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Valentine's Day, of course, represents one of those holidays where we can pamper ourselves and, most of all, pamper the person we love with small and great gifts that can also last over time. Obviously wines are the best suited to be chosen as gifts that can last for years. We already explained in the past, however, that not all wines can age. When a wine can age? In case we wanted to sum up the characteristics a wine must have in order to age, we could simply say:" a wine that can age is first of all a great… read more

After the first article dedicated to color and aromas we could not miss part number two where we analyze the main components of wine's taste In the taste of wine are summed up all the gustatory and olfactory sensations (defined as taste-olfactory) as well as tactile sensations. In wines it is possible to appreciate hardness, smoothness, aggressiveness and delicacy. These types of sensations are related to substances which are present in macroscopic quantities. We are therefore talking about ethyl alcohol, acids and glycerol. Dry Wines As for dry wines, in most of cases there are no residual sugars or, when… read more

Have you ever wondered what is actually the composition of wine? Let's analyze it together in this article and let's try to make things clearer. First of all we should make clear that wine is a solution in which are dissolved more than 600 substances. Some of them derive, of course, from grapes, others from fermentation processes. Other substances are formed during the years - during the aging in cask and during the aging in bottle. The wine will get richer in nuances, the bouquet will get more complex. The story of our greatest bottle. What does color depend on?… read more

Dry January is a way to stay off the alcohol for a month after the holiday season with a lot of overindulgences. In January, we need to lose some weight, get healthy, and try to get back on track. However, where does Dry January come from? What does it mean more specifically? Last but not least, is Dry January something we even consider when being in the midst of a pandemic? Let us find out more. What is Dry January? Dry January was started in 2012 by the British charity Alcohol Change UK as a way to help people moderate… read more

Epiphany is also commonly referred to in Italy as the Festa della Befana. Celebrated on 6 January, it is probably one of the most popular festivals for children. Obviously, every country in the world has its own way of celebrating it, but let's try to understand what are the traditions that distinguish our beautiful Italy. Where does Epiphany come from? This feast is the commemoration of the day (the twelfth since Christmas) when the Magician Kings arrived at the stable where Jesus Christ was born, bringing with them gold, frankincense and myrrh. Italian children are used to putting in empty… read more

We are just but a day from Christmas in Tuscany and all over the world and last-minute shopping and preparations are at their height. Even though the Omicron is running fast, we probably all have the same pre-holiday stress all over the world but the Christmas traditions vary a bit from country to country and region to region. In Tuscany, the Christmas traditions center around food, of course, but also some other ancient traditions we will take a closer look at. We have also asked Ilaria and Francesco here at Fattoria di Montemaggio about their Christmas traditions in Chianti. Christmas… read more

How many times we asked ourselves what are the different sizes and types of bottles? In this blog post we want to try to make things clearer, get comfortable (maybe with a good glass of wine) and let's discover together something more about this subject. Let's start at The most common sizes of bottles sold in stores are the ones between 0.25 and 1.5 liters (0.25 and 1.5 gallons), however there are also bigger ones, they are simply rarer to find. However it may happen to find bottles having a peculiar and remarkable size, such as the ones called Impériale,… read more

Let's face it, Tuscany and in particular Chianti Classico are synonymous of good wine. The great protagonist of Tuscan wines is probably since ever Sangiovese. In its many declinations it gives us structure as well as elegance, crispness and pleasantness. Sangiovese- The Prince of Chianti Classico Grapes However we must admit Sangiovese is not the only ingredient of our Tuscany, in terms of history it is also important to remember other three great grapes that made history, in particular in Chianti Classico. Today we are going to talk about Ciliegiolo, Canaiolo and Colorino. Make yourselves comfortable, pour yourselves a nice… read more

If you are reading this Blog Post most probably you are a wine lover, and as a wine lover more than once you would have asked yourself how you perceive certain smells in a specific wine. You surely asked yourself where Wine's Aromas come from. What mechanism is behind them? At the end of the day those unique flavors we can perceive in a wine are simply  molecules. They enter the nose, hit olfactory receptors and generate a signal which is sent to our brain. So simple and yet so complex. Tiny molecules lighter than air float towards our olfactory… read more

The harvest of 2021 bore signs of climatic turbulences in Europe during the past year but at Fattoria di Montemaggio the quality of the grapes brought happiness. Regarding the challenges this year, it went from the frost in April that struck mainly France, but also parts of Italy and Spain and continued to the flooding in Germany, and a very warm and dry summer overall. It has been a difficult year for vinegrowers all over Europe. How did it affect the harvest generally? Why is Fattoria di Montemaggio so happy about this vintage? Let us find out below. The Consequences… read more