Word: montalcino
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Sometimes you have to travel to a wine's home in order to understand its character. Last fall, after the harvest in Italy, I stood atop the ruined fortress that looms over the ancient town of Montalcino, the birthplace of Brunello, just 25 miles southeast of Siena. From the fortress, I devoured the panoramic view of the Tuscan countryside. In the distance, the grapevine leaves were as colorful as New England's best in October. Clumps of olive trees and upright cypresses were shadowed by the brooding Mount Amiata. The whole ambiance was distilled in the Brunello I was drinking...
Brunello, made from the Sangiovese Grosso grape, is often referred to as Chianti on hormones--it's bigger, bolder and pricier. The Biondi-Santi winery in Montalcino is credited with making the first Brunello around 1888, and the firm still produces a glorious version. But it took two winemaking brothers from Long Island, N.Y., John and Harry Mariani, to raise the wine to fame. In the late 1970s, the Marianis bought a medieval castle in the Montalcino area, Castello Banfi, started growing Sangiovese Grasso grapes on some of the surrounding 7,100 acres and began making their own Brunello. Thanks...
Speaking of sage, I encouraged my friends to pick a few fresh sage leaves to clean the red-wine residue from their teeth. If they couldn't travel to Montalcino to soak in the wine culture, the least I could do was to bring a little Montalcino to them...
...share the joy. A guided tasting with sommeliers Andrea Sturniolo or Ian Domenico D'Agata is vastly entertaining and full of great tips (Aglianico grapes make Italy's best affordable, high-quality reds; 1998 was a very good year for Chianti, but not for its pricey neighbor in Montalcino?for a Brunello, choose a '97 or a '99). Rather than intimidating neophytes, the academy's mission is to show people how to judge wine for themselves and feel at home with the rich culture and traditions of the grape...
...imagine affording a vacation in Tuscany, how many can manage to settle there? Certainly only the superrich can afford a big farmhouse with breathtaking views or a medieval castle with an inviting tower. Yet those with limited funds may find a decent apartment in a small town, such as Montalcino, for $300 a month...