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.
We were happy to have Emily O’Hare visiting this winter. Emily O’Hare left her job as head sommelier and wine buyer at London’s The River Cafe (one of our favorite restaurants) in 2014 to attend the grape harvest in Italy, and she never returned. Emily is a well-respected wine critic living in Siena, Italy. She […]
One of our favorite moments is when we go to the winery to taste directly from the barrels. We do this often to control both the evolution and quality of the wines. There is no fixed recipe for our wines. Every vintage is different, every time we cut the wine there are fari factors to […]
With the onset of spring, we crave fresh vegetables after filling up on roots during the winter months-but with the crisp start to the day and cool evenings, we still need an element of comfort in our diet. This dish meets all these criteria. Green Gnocchi with HerbsNettle gnocchi with wild herbs Wild nettle, which […]
Deciding the right time to harvest is both an art and a science. We check the grapes from the time of veraison (the time of the beginning of the ripening process), and as the harvest approaches, we tour the vineyard to check the grapes. We control various aspects, but mainly sugars, acidity and polyphenols. As […]
Yahya El Harchaoui manages our vineyards (and we couldn’t do without!). Yahya landed in Tuscany from Morocco 16 years ago (another incredible story in itself) and has been working in Montecalvi almost all this time. To say he knows the place well would be an understatement. How did you get to Greve in Chianti? What […]
Like any vegetable found a few weeks out of the year, agretti (also known as monk’s beard) is a rarity. As luck would have it, they are in season when the weather is mild enough to eat outside, additional food for the soul. Agretti with their herbaceous flavor are light and easy to prepare. For […]
The year 2020 was an excellent year for Tuscan olives. The olive crop can vary markedly from year to year due to pruning cycles, the weather, and then undoubtedly there are the many hazards that can arise when growing organically but this year, the quality is 5-star and the trees have yielded abundant fruit. Montecalvi […]
The 2020 season was very favorable overall. At the end of March there was a cold spell with hailstorms that partially reduced our yield but without creating much damage to the vines or the buds, the future clusters. The summer was long, dry, hot, but not excessively so, creating a healthy environment around the vines […]
Tuscany at this time of year is especially beautiful, and we take advantage of it to take long walks among the vineyards and in the woods. Thanks to the abundant rains throughout the year, we are in the middle of porcini mushroom season, giving us a great excuse to prepare some homemade pasta Ingredients for […]
There was a silver lining to this bizarre year: during the various phases of the lockdown, where chaos and confusion reigned, nature in Tuscany continued to thrive. We are thrilled and excited about the harvest in Montecalvi. The winter got off to a great start, providing the ground with the necessary water supplies to cope […]
