On our second morning in Tuscany we wanted to get out and explore a little. We considered scheduling a full guided wine tour of some wineries in Chianti but didn't want to be locked down for nearly the entire day with them. So we planned a drive to visit a castle and do a wine tasting there.
Before we headed out we enjoyed a similar breakfast at the Salvadonica restaurant with pastries, meats, cheeses, fruit and other goodies.
We got on the road and headed South through the countryside winding our way down to the expressway. After a short ride we exited and took another country drive back up a small mountain to a castle compound. I got out and went to the intercom and asked if this was the Castello di Monsanto and said we were here for a tour. She quickly buzzed us into the gate. We entered the castle compound, parked and met up with the other family that was there for the tour.
The tour began with just us and the other couple and their kids. They were from Austria and the guy knew a lot about wine. It was good to hear him interact and offer his insights about wine.
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| Ancient Oyster Shells from the surrounding soil. |
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| Our Guide |
We walked down into the castle tunnels to where the barrels were stacked and holding wine. There were hallways and rooms lined with vintage bottles stacked very high in some places. Some bottles as old as the vineyard's first release in the 1960s. A part of the passageway was dedicated to the owner/winemaker's family as each child and grandchild had wine collections on display as their inheritance. It was really cool to see the history of this place. Most of the buildings there were built in the 18th century.
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| Barrels Aging Wine |
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| Wine for Children/Grandchildren |
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| These are full of vintage wine |
After our tour we did a tasting of their 2018 Sangioveto Rosato, 2017 Chianti Classico, and 2009 Nemo Cabernet Sauvignon. We weren't that blown away by any of the wines to be honest, but we did pick up one bottle of the Chianti Classico to drink on our travels. None of these were good enough to box and ship home though. After the tasting we said thank you and jumped back on the expressway and windy roads home to our hotel.
On the way back from the tasting we stopped at a vineyard and took some photos. The grapes were very big right now because harvest is coming soon.
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| Random vineyard in Chianti |
When we got back to our hotel we booked dinner again at the hotel restaurant for 8 o'clock.
Then we walked over to the restaurant for a light lunch. Deanna had the panzanella bread salad, I had the Pear and Cheese Salad and we shared a side of beans and potatoes. Along with that we had some Aperol Spritz cocktails.
After lunch we went down to the pool to have a soak. The pool was a bit colder today because it was overcast and not warming up like the day before. There were also many more kids around. It was hard to relax in the pool while getting constantly splashed and hearing the little folks screeching. We swam for a little bit and then decided to lay out on the grass and get a little sun and soak up the scenery as well. After a few minutes two of the dogs that were on property came over and hung out with us for a bit. They were sweet and loved the shade under our lounge chairs. Then some people started smoking and more screeching babies arrived so we agreed that we have had enough. We went back to relax and prepare for dinner. On the way we stopped by the bar and grabbed some more Aperol Spritz cocktails.
For dinner at the restaurant we had the following: The panzanella bread salad, caprese salad, truffle pasta, fresh spaghetti with cherry tomatoes, side of sauteed spinach, and a sage creme brûlée for dessert. Everything was delicious as usual and paired well with their Chianti Classico Riserva. We were glad that this place had such a nice food offering every day. Off in the distance Deanna watched as lightning would crackle among the dark clouds over Tuscany. The creme brûlée with sage was a little different, but I still liked it overall.
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| The front patio area of our room at Salvadonica |
After dinner we went to our room and began the long ordeal of repacking our bags. We don't have any extra space in any bag so it's always like playing Tetris.
That is the end of Day 7.
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