After a decent breakfast at our villa, we headed towards Montalcino, the town famous for its Brunello wine. In terms of architecture, the town paled in comparison to the other towns we have visited. Postcards of the place showed pictures of the clock tower and the fortress - so I suppose other than wine, these are the 2 key highlights of the town.
We headed towards Poggio Antico for lunch and the hope of a wine tour. We were surprised at the number of cars parked outside the restaurant, given the place was located a distance away from the town and not visible from the main road. It was a scenic drive-in lined with cypress trees. According to trusty Lonely Planet, Poggio Antico is one of the top wine producers in the region and also serves good food. The selection of homemade bread served was warm and soft - so yummy I had three buns! But my dish of spaghetti was so salty that mineral water tasted sweet in comparison, and I only managed to stuff myself with half the dish. I later found out from the waitress and chef and the dish was cooked with Cinta Sienese Pork Cheek which had a very strong flavor (which I took to understand that the meat had been overladen with salt to preserve it). The saving grace came in the delectable cold pistachio cream dessert with hazelnut sauce (which tasted and looked like chocolate sauce).
We were lucky that a wine tour was happening at 3pm, about the same time we finished our lunch. As part of the wine tour, we were shown the sophisticated machine used to wash the bottles, how nitrogen is then used to fill the bottles before wine is poured in (to avoid contact with air), and then only a certain type of cork (the type that must be pre-ordered a year in advance and costs 1 Euro each) is used to seal the bottle before labels are stuck onto the bottles. The grapes are handpicked and selected, with the inferior grapes being discarded. We were also shown the area where the grapes are placed into huge metal containers with controlled temperature and humidity (what the lady termed as spaceships) where they are left for initial fermentation and compressed (using machinery, instead of the au natural way of using feet). The grape juices are then transferred into wooden barrels, where they are left to ferment for a few years. Depending on the wine-making recipe, the grape juices would be placed in different types of barrels for various number of years. I never knew there were so many steps to wine-making, and the wine tour was really an eye-opener. There are a total of 55 rules that the winemaker has to adhere to in order to make Brunello wine - no wonder the cheapest 1 litre bottle cost us 35 Euros. We bought 2 bottles after the tour - the classic bottle and the Altero (which is the modern version of the classic Brunello). Both A and I preferred the lighter-tasting Altero, although being the non-wine drinker that I am, I much preferred the fruity aromas than the actual taste of alcohol in my mouth.
After the wine tour, we headed towards Abbazia Di Sant' Antimo, a restored church. The church was very simply decorated unlike the other Duomos we have visited. Music was floating through the air as we stepped through the wooden doors, creating an ambience of reverence and tranquility.
On our way back to Villa Cicolina, we stopped along the road a couple of times to snap pictures of the stunning Tuscan landscape - valleys of green blended with fields of golden yellow, as well as my favorite field of cheerful sunflowers beaming under the Tuscan sunlight.
We wrapped up the day with another sumptuous dinner at the villa. We went with high expectations after last night's dinner and were not disappointed. A was so impressed with each dish he went "mmm" each time he tasted a new course. Dessert (my favorite part of the meal) was Tiramisu, and while it was yummy with a strong caffe flavour, we both thought the apple tart the day before was more stunning. Anyway, we have decided we would have dinner at our villa tomorrow night again - this is one of the best meals I have eaten in my life and it seemed a bargain in Italy to be paying 33 Euros for a great-tasting four-course meal. I actually think the same set menu would easily burn a 3-digit hole in the pocket back in Singapore.
We spent some time surfing the internet in the common area after dinner, and looked through some videos of my little J. Boy, I miss him so much! But I am glad that he is in the good hands of his grandparents who dote on him more than his parents do. Afterwards we went back to our cottage and watched some news on BBC - I never knew BBC programmes could be so interesting. With a demanding toddler back home, we never had time to watch much TV programmes, and I am glad we are away on a holiday rewarding ourselves with some time of our own, without having to fret over our little prince.
One of the BBC news segment covered the lack of food and water in Somalia, and how families would walk for days and even weeks without food and water, in search of a refugee camp that would provide them with the basic necessities to survive. Many young children and babies die within days from reaching the refugee campsite from malnutrition, and more and more graveyards are dug everyday. And the available supply of food and water is limited given the increased number of refugees. The saddening truth is that people in other parts of the world are caught in the cycle of poverty and have difficulties having their basic needs met. And here I am enjoying myself at a holiday, with a roof over my head, and ample supply of food and water to support an expanding waistline. I am truly blessed and really thankful.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment