After Rebecca picked us up in her king size van, we drove to Siena to pick up another couple. From there we drove to Montalcino, listening to Rebecca talk about the famous Sangiovese Grosso grape I had read much about Brunello and Rebecca's knowledge did not disappoint. She reinforced most of what I had learned. That reinforcement continued when we arrived at the winery, where we met the lady of the house, Cartala; an English woman who had married an Italian when she young. Cartala was probably in her early fifties and was quite the character; funny and charming. I could've spent many a hours with her just talking and listening. She educated us in great detail about the vine, showing us the nodes and how pruning and organic fertilizer needed to be done. I had read much on it, but seeing it first hand, and seeing just how labor intensive the work is was incredible.
We then went into the cellar where the wine was actually in the process of fermenting. The sounds of popping and bubbling in the stainless steel tanks echoed off the walls as Cartala explained the process, showing us the de-steming machine, how many times they drain and transfer the containers, all the while refining the wine to its highest quality; then finally selecting the barrel the wine would go into, depending on the quality of the wine. I loved every moment of it.
Then came the tasting of the wines (see picture above). This was the part everyone had waited for, except for me and this other guy, who was making wine in his cellar. I enjoyed hearing all about the whole process. The wines were good, though the Brunellos we had in Siena the day before were much better; otherwise, I would've bought one.
Be sure to visit Rebecca's website: Wine Tour
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