The Rolling Hills of Tuscany: Castello di Volpaia
Wine Day Part Two
Volpaia is not just a winery, but a small hill town consisting of 15 people. The taxi driver said he had never been to Volpaia before and he did turn down the wrong dirt road before we made it. When we arrived (20 minutes late) it was hard to figure out where to go. The little town was beautiful, buildings all made of stone, a few restaurants, and a little wine shop that we entered. This was opposite of Antinori, where everything seemed geared towards tours and business. Instead, a lady and her dog said "Are you the guests of Wilson Daniels?" and escorted us to the tour group that we were late for. The group = one other couple and the tour guide.
We walked through their barrel aging room and saw big stainless steel tanks for making wine. We saw where the grapes are sorted and the remaining stems from grapes that are then turned into fertilizer. The only thing we didnt actually see here were the vineyards. Volpaia has a lot of vineyards but it seems they are spread out from the actual small town where the winery is.
We sat in a little tasting room where there was bread and olive oil and balsamic vinegar and red sauce in addition to four wines to taste. The other couple were big Volpaia fans and said they had visited the winery 9 years ago and bought 6 bottles of their favorite wine. Today, they were shipping 2 cases home! (24 bottles) I guess thats how the other half lives. Although, we sure are eating and drinking well here.
Our tour was over around 5pm but dinner wasnt until 7:30pm so there was some time to kill. We bought a cinnamon gelato since that was the only flavor left and it wasn't that bad. Even though I insist I don't like cinnamon because I imagine red hots and fireball, it was actually more like pumpkin pie or a cinnamon latte. Post gelato, we had a little photo shoot since I brought the nice camera, we walked through the tiny town which took all of 5 minutes, took a nap on a bench until it was too cold, had a caffe (espresso) at the little bar/cafe next to Osteria Volpaia.
Dinner was fancy! Unlike Antinori, who handed us a fixed menu, we were able to select what we wanted here. These dishes were unique and interesting. We decided to share three items and have them course everything for us. The waiter chose a wine to pair with each course. There was both a male and female waiter in the restaurant and we were literally the only people there until probably 9pm. Since our taxi wasn't arriving until 10:15 to take us home, we had to eat slowly.
They started us with sparkling wine and two little bites. One was like a goat cheese egg roll with very flaky pastry and the other was something with chickpeas. The chickpea thing was better. They also brought out bread and homemade butter. Yes. I managed to eat way too much bread and topped each bite with an obnoxious amount fo butter.
Next was the amuse bouche, which was a codfish basil cream or something like that. We heard codfish and both were hesitatn but of course, we have to eat it! Results: Codfish is still not my taste but a little wine and water washed it down real quickly. That was the only bad taste during the 3 hour dinner.
First Course: Sheep's Ricotta Gnudi, Kale, Crunchy Peas Finocchiona. Gnudi are sort of like gnocchi but with cheese instead of potato and are much lighter. The sauce was creamy and almost sweet but not too much so, the greens evened it out. My method is to cut each little gnudi in half so I can cover it with the most sauce and make my dish last longer. Adam is more of the gobble it down type. After this first course, we were already thinking that we could have each eaten double. However, it is good to eat slow and small savoring each bite with the wine pairing. (Side note: the waiter who paired the wines came to us after each course and said "You like the pairing? Youre welcome." He used "youre welcome" excessively which I can only assume is his substitute for "Prego" except he sounds like hes rude when he says "youre welcome" after no one said thank you.)
Second Course: Duck Ravioli, Bergamot, Brown Butter, Chicory Ashes. This one was by far my favorite. I need to learn how to make duck ravioli. The pasta was so light and the duck was so flavorful. The brown butter bergamot sauce was the perfect balance of sweet and savory and the ravioli was the perfect balance of meat and carbs. I'm drooling just thinking about these again. I need to advance my cooking skils. Perfect homemade pasta dough is at the top of the list.
Third Course: Suckling Pig in Traditional Chianti "Latte Rosemary" with Black Onions and Blood Sausage Dumpling. As you see in the picture, there was actually nothing left on my plate after this dish. I basically licked it clean but at least I used bread to do that. It is typical of me to opt for the pig/pork option on the menu. This one did not disappoint. The pork was simple and the trio of sauces made the dish perfect. The white one was creamy and almost tasteless, the orange-y sauce was a bit sweeter and the black onion sauce added the heavier savory note. Combination of all three: heavenly.
Post dinner: Vinsanto and many desserts. Vinsanto is the traditional dessert wine of Chianti. The first thing they brought us was some sort of sweet potato cream soup, I guess as an in between to transition from dinner to dessert. I think I liked the bowl more than what was in it. I ate all of it, but I seem to remember it being not too flavorful. Also, I was excited for dessert.
Dessert: Rice Pudding with Passion Fruit Gelato and Caramel Whipped Cream and Vanilla Gelato with Cantucci Caramel Sauce . Yum yum yum yum yum. We both liked the rice pudding item better but both were absolutely delicious. I guess at the end of a big meal like that, I would prefer fruity and sweet rather than milky and sweet. Last, thry brought us two little bites to end the meal, one was a cotton candy and the other was not that good. Four glasses of wine later, those are the only details you get for the dessert course.
Osteria Volpaia was delicious. I think I am coming to believe that the best places that Italy has to offer are out of the way. I am so glad we took this detour outside of Florence to experience this little town and eat their delicious food.
