Lavanda

Olio Nuovo - This years Olive Oil

The labour intensive Olive harvest

Olive harvesting Italian style

Ripe and immature Olives together

In Tuscany the Olive are usually harvested in the first two weeks of November, and thus the freshly pressed Olive oil is available - Olio Nuovo. The olives are pressed before they have reached the full maturation giving the Oil a dark greenish colour and slight grassy flavour.

L'estate di San Martino -an Indian summer in Tuscany

Fall in Tuscany

Questi ultimi giorni sono stati degni della così detta “estate di San Martino”, definizione legata alla leggenda del santo che divise in due un mantello per coprire un povero mendicante nudo e freddoloso. Il Signore «ricompensò» il santo inviando un clima mite e temperato quando ormai si andava verso il freddo dell'inverno.

Saint Martin dividing his cloak - Martini Simone

In Italia, per tradizione, il giorno di San Martino si aprono le botti per il primo assaggio del vino novello, accompagnato dalle prime castagne (da qui il motto «a San Martino ogni mosto diventa vino). Questa tradizione viene celebrata anche in una famosa poesia di Giosuè Carducci, intitolata appunto «San Martino».

Frittelle di castagne - Chestnut Fritters -Easy!

Chestnut flour, water or milk, olive oil, pine nuts, raisins.
Prepare a mixture with 250 g. flour, water or milk and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and work it into a dough.
Add pine nuts and raisins. Pour 1 tablespoon of dough in a pan with hot oil and fry it till it becomes golden.
After frying all the dough sprinkle with sugar.

Autumn colours - colori d'autunno

The olives are ready to press

Autumn has arrived in Tuscany and brought colours as recompense for the the falling temperature. The vines have given up their harvest and the work at the vineyard moves inside.
Every month brings change to the landscape, but the change as October starts is bold and cannot be ignored.

Bottling day at Montefioralle

The Lamborghini tractor

De-stemming the Sangiovese

Bottling day at the vineyard is when all friends and family are called to lend a hand. The small producers like the Sieni family at Montefioralle do not have the space or money for their own bottling plant so rely on the mobile bottling unit which is hired once a year to do the job. It can cope with 2,000 bottles an hour and within the day every wine from the Chianti Classico to the Supertuscan is corked and labelled and ready to ship

Fagioli borlotti freschi

Pasta integrale e fagioli freschi per salutare l'arrivo dell'autunno.