Our final day had a bonus, rather than driving straight to the airport after breakfast we took advantage of San Gimignano being en route. A pleasant walk from where the coach dropped us took us to the beautiful estate of Cappella Sant’ Andrea, home of Francesco and Flavia del Seta. Here, in the family farm they grow vines organically, assisted by their dogs, cats, horses, pony, donkey, goats, chickens and possibly turtles.
Our host was Tomaso, who introduced the estate wonderfully and quickly had us trying their wines, over lunch, in the old farmhouse. He described the San Gimignano DOCG as a little island of white wine amid a sea of red – only Vernaccia can be made under the DOCG, though reds and rosés are permitted under the DOC. The soil is sandy, and as it is an old seabed there are fossilised remains of seashells strewn about the vineyards, which lend a salinity and minerality to the famous wines – this was the first region in Italy to be awarded a DOC, wine has been made here for centuries.
With some lovely crudities and a cannelloni bean soup we enjoyed their three whites, a basic Vernaccia, a Riserva and their top wine, vinified in amphora. All expressed the herbal, mineral character of these dry wines, but with increasing power and length of finish.
With our salamis and cheeses we drank their Chiantis, a Chianti Colli Senesi and a Chianti Riserva, both super – fresh ripe fruit with lovely tannins that complemented the food beautifully. It was interesting to learn that the Riserva can only be made as a Chianti as they do not use oak barrels in its maturation, a requirement of Riservas in the Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG.
After some delicious saffron icecream (made with locally grown saffron, all of lunch was sourced from the farm or neighbours) we had a quick tour of the vineyards and winery. It was a glorious afternoon and the views were stunning. In the vessels we saw the stainless steel vats and amphora used for the white wines, and the concrete vats used for the reds (the first time I have ever seen ‘barrels’ made from concrete!).
And so the tour was ending. Those returning home got back on the coach, and made it safely to Pisa Airport. Some lucky people were heading on for further adventures. All agreed it had been a great trip, and looked forward to meeting again on a future wine adventure.
