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A new beginning Springtime is just around the corner. Days are getting longer, temperatures are getting milder Obviously with the change of season also some sort of change in terms of the foods that make up our tables will be welcome. Winter recipes loaded with ingredients, and complex in textures and flavors will gradually leave more space to lighter dishes, simple and suitable for less rigid climates. Therefore, let's analyze together the best combinations we can approach for this spring period. Let's probably start from one of the most iconic foods of Tuscany in Springtime. Fava beans and Pecorino cheese… read more

Thursday February 24, 2022, in other words Fat Thursday. First day of Carnival, first day of big celebrations all over Italy. People of all ages pouring into the streets. The buzz of the people mixes with the music in the streets creating a unique and unrepeatable symphony. The smell of sweets and fried food is strong in the air. Normality is not so far away. As we said Carnival is a festival loved by young and old, and the spirit of it is strong in the spirit of Italians and not! Let's see then to understand where this recurrence comes… read more

How many times while passing by a vineyard, during a walk in the countryside, we asked ourselves whether there were different types of cultivation of vines and of course whether these different approaches had an important impact on the vineyards it self. The answer is yes to both questions. The one of cultivation styles is an extremely complex and variegated way but we tried to summarize and simplify it for you. Having said that, make yourselves comfortable, pour yourselves a glass of wine and let's learn together something more about the world of viticulture. First of all let's try to… read more

We are approaching the 14th of February and it is time for Valentine’s Day. After two years of the pandemic, many are probably looking forward to Valentine’s Day as a way to finally be able to celebrate something while others may find it a tad bit superficial after what the world has gone through. Be that as it may, Valentine’s Day is an occasion to be a bit more romantic than usual. People, in general, try to express their feelings with chocolate, flowers, romantic cards, and candlelight dinners, to name a few possibilities. However, what about expressing one's feelings with… read more

Valentine's Day, of course, represents one of those holidays where we can pamper ourselves and, most of all, pamper the person we love with small and great gifts that can also last over time. Obviously wines are the best suited to be chosen as gifts that can last for years. We already explained in the past, however, that not all wines can age. When a wine can age? In case we wanted to sum up the characteristics a wine must have in order to age, we could simply say:" a wine that can age is first of all a great… read more

After the first article dedicated to color and aromas we could not miss part number two where we analyze the main components of wine's taste In the taste of wine are summed up all the gustatory and olfactory sensations (defined as taste-olfactory) as well as tactile sensations. In wines it is possible to appreciate hardness, smoothness, aggressiveness and delicacy. These types of sensations are related to substances which are present in macroscopic quantities. We are therefore talking about ethyl alcohol, acids and glycerol. Dry Wines As for dry wines, in most of cases there are no residual sugars or, when… read more

Have you ever wondered what is actually the composition of wine? Let's analyze it together in this article and let's try to make things clearer. First of all we should make clear that wine is a solution in which are dissolved more than 600 substances. Some of them derive, of course, from grapes, others from fermentation processes. Other substances are formed during the years - during the aging in cask and during the aging in bottle. The wine will get richer in nuances, the bouquet will get more complex. The story of our greatest bottle. What does color depend on?… read more

Dry January is a way to stay off the alcohol for a month after the holiday season with a lot of overindulgences. In January, we need to lose some weight, get healthy, and try to get back on track. However, where does Dry January come from? What does it mean more specifically? Last but not least, is Dry January something we even consider when being in the midst of a pandemic? Let us find out more. What is Dry January? Dry January was started in 2012 by the British charity Alcohol Change UK as a way to help people moderate… read more

Epiphany is also commonly referred to in Italy as the Festa della Befana. Celebrated on 6 January, it is probably one of the most popular festivals for children. Obviously, every country in the world has its own way of celebrating it, but let's try to understand what are the traditions that distinguish our beautiful Italy. Where does Epiphany come from? This feast is the commemoration of the day (the twelfth since Christmas) when the Magician Kings arrived at the stable where Jesus Christ was born, bringing with them gold, frankincense and myrrh. Italian children are used to putting in empty… read more

We are just but a day from Christmas in Tuscany and all over the world and last-minute shopping and preparations are at their height. Even though the Omicron is running fast, we probably all have the same pre-holiday stress all over the world but the Christmas traditions vary a bit from country to country and region to region. In Tuscany, the Christmas traditions center around food, of course, but also some other ancient traditions we will take a closer look at. We have also asked Ilaria and Francesco here at Fattoria di Montemaggio about their Christmas traditions in Chianti. Christmas… read more