This evening as part of orientation, I got to go to Rocca di Castagnoli, a winery located in Gaiole in Chianti. It took about 40 minutes to get there from Siena, and everyone (including me) got very car-sick because the roads were so windy. It was worth the nausea because once I got off the bus, I was greeted by a breath of fresh Tuscan air and a gorgeous view of the surrounding vineyards and countryside from the hill that the winery was situated on.
We then all gathered around a lookout point and took in the view as our guide talked to us about the Chianti wine region, the winery's philosophy about making wine, and an explanation of how they make wine there. The staple wine that is produced in the Chianti wine region is, of course, Chianti Classico. The general formula for Chianti Classico is 80% Sangiovese grapes (the main grape of this region) and 20% of other grapes, usually local. In order to be classified as "Indicazione Geografica Tipica" or typical of the geographic region, Chianti Classico must be made from grapes only grown and fermented in the Chianti wine region. Chianti that is classified as "table wine" has no restrictions on what is in it. True Chianti Classico has a rooster on the neck of the wine bottle. He then took us on a tour of the winery, showing us the different fermenting rooms and explaining the different fermenting processes for each wine.
After the tour, we got to taste 3 of the wines that they produce at Rocca Castagnoli Winery. All of them were very good (although I don't know enough about wine to know for sure), and I had such a good time there. The winery was very beautiful and it was obvious that they put a lot of passion and experience into their wine-making.
Check out the winery's website if you want to learn more: http://www.roccadicastagnoli.it/sito/frontend/2eng/index.php
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