Well-hidden bounty
As I mentioned before, I Cipressi was just an introduction to Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. After a very pleasant morning, our group headed to nearby Montepulciano, the very centre of this wine appellation. Montepulciano is a typical Tuscan town – very charming, with a long history and its own list of local legends. It goes without saying that it boasts a wide array of local culinary delights and drinks. In the typical fashion of this part of Italy, Montepulciano is perched on a hill. What’s not immediately apparent, however, is what happens within the town’s rock. The interior of the hill resembles Swiss cheese. It’s full of caves and cellars carved into the rock by local winemakers over the centuries. These tunnels create ideal conditions for storing wine. These Italians certainly had a clever idea to hide and preserve their wine bounty in this manner!
We wandered around the town a bit, had lunch, and visited a few wineries to check out their cellars and compare different expressions of the same DOCG. I recommend the Talosa’s cellars, which can be visited free of charge. There were some quite old Talosa wine bottles on display, I really liked that (picture below). We also stopped by Contucci – a nice and affordable wine bar.
The main event – De’Ricci winery
To be fair, until now, we were just killing time waiting for the main event of the afternoon. That special treat was a tour of the legendary De’Ricci winery, an outstanding place famed for their Wine Cathedral. The long history of the De’Ricci winery dates back to the 14th century, although the first cave on this site was supposedly dug by the Etruscans themselves! About two hundred years after its founding, new storage space was added and the renowned De’Ricci Wine Cathedral was built. The architecture of this exceptional cellar makes its name self explanatory. The space gives an unmistakable impression of a three nave, underground church. But instead of rows of pews and worshippers, you’ll find stacks of giant wine barrels.
There’s a local legend associated with this cave/cellar. It’s a story about the mythical ancestor of the De’Ricci family. Apparently, in the 12th century he lived in that cave. It was said that he had an incredible gift for predicting the weather. Since he was never wrong, more and more townspeople sought him out to learn about upcoming storms or fair weather. Word of him eventually reached distant Vatican City. The Church accused him of black magic which was punishable by death. The hermit decided that his secret wasn’t worth his life and revealed the source of his prophetic abilities. He claimed that every morning he was looking at a hedgehog living nearby. Whether the animal looked up toward the sun or not, it was a sign for him to judge the weather for that day. This man was nicknamed Riccio (Italian for hedgehog). De’Ricci family name is linked to that ancient nickname. Hedgehogs are not my speciality, though, so let’s get back to wine!
Our visit in De’Ricci, of course, included a guided tour of the cellars. We learned about the distant and not-so-distant history of the family. I would highly recommend the tour. Even those in our group who weren’t that bothered about wine really enjoyed it. The highlight of the tour was a guided tasting of six wines, accompanied by Italian cheeses, meats, bread and olives.
The De’Ricci wines
We started with Aerae Brut 2021 (13 €). It’s an interesting one. Aerae is a sparkling wine made entirely from Sangiovese, Tuscany’s main red grape. No surprise, the family hedgehog proudly occupies the centre of the label! As for the wine itself, it was okay. The main notes were citrus coupled with a bit of green apple. It was an interesting novelty, but certainly not a sparkling wine that will take the world by storm.
Next, we went through the classics of the appellation: Rosso di Montepulciano 2021, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2019, and a more refined version of the latter, called Soraldo (also 2019). The wines were good, improving within the hierarchy as expected. They exhibited balance and body that showcased their quality well. From the bottle of Rosso, I could taste red fruit like red currants, raspberries, and cherries. With each subsequent bottle, oak and vanilla notes emerged, enriched by wet earth and smoke. I can wholeheartedly recommend these, especially to fans of this style of wine.
Na koniec spróbowaliśmy dwa Super Tuscany. Te wina zaklasyfikowano jako IGT Toscana i wykonano z międzynarodowych szczepów, głównie kojarzonych z Bordeaux. Il Vignone 2019 to blend Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon i Petit Verdot. Il Severo 2018 to 100% Merlot. Dość nietypowo, Il Severo robione jest z różnych szczepów w różnych rocznikach w zależności od jakości plonów, tak żeby uzyskać jak najlepsze wino. Szczepy wybierane są spośród Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot i Syrah. Super Tuscany były całkiem niezłe, z dominującymi nutami śliwek i jeżyn. Dzięki dębowym beczkom pojawiły się też dodatkowe nuty tytoniu czy gorzkiej czekolady. Mimo to nadal nie zdołały mnie przekonać, że warto jest inwestować w nie-wloskie szczepy we Włoszech.
Finally, we tried two Super Tuscans. These wines are classified as IGT Toscana and are made from international varieties mainly associated with Bordeaux. Il Vignone 2019 is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. Il Severo 2018 is 100% Merlot. Quite unusually, Il Severo is made from different varieties in different vintages, depending on the quality of the harvest, with the aim to produce the best possible wine. The varieties are chosen from among Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Syrah. The Super Tuscans were quite good, with dominant notes of plums and blackberries. Thanks to ageing in oak barrels, additional notes of tobacco and dark chocolate emerged. I enjoyed Il Vignone and Il Severo, but they didn’t manage to convince me that it’s worth investing in non-Italian varieties in Italy.
I’m afraid I am not finished with Tuscany just yet
After the tasting in De’Ricci we were finally done for the day. It was fun to explore Montepulciano and the area with the family. Particularly enjoyable was getting acquainted with the famous Vino Nobile di Montepulciano appellation. From modern, luxurious wineries to small family farms, in Montepulciano you can experience the full range of wine-themed adventures. The incredible underground wine temple of the De’Ricci family was an unquestionable showstopper of today’s journey to unWined. Naturally, as befits even a short Tuscan vacation, there was much, much more wine. Stay tuned – we’ll likely need a part 3!
Talosa winery: https://www.talosa.it/en/.
Contucci winery: https://www.contucci.it/it/.
De’Ricci winery: https://www.cantinadericci.it/en/.
Więcej nieWinnych Podróży wprost na Twoją skrzynkę? Zapisz się!