Wines of Italy

While we were in Italy we had the opportunity to try many different wines. The reds were my favorite although we did have some excellent white wines as well. This is just a sampling of what we discovered. Photographs by Dee.

Wine disclaimer: I’m not a wine curmudgeon nor connoisseur. There will be no description of taste or aroma or of anything similar. The wines I’m showing are wines that I liked and enjoyed drinking. 

The first bottle of red is Antiche Cantine Terenzi Terra Madre. It is from the vineyards of 

Antiche Cantine Mario Terenzi, located about 50 miles south of Rome. 

The second bottle is Cantina Sociale Cesanese del Piglio Cerciole. It is from the vineyards of Cantina Sociale Cesanese del Piglio, about 60 miles east of Rome.

The third bottle of wine is San Cirino Chianti. It is from the vineyards of Fattoria II Colombaio, located in Monteriggioni, Italy in the province of Tuscany.

Now we get to one of my favorite wine vineyards, Castello Di Verrazano. A beautiful winery located in Greve, Italy in the province of Chianti. It is here where the Chianti wine is called “Chianti Classico.” The term "Classico," designates the Chianti is truly from the province of Chianti.

We were greeted by Gino Rosi, who provided a warm welcome complete with a monologue that was full of history and humor. He started us with a glass of ORO 24 Brut and a lesson on wines. Afterward there was a tour of the wine cellars and then lunch was served.

Tony and I are holding the wines that were served with lunch. We started with the IL Rose, then went to the Chianti Classico, finishing with the Chianti Classico Reserve. There was also a RED blend that we tried, but the photo of the bottle does not show the details of the label.

After lunch we were served Castello di Verrazzno Grappa. It is similar to brandy or cognac, but is a drink unique to Italy. One does not drink it like wine. It is to be sipped and the flavor enjoyed.