing rooms, and finally a tasting.
Aside from the vineyard, we also went to 2 other towns that I can't recall the name of right now, but will get back to you on that one.
We went into servral cheese shops in this area and saw, and tried the famous peccrino cheese that they make as well as wild boar that is slow cooked and has a wonderful crisp skin.
Its time for me to get some food now (not sure what im goin to go have)
Walk, don't run when enjoying alcohol.
Until-
Matt
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