Yes Mom, We're Still Alive: Chi Me Lo Ha Fatto Fare

You know how I said I'd be writing four of these things about Tuscany, and how I'd share pictures but probably not say too much. Well, this is one of those moments where I was mistaken. I thought I would write the second one about the smalls towns I visited, but having spent a few hours going through pictures and still not having sorted them through for what to share right now, I've decided to write about the winery. And if you thought up to this point that I like to babble, well, you haven't yet got me babbling on the topic of wine and vineyards.

Yes, many of you will have dealt with me babbling while under the influence of wine, and for that I can only say a heartfelt thank you for sharing some wine together, but I don't often talk about wine. And that's because I know absolutely nothing about it. Nothing. Been to several wineries, tastings, heck, even a class once. Got a book. Nothing. Nadda. Zip. Don't know a thing.

Except that I like it, or at least, I like a lot of it. And by that I do not (surprisingly) mean quantity. I mean range of varietals, countries, price ranges. Price ranges especially. My dearest, and very sadly departed, friend Jill, who loved wine more than anyone I know, and who I shared too many bottles to count (especially the next day - who made me do this?, one might ask) once said to me that she never wanted to develop too refined a palette, especially for expensive wines. Enjoy them, appreciate them, understand them, identify them, have them on occasion? All yes. Make them a habit? Hell no. Who can afford it? Rather, keep the palette straight forward and happy with low and mid price ranged options. That way you get to enjoy that much more. She was good at finding them. She was excellent at sharing them. Jill and her husband Marc are who turned me on to Tuscany, and the idea of coming here, and they were both very present for me during my time in Tuscany. Well, they always are, just a bit more from time to time, and these was one of those times.

But let's be clear. That list of things you do with wine. Jill had them all down. Me, I'm good at appreciating them. So this isn't going to be a lesson in wine, or viticultures, or anything like that. This is going to be a bunch of pretty pictures of the winery I visited: Fattorio Poggio Alloro.

Fattorio Poggio Alloro is a family owned vineyard and farm a little outside of San Gimignano (Little Jimmy to his friends), not too far from where I was staying. I'll tell you a little bit about them, but honestly, just go to Tuscany, or, perhaps start with their website which I've already linked to above.

When asked, my hosts recommended this as the place to go for a winery tour/tasting experience. As already mentioned it was something I was wanting to do.

So, they're a vineyard and winery. They also have olives, about 3000 trees, and produce olive oil. They also have chianina cows, the best beef for florentine steaks I am told, a couple variety of pigs, chickens, a large garden where they grow tomatoes and a variety of vegetables, and fields of wheat and other grains. Oh, and it's all organic.

They've also got a restaurant and are a B&B. As I said, they make wine and olive oil, which they produce for sale. From a food perspective the farm and the B&B are self-sustaining. So they use all their vegetables, they make their own pasta from the wheat and other grains, prosciutto and other yummy pork from the pigs, and of course florentine steak and other yummy beef bits from the cows. I belief they also sell their beef and pork products outside of the farm, and maybe their pasta too. Sadly not in Canada.

It really is a great operation, and it was fascinating to walk about. It was also very pretty.

That's San Gimignano in the not too distance.

And then of course there is the winery, which has a beauty of it's own kind.

And then of course the chianina cows.

They're the white ones. The one to the left is the calf of the one dairy cow. Yes, they also have a dairy cow that produces fresh milk for the farms use.

Of course, after all of that wandering about the farm and vineyards it was necessary to taste some of their wares and enjoy the afternoon a bit more.

Yes, this is what comes with the wine tasting as a light snack.

As much as I enjoy Ontario wines, they could all learn a little bit about how to run a winery tasting operation. And they could learn it here (Fattoria, not the blog).

My favourite of the two whites.

My favourite of the two reds.

Not that they don't have more than two of each, this is just what came as part of the tasting menu.

Then I learned that steak was on the menu for dinner. Well, I wasn't going to be in Tuscany and not have steak. So dinner it was.

Dinner was several courses, and you're not getting pictures of all of them, as I didn't take pictures of all of them. I was busy eating.

I have no idea what this was but it was a toasty bread thing with this totally yummy stuff on top. I'll likely eventually remember and you'll get some sort of addendum in the future in a totally inappropriate place I am sure.

This was a squash (I think) risotto. Also delicious.

You see, this is the problem with falling behind in writing. I can't remember it all for long periods of time. New stuff comes in. And I remember remembering all the different parts of this meal several days later. But now, nope.

Maybe it's all the paella I've been eating here in Barcelona.

Anyway. Steak.