Tag: Chianti Classico
Unwrapping the Layers of Thanksgiving Traditions Through Food And Wine
November 22, 2023
Thanksgiving is an important national holiday in the US and it is believed that it dates to the Mayflower and the first colonists that came over from England. The first Thanksgiving Day celebration was in November 1621 when the Plymouth colonists and the Native American Wampanoag people organized a harvest feast together. In the following centuries, Thanksgiving was celebrated sporadically in various colonies but it was only in 1863, after a decade-long push from the magazine editor and author Sarah Josepha Hale, that President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday to be celebrated on the last Thursday of November… read more
Montemaggio Highlights Women in Wine in a Tasting at Vinitaly 2023
April 26, 2023
Vinitaly this year was back to its old state of glory after three years of no or limited organization. This year, Vinitaly focused very much on the incoming of international buyers to better favor the business side of the trade show. This is surely very positive for all types of wineries, especially smaller wineries such as Fattoria di Montemaggio. Furthermore, Fattoria di Montemaggio organized a mini-tasting called Women in Wine at their stand with wines from three other female producers other than Fattoria di Montemaggio. The idea was to showcase women in wine and two flagship Italian wine regions and… read more
The Gallo Nero Hits the Big Screen at Chianti Classico Collection 2023
February 22, 2023
This year was the 30th edition of the Chianti Classico Collection which saw the participation of 206 Chianti Classico producers. There were 750 Chianti Classico wine labels to taste of which 34 were tank samples of the 2022 vintage, 161 were Chianti Classico Riserva, and 136 were Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. The rest were Chianti Classico Annata. The attendance of national and international wine professionals was back to the levels of pre-pandemic. Fattoria di Montemaggio was present with the vintages Chianti Classico Annata 2019, Chianti Classico Riserva 2015, and Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2015. This was the second year that… read more
Can We Get A Sustainable Recovery of Travel and Tourism?
January 13, 2023
The concept of travel has gone through a fundamental change due to the last few years of the pandemic. We are talking before and after the pandemic a bit like BC and AC. 2019 feels like an eternity ago when things were totally different compared to now. The pandemic has indeed had an out-of-the-ordinary impact on travel reaching the lowest point in over 25 years in 2020. In fact, we have to go back to WWII to find a similar unsteady situation for the travel industry. Last year saw a steady recovery for travel and tourism, reaching almost 60% of… read more
Personal Chef Elena Morlacchi Creates A Very Special Recipe for Thanksgiving
November 18, 2022
There is less than a week to Thanksgiving which is one of the most - if not the most - important holidays in the US. This year, it is predicted to be a Thanksgiving like no other after more than two years of the pandemic that restricted the possibility for families to meet up and celebrate. In Italy, where there are a lot of American ex-pats, Thanksgiving is also celebrated widely. We asked the personal chef Elena Morlacchi, who was one of the contestants in Masterchef 11 in Italy, to create a Thanksgiving recipe for us. We will then do… read more
The Harvest of 2022 Has Exceeded the Expectations Despite Climate Adversity
October 6, 2022
The harvest of 2022 has been named a vintage beyond expectations by the Italian producers themselves. The reports from Alto Adige in the north to Sicily in the south all say the same things, i.e. that the climate crisis has not affected the quality of the grapes too much. However, we are now in an era where we have to get used to extreme weather conditions and learn how to navigate them. At Fattoria di Montemaggio, the harvest is still going on and we are going to look closer at the conditions and results so far. We will also make… read more
How Yeast Is Essential For The End-Result of Wine
August 31, 2022
Wild or cultured yeast. What is the deal with the type of yeast used for the fermentation of grapes? Is wild fermentation just a risky business or is the use of cultured yeast too standardized? Is there a difference in the end result? Some say there is not while others claim that wild yeast is the only way. Today, the discussion is more alive than ever with the concepts of organic, biodynamic, regenerative viticulture, low-intervention winemaking, and what else, not to use the over-hyped word “natural”. Let us take a closer look at yeast strains and their importance for winemaking.… read more
How the Return of Flavescenza Dorata Threatens the Vineyards in Tuscany
July 12, 2022
Flavescenza dorata is wreaking havoc in many vineyards in Italy again. Even though climate change is not the only reason behind the return of this disease, the change in climate is affecting us all more and more leading to tropical-like weather with severe heat waves, drought followed by torrential rains, vine diseases, and much more. The “rules of winemaking” are changing, vineyards are being planted at high altitudes and in northern countries, and the European Union now allows the use of hybrid grapes to come to terms with climate change. (See the article Meet Four Women at the Forefront of… read more
Radda nel bicchiere - A True Folk Wine Festival in Radda
June 2, 2022
This spring has been a sort of rebirth of life in the world in general, and in the wine world in particular. After two years of long periods of isolation due to the pandemic, the last few months have shown an eagerness to recuperate time lost as quickly as possible. In Italy, it started with the Chianti Classico Collection at the end of March (see further our article Chianti Classico Collection 2022 Gave Positive Vibes to the Wine World) and then continued then with Vinitaly, Anteprima Chiaretto, Anteprima Sagrantino, Cantine Aperte and Radda nel bicchiere, and many other events. There… read more
Chianti Classico Collection 2022 Gave Positive Vibes to the Wine World
April 1, 2022
The 29th Edition of the Chianti Classico Collection just closed its doors the other week. The Chianti Classico Collection (#CCC22) is the yearly trade event that is organized to taste a preview of the wine vintages that have or will be released for the current year. It is two days of tastings and masterclasses to better get to know the area, the wines, and the producers of Chianti Classico. What was so special about Chianti Classico Collection 2022? Let’s find out more. Chianti Classico Collection 2022 - A Reset After the Pandemic The Chianti Classico Collection 2022 was a breath… read more