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.
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 […]
The Viognier grape is, these days, more often than not associated with France (think Condrieu and Languedoc) but it is in fact a grape of ancient origin (probably) from the Dalmatian coast and introduced elsewhere by the Romans. It is, so it is said, closely related to the Piedmont varieties, Freisa and Nebbiolo. It was almost extinct […]
Ancient grains form a very important part of the Tuscan diet. The pasta here is rarely made from highly refined modern flour, and ancient grains such as farro, orzo, kamut and polenta (coarsely ground cornmeal) are seen frequently in home cooking. These are pillars of the Mediterranean diet and when combined with seasonal vegetables, couldn’t […]
Over the centuries, wine has inspired artists and poets alike with the first evidence in pictorial representations (bas-relief) of ancient Egyptian art, dating back to the fourth millennium BC. Valued for its sacral, curative and funereal value (evident in the finding of grape seeds in Egyptian tombs), wine has been depicted during feasts and ceremonies […]
A great Super Tuscan is, without question, an unofficial star of the Italian wine scene and yet there it is no single definition of the term ‘Super Tuscan’ — largely because these wines are not defined by either grape variety or specific origin. What we can say is that Super Tuscans are red wines made […]
Many food historians believe that focaccia was born with the Etruscans in North Central Italy in the days before the Roman Empire, although we can also see its roots traced through unleavened flatbread throughout the Mediterranean basin. The name, however, derives from the Roman ‘panis focacius’, a bread cooked over the ashes of a fireplace.There […]
Enoteca Baldi is one of our favourite restaurants in the world and it just happens to be a few minutes away from Montecalvi. 1. Tell us a little bit about Enoteca Baldi. Who are the Baldi? When did it start? Enoteca Baldi is a family-run business. Mimmo Baldi is the foundation of it and its […]
At Montecalvi, we have a little over four hectares under vine, spread across five different vineyards. Le Terrazze is our oldest and finest vineyard, planted on dry stone-wall terraces in 1932, making it one of the oldest vineyards in Tuscany. Then we have the Montecalvi vineyard (in three parcels) which was first planted to Sangiovese […]
