Holding up a glass of deep burgundy vino against a backdrop of endless sentry of meticulously arranged wine bottles, I idly swirl it like a magic potion and let its vintage scent simmer in my senses. “The Chianti Classico Reserva from 2016. Since we are in Tuscany best start with the wine of this region”, Sommelier Andrea Petraroli added to the moment with his tuneful Italian accent.
The Belmond Villa San Michele wine cellar is not in the basement as usually found in Italian Villas. It is rather peculiarly placed between the Loggia restaurant and a petit bar. It could easily be missed by a visitor distracted by the adjoining Loggia’s expansive views.
I discovered it when during dinner, the properties’s sommelier introduced a new grape to me. I was particularly enamoured by the Friulano grape wine that tastes like a divine medley of perfectly ripe pineapple and chardonnay grapes. Fruilano from Le Vigne Di Zamò, a winery located in the absolute north of Italy. Although I did not have the time to visit all of Italy’s wine regions, I did have the pleasure of being steps away from a well stocked wine cellar.
Sommelier Petraroli very politely agreed to spend a few hours with me the next day to enlighten me of Italian grapes and wine regions less traversed by non Italian travellers.
Out of the many popular wine regions that I learned about, it is the north of Italy that fascinated me the most. After a diverse wine tasting session at the Belmond villa, I found myself fuzzily day dreaming of driving a topless Ferrari, hopping from one winery to another on my next trip to Italy with Bradley Cooper (Who is half Italian)!
Here’s a lowdown of the wisdom and wine instilled in me by Belmond’s sommelier. A must follow record for any earnest wine lover.
North Italy
“There are two main regions in northern Italy. The Piemonte and the Veneto region.” Piemonte is in Piedmont where one must taste the Barbaresco and Barolo wines by Gaja. The Gaja family is originally from Spain and moved to Italy in the 17th century! If time is of the essence while in Italy, Gaja’s highly acclaimed Barbaresco wine with dominant cherry and spice notes can also be found at the Belmond Villa San Michelle. Follow a glass of Barbaresco with some Barolo wine like Conterno Reserve from 1995, 1997 vintages to take a sensory trip up north while still sitting in Firenze.
“The other part of north Italy is Veneto” says Petraroli while carefully pulling out a sleepy bottle of Amarone from the dusted shelf. “It is from Valpolicella” Amarone is a blend of red grapes (mostly Corvina grape) that together produce a dry red and full bodied wine. This wine is one that gets better with ageing (like Bradley Cooper).
Tuscany
“What are the top three wineries one must visit while in Tuscany?”, I asked.
“The Antinori winery is the most important one to visit. The second is the Frescobaldi family in tuscany region. And then maybe the Sassicaia grape in the Bolgheri area”, suggested Sommelier Andrea Petraroli
Italy is popular mostly for red wine. Sassicaia is also known as Super Tuscan wine. A bit dry and well bodied.
Tuscany wine is very important for italian wine production. It is perhaps the first region in Italy to produce wine. “The best according to me are Masseto, Sassicaia, Tignanello from the celebrated Antinori winery.”
In Tuscany there is plenty of expensive wine to choose from but that is not all Tuscany is known for. “There are casks of well priced wine too. Brunello from Montalcino specially the Biondi Santi wine and a reasonably priced Lisini.
“Chianti is the most popular wine from Italy and it is a wine that can be your daily glass of red. Chianti is also the largest wine producing area in Italy. Then there is the Super Tuscan area that uses international grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. You can produce these grapes in all of Tuscany region”, concluded Sommelier Andrea Petraroli.
IMAGES: MEHAK SETHI
