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Published: November 20th 2006
Old Olive Press, Castello di Banfi
Against the backdrop of fall-colored vines.Our hosts, Doris and Dooooglas, are proud of their coup; they were able to arrange lunch and a tour for us at Banfi Vineyards. We sacrificed a cooking class with Luccanese local chef Lido Martini of Fattoria Gambaro, in order to ride the bus to Montalcino, tour Banfi, and eat (& drink) ourselves stupid. Banfi puts on quite a wonderful spread. We started in their store area, sampling wine and eating cheese. They had all the wines they make or own, on display in the store. Next, we were ushered in to the dining area to partake in the lunch; the food and wine pairings were extraordinary! The different groups had their seatings at lunch staggered, so the staff could spread out their efforts, rather than try to feed everyone at once. Besides, the tour groups would be tripping over each other if it wasn't metered like that.
And of course, three hours later, we then had to drive to the tour, held about a kilometer from the dining area and castello. We were shown the precision with which Banfi makes their wines; and the fact that the wine is never touched by human hands. However, after our tour of
Castello di Banfi
Table setting. Now, besides having to figure out which glass was ours; we had to figure out which fork and knife to use, and for what course! Verrazzano, with it's quaint, hand worked vines and its wine that is made (or destroyed) by hand, Banfi was more along the lines of an Anhauser Busch Brewery. Everything was made in stainless steel and computer controlled to give the proper mixtures, control temperature, and adjust the fermentation so each vintage is as good as the last. The wines do their finish work in oak casks, but the cellars are a simulated, temperature controlled environment. Yawn! They make really good wines, but for us, the winemaking romance is missing.
After the tour, we left for our three plus hour ride back to La Volpe. We stopped at il supermercato on the way back and bought meats and cheeses for a truly light dinner that evening.
Each of our evening meals at La Volpe were al fresco -- outside on the patio or under the stars.
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