Harvest 2008

This is me and Count Sebastiano Capponi checking a row of sangiovese almost ready to harvest.

Our company has a lot of connections with estates in the region and we offer educational tours with owners and winemakers to fully provide a unique wine and cultural experience. You will get to know the vine, the soil and this great "terroir" full of history.

Viva il Vino Toscano!

Opening Toto' Molettieri

This is one of our unforgettable dinners at Villa Irpinia.That night I opened a Salvatore (Toto') Molettieri Taurasi Vigna Cinque Querce Riserva 2001. Taurasi is a wine from Campania made with 100% Aglianico grapes which is an indigenous varietal from Southern Italy. Everyone at the table were speechless, one of my favorite wines of all the times. A wine made entirely from one of the oldest grape varietal in the world that only grows around the small village of Montemarano (Population 3,000). My tours offer our guests the highest quality products available just because I will treat you like part of my family. Great wine, great food, dining with friends along a pool under the Tuscan stars ....what a wonderful thing!

Trebbiano and Malvasia

Trebbiano and Malvasia (with a little bit of Canaiolo) are the two main grapes of our traditional dessert wine called Vinsanto DOC (Holy wine). The grapes are dried in the dried house until the month of January. They will lose water and retain the sugar. The must deriving from the crushing of the dried grapes will ferment in small oak-barrels, with a capacity of 50 and 120 hectoliters. We celebrate with Vinsanto during holidays especially over Christmas when at the end of a very long meal we dunk cantucci (small biscotti) in it, just to make them softer and taste a lot better! I could not stop admiring it! Vinsanto is the wine of the tradition, true Tuscan tradition.
Salute!

"The Legend"

Here is a Tuscan legend, Dario Cecchini owner of Antica Macelleria Cecchini (Butchery). Macelleria Cecchini is one of the oldest in Europe and he has done a lot to promote the Tuscan lifestyle worldwide. He was featured in Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservation" show on the Travel Channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKeBpGlJ5dw . Simply a legend for all of us away from our land. Viva la Ciccia!

Benvenuti a Villa Irpinia

This is our house. This beautiful villa is located less than two miles from the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It has every comfort our guests would need and more....swimming pool with white Carrara marble floors, sauna, Turkish bath and professional massages . We will not be checking our guests in and out of an anonymous hotel. You will spend your vacation in total relax and live like the locals. Benvenuti!!!

Sangiovese

Sangiovese is the main grape in Tuscany. It represents the tradition and it is very hard to grow with very low yield. It makes great wine with a true expression of this land. The picture shows a 1956 Sangiovese vine at Villa Calcinaia which is only used for family consumption. Chianti wines (made almost entirely from Sangiovese) make me want to reconnect with the earth, with my traditions and culture.

Greve in Chianti, Firenze

This is one of the most beautiful places on earth. I want everyone to get here and experience our wine, food and culture. Viva la Toscana!

My company is specialize in small, customized tours providing our guests a true Tuscan experience. http://www.utuscany.com/

This picture was taken at Villa Calcinaia estate in Greve in Chianti, Florence. We had our private tour with owner Count Sebastiano Capponi.