Chianti through the backdoor

Marco is an amicable Italian that I befriended when he gave a lecture on wine at my school a few weeks ago.  I asked him many questions while he was in our class and enjoyed learning more fun facts about Italian wine.  When I asked about the Slow Food movement and farms here in here in Italy, he kindly invited me to come along with him to work one day.  Not fully understanding what his job really was or even where I would go, I gladly accepted the offer.

He picked me up in his white Fiat hatchback (a typical Florence car) this morning and I sat in the backseat with a large bag of new corkscrews.  His 12-year-old nephew was visiting from New York and came along with us.  This kid immediately impressed me with his mature demeanor and ability to switch between Italian and English very quickly.  He told me about a non-fiction novel he is currently 32 pages into writing, a story that takes place in the 1950's "Weird Town" where two stupid people have a really nice car that talks to them and instructs them on what to do.  According to him, the rest of the story is too complicated to describe.  Marco's broken English response to the story was "I would like to invent a car that goes and travels to all of my wineries, tastes the wine and reports back to me.  If there is a wine the car is not sure about, it would bring me a sample so I could decide."  So that is what Marco does.  Samples wine.  It's much more complicated than that, and I have 7 hours of touring with him to prove it.  But simply put he serves as an educated taster of wine, sales consultant, and on occasion offers advice on the growing process.  

As we drive through the gorgeous hills of the Chianti region, he begins to explain how he got into the business, all the while maintaining his composure while cars dart around and the road becomes swirly twirly like a corkscrew.  He even stops to acknowledge his nephew pointing out the window at a monastery, and rewards him for recognizing it by kissing his hand.  He pauses to answer his cell phone (with a ringtone featuring James Taylor's Fire and Rain) to speak to various clients that call with questions regarding their fermentation analysis reports.   

 We visit two wineries.  The first is an Agriturismo Casa Vacanze called Borgo Santinovo.  A young architect (was he bored??) decided to expand the family farm into a place for people to stay and enjoy the wine.  It's quintessential Tuscan with it's own tasting room down by the vines.  

I feel so cool when the owner Frederico gives me samples from new untasted wine straight from the large stainless steel vessels in which the wine fermented.  For the most part it tasted wonderful.  A bit raw, but strong, and flavorful.  My favorite was a 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon that had hints of chocolate, cherries, and coffee.  Marco spits out the wine after taking a sip, conscious he will have to drive later.  But that small sip is enough for him to give lengthy feedback to Frederico.  He is a true wine expert.    

The second winery is a family farm called Santa Maria in San Gimignano. They make the wine in large quantities and sell it in bulk to another company that then bottles and sells it with their label.  The old man Francisco lets his son take care of most of the business now, but he is glad to be the tour guide as he continues to point out various pieces of wine making machinery in Italian.  When it comes time to "do business" with Marco, we are led into their home and his wife sets out some cookies and lemon-lime soda for us.  I compliment her kitchen in my pedestrian Italian, then point very intently at the small wine barrel they have next to the counter.  Mistaking me for requesting a glass, she pours me a large warm glass of their specialty: Vin Santo.  A sweet dessert wine only desirable cold and in small quantities, I do my best to swallow down what I can.  We say "Gracie" and "Caio" what seems like 7 times each.  With my sugar high I give the traditional kiss on the cheek to Francisco and his wife.    

And this, folks, is why I love Italy.