Day 112: Wine Tasting in San Gimignano

Going hard through Turkey, Bulgaria, and Greece, Mary made promises to take it slow in Tuscany. By slow, she meant going on wine tours to sip Chianti, eat Italian cold cuts, and guzzle all the olive oil.

San Gimignano is one of those little Tuscan towns situated on a hillside peak with a medieval wall and castle surrounding it. We found two wineries 7 minutes from town and signed up for a light 12pm lunch and 3pm tour, hoping to walk from each location. Sadly, the weather had different plans and we were facing 10 hours of heavy rain and thunderstorms.

Regardless, we jumped into the car and visited Azienda Agricola Palagetto for small lunch of proccuto,, Tuscan fennel salami, bread with honey, olive oil, and homney. The lunch included a light meat ragú pasta and enjoyed 4 wines produced by a 3 generation winery. As nerds, we enjoyed learning that this winery used stainless steel for white wine, barrels for red, and then occasionally concrete tanks!

The next winery Pietraserena, Az. Agr. di Arrigoni included a tour of the facilities, where we learned that their wines are so specific that they refer to the exact field the grapes come from. We enjoyed bruschetta, more Italian cold cuts, and then grappa, which is a 40% shot.

We snuck in a nap before dinner and enjoyed a delicious meal in a small family owned restaurant where the cat sat at the desk and managed payments.

Restaurant: La Bottega - San Gimignano

Wineries:
Azienda Agricola Palagetto
Pietraserena, Az. Agr. di Arrigoni

Food:
Bruschetta
Wild Boar Ragout
Ravioli with Tuscan Pecorino Cheese
Carpaccio de Chianina

Spots:
San GamignanoRead more