One of the down sides of being a Wine Buyer is that we pretty much only get to travel after the harvest, in the dead of winter when it's absolutely freezing. I was really hoping to see a bit of sunshine on this trip to Tuscany but when I arrived in Florence on Tuesday there was thick, slushy sleet to greet me. Luckily the weather has picked up and the sun is now shining but it is still bitterly cold.
On the plus side, the wines I have been tasting have been simply amazing! You see, in Italy in general and in Tuscany especially at the moment it's all about who you know - and we know some GREAT people! In the last couple of years the prices that farmers have been getting for their grapes have been so low that many of them have not bothered to look after their vineyards well and did not use the costly treatments to prevent rot in the vineyards. This was particularly important in a wet year like 2010 and as a result there are some shockingly bad, thin, dirty, green wines around.
Unfortunately I have tasted enough of these recently to know when I'm on to a good thing! Serious producers like Paolo Masi in Chianti Rufina, Castello di Bossi (La Grancia) or the Barbanera (Duca di Cardino) family in Southern Tuscany have really invested in the vineyards and are producing some perfectly ripe, soft, balanced wines. I'm seriously impressed!
Of course, in Italy it's all about the food, and understanding the wine is intimately connected with understanding the food. I have been fed within an inch of my life over the last few days! Last night was no exception with a mixed antipasto of cold meat and grilled veg to start, then a trio of pasta (papardelle with funghi porcini, handmade spaghetti with wild boar ragu, faro (spelt) risotto with roast pork bits and melted cheese), then an enormous rare Fiorentina steak, spinach (I has to insist on this as I was craving something green) followed by tiramisu. Luckily I'm going back to England tonight so I can ration myself to broth and salad over the weekend!
One last appointment now in Orvieto (I hope they don't give me lunch) and then off to Rome to catch a plane.
Ciao tutti!
Anne Forrest, Buyer
Tony is on holiday
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