In our almanac, we share with you what is happening at Montecalvi, the ups and downs of organic farming, and our endeavours to make wine (and olive oil) that best expresses time and place. We also share our favourite recipes from our vegetable garden, and other miscellany about life in Tuscany.
The window of opportunity to harvest and enjoy zucchini flowers is relatively small and always signals the start of the summer for us. As proud owners of an orto, we are acutely aware that the blooms need to be picked to prevent the zucchini from becoming too large and falling over into marrow territory where […]
The aperitivo slot is an institution in Italy. Particularly wonderful at this time of the year when the evenings are drawn out and you can sit comfortably outside enjoying the magical light as it falls away from the day. It is a time to enjoy with family and friends and is an essential part of […]
We are also pleased to introduce you to our first Rosato wine. We have, as you know, offered a white wine in the past but, because we do not grow our own white grapes, we were always at the mercy of the availability of quality fruit.With Elena now in the cantina, she suggested that we […]
Montecalvi new stories, Summer 2025 We are delighted to welcome a new winemaking team to Montecalvi. Our new cantina manager is Elena Renault. We have been lucky enough to prise Elena away from Querciabella where she worked closely with Manfred Ing. She is a graduate of the University of Florence with a degree in viticulture […]
A little lighter than a traditional meat-based lasagna, this dish comes into its own in late autumn when the cavolo nero is delicious and mushrooms are available in abundance. You could replace the cavolo nero with kale, or with other winter greens such as chard depending on what you have to hand. Serves 6 Ingredients350g […]
Christmas is a lively affair in Italy as you might expect, with celebrations joyfully beginning relatively late, on 8th December, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. It is on this day that every Italian puts up their tree and the festive season is therefore officially underway. Florence, our nearest large city, takes on a particularly […]
You may recall that 2022 was too hot and dry and 2023 was too cool and wet – well, 2024 was, up until the last hurrah, a Goldilocks year – reasonably straightforward, long periods of sunshine, cooler evenings, intermittent rains, no hail – all working to provide slow ripening of the grapes whilst maintaining lively […]
At this time of the year, markets, hedgerows and vegetable gardens are springing in to life. It is a hopeful time of the year and the kitchen is bursting with fresh flavours. This dish is a great weekend lunch if you are making the pasta from scratch, but of course you can cut a corner […]
Silvia Napoleone sat down with Sandro Granucci to discuss his life, his art, and his blossoming career as a wine label designer for Montecalvi. He is an extraordinary man, and we are delighted to be working with him. He has a studio in Greve in Chianti, on via Roma, which is very much worth a […]
For those of you paying close attention, we have reintroduced this wine into our line-up at Montecalvi. This IGT denomination tracks the valley along the Greve River, from its source on Mount Querciabella, northwards past our front gate, and onwards into the Arno. We produced an AVDG in the past and we decided that it […]
