Tuscany Wine Tasting

in Maremma's Medieval cellars

Tuscany wine tasting in an ancient medieval cellar beneath one of Maremma's hill towns is a not to be missed opportunity.

Each year, many of Maremma's towns, villages and hamlets celebrate the important grape harvest and first wine production, but only a few open their cellars. And those that do, usually do so only once a year. So, take a tip from me: if you are in the area of one of these events or planning to be nearby, take a detour and you will return home with a very unique experience of Tuscany: a rare glimpse of below a town, often three or more levels deep with wine thrown in!

These "cantine aperte" - open cellars - weekends are whole town affairs with many opportunities to try in a really informal and relaxed atmosphere great local non-vintage family wines as well as the more famous local Super Tuscan IGT, DOC and DOCG Maremma wines. And they ideal for the whole family: with street music, theatrical floats, costumed parades, poetry, artisan and handicraft markets, bric-a-brac, sweet stalls, traditional food stalls selling fried sweet pastries or salty schiacciata breads...

TIP: the queues at some of the home-cooked food stalls can be long as the next batch of fried delicacies comes out, so take some snacks with you to help with the wine or spot the stalls early and be ready!

A little word of advice if you are at all claustrophobic...

I am, but I have visited the deepest of Maremma's cellars and will do so again as soon as the next opportunity arises, albeit if quickly!

Hopefully, to help take some of the anxiety of the unknown away, this is what you can expect:

• The cellar paths are stepped most of the way, but not always evenly. Some have a thick rope attached to the descending walls to help your descent.
• The cellars are well lit and are not the dark horror movie type!
• The initial cool air in comparison to the heat outside soon becomes thicker and more clammy the deeper you go.
• Some of the larger cellar rooms have smaller anti-rooms: these can feel even more confining, especially if full of people.

TIPS:

• Try and avoid the times when there are lots of peolple in the cellars or if there is a queue to go down or return up: that way you can feel a little freer to come and go as you please as fast as you please, if you know what I mean!
• When the cellars first open or just before they close is a good time. If they are open during the day, then lunchtime is a perfect opportunity.

If that sounds more than you can deal with, don't be put off visiting these events as many of the cellars are large spaces that open on the ground floor into the street, so you don't have to miss anything!

The 2010 Tasting Tuscany Wine
in Maremma Calendar

Tuscany Wine Tasting
April and May 2010

30 April - 2 May 2010
SORANO
Cantine Aperte - Open cellars

Part of the Festa di Primavera (Spring Festival) celebrations, with gastronomic food stands, rock bands and a market, the cellars are open between 15:00 and 22:00 on the Friday and from 11:00 to 22:00 on the Saturday and Sunday.

Tuscany Wine Tasting
July 2010

8, 13, 27 and 29 July 2010
BIBBONA
Visita e dugustazione in cantina

The wine tasting in these cellars isn't under the town, but in the cellars of the farmhouses around Bibbona.

13 July 2010 - the farm of Azienda Agricola Colli Etruschi. There is a charge of Euros 5,00 in this instance for the wine tasting.

27 July 2010 - the farm of Azienda Agricola Villa Caprareccia.

29 July 2010 - the farm of Azienda Agricola Leopoldo I.

Tuscany Wine Tasting
September 2010

2 - 5 September 2010
PITIGLIANO
Settembre di Vino - September of Wine Festival

For four days the ancient cellars beneath this Etruscan town are opened as well as the interconnecting underground tunnels and galleries. Pitigliano on any day is a very special place, but the opportunity to visit beneath this town carved out of tufo rock and taste its wines is something else.

The cellars are opened at 18:00 each day.

10 - 12 September 2010
MANCIANO
"Festa delle Cantine" - Festival of the Cellars

A three day festival and an important one for the town, during which it celebrates the completion of the grape harvest, the first new wines, and local speciality foods such as aquacotta, bruschette, ciaffagnoni, panzanella, pizze fritte and an array of locally produced sliced meats. The streets are filled with artists and musicians and the cellars in the historic centre are open with tasting of "Ciaffagnoni" (crepes), wine and local typical speciality foods from 20:30 on the Friday, 19:00 on the Saturday and 17:00 on the Sunday.

17 - 19 September 2010
SASSO d'OMBRONE (CINIGIANO)
Sagra del Capitone

As part of this weekend sagra with street stands and dancing on the Saturday night, the towns cellars are also open for visiting.

23 - 25 September 2010
ISOLA DEL GIGLIO
III Festa dell'Uva e delle Cantine Aperte

A gastronomic event near the castle in which the islands wine cellars are also open - from 19:00.

25 - 26 September 2010
SCANSANO
Festa dell'Uva - Grape Festival

This annual festival makes for a great morning or afternoon out and has a wonderfully friendly atmosphere. It is the home of Morelllino di Scansano DOC wine but beer lovers are catered for too! There is an artisan market, theatrical floats, roaming street musicians... as well as barbecues and food stalls. The cellars in the historic centre are open all day. Read more...

Tuscany Wine Tasting
October 2010

1 - 3 October 2010
CINIGIANO
41st "Festa dell'uva" - the 41st Festival of the Grape

This costumed festival has open cellars, food stands, theatrical paper mache floats, and a poetry competition... as well as wine!

1- 3 October 2010
VALLERONA (Roccalbegna)
Festa della Madonna del Rosario - Festival of the Madonna del Rosario

A weekend of festivities with tournaments, street performers, games, exhibits, food stalls, juggling acts, street dancing, a costumed parade and a wheelbarrow palio! And the town cellars are opened each day for visits.

2 - 3 and 9- 10 October 2010
CALDANA
"Festa d'Autunno" - Autumn Festival

During the autumn festival in this small Tuscan hill town, some of the deepest cellars in Maremma are opened as well as ones underneath family homes in the narrow streets. The publicity tells of antique objects and traditional goods stands, but you will mostly find bric and brac with some handicrafts and commercial sweet stands. Sometimes the bouncy castle for kids is no where to be seen! A friendly event worth a visit for the cellars alone.

Photograph at the top of the page was taken at the festival in Caldana.

8 - 10 October 2010
MONTICELLO AMIATA
"Festa della Castagna" - Chestnut Festival

As part of this important October festival in Tuscany, on the Saturday 9 October 2010 at 17:00 the cellars in the historic centre of Monticello Amiata will be opened for visits.

15 - 17, 22 - 24 and 30 - 31 October 2010
ARCIDOSSO
24th La Castagna in Festa - 24th Festival of the Chestnut

At this gastronomic event of chestnut beer and foods, guided woodland tours, ancient woodland crafts and shows in the castle, the wine cellars of Arcidosso also open for visits.

30 October - 1 November 2010
SASSOFORTINO (Roccastrada)
Festa della Castagna - Festival of the Chestnut

The cellars in Sassofortino will be open as part of this three day gastronomic event based upon local speciality foods and chestnut recipes.

Tuscany Wine Tasting
November 2010

30 October - 1 November 2010
SASSOFORTINO (Roccastrada)
Festa della Castagna - Festival of the Chestnut

See the last entry in October above.

6 - 7 November 2010
TATTI (Massa Marittima)
Sapori d'Autunni - Flavours of Autumn

As part of the autumnal festivities in the "borgo" (village) of Tatti within Maremma's metalliferous hills, the cellars in the historic centre will be open for visits. Wine tasting in Tuscany with a difference!

14 - 15 November 2009
MONTEPESCALI (Grosseto)
Qualita in terra antica - Quality in Ancient Land

Open wine cellars with the opportunity to taste quality products produced from Maremma's lands.