The Castle of Wine

Perish the thought…an organized excursion. 

Set aside serendipity, discovery and the unknown, let’s talk about committing four hours to a structured semi-private tour.  Oh, the thought of it makes me wince, yet there is something to be said about an outing that has been organized to provide “an experience,” as the young people say.  In my day, we just called it fun.

Wrapping up a 7-mile walk through the vines and woods of the Chianti hills, Liz and I found ourselves at the crossroads outside of Radda in Chianti. 

On the edge of a village rich in history sits a modern building, the Celine purse factory.  While I don’t know the brand, the ladies in my family tell me that Celine is part of the Louis Vuitton family of luxury brands.  Perhaps this little factory of artisans will add to the economic prosperity of the area, but my focus is on a small brown sign for Castello Abello. 

After a bit of searching on my phone, I register us for a semi-private half-day excursion, a wine tour through the castle and grounds followed by lunch with wine paring, a pairing for each of the six courses.  The price was manageable, but committing our time – our limited time in Chianti – was a leap.

The winding drive up the hill to the castle was spectacular.  Was it the timing of the sun?  We had covered many miles in Chianti, yet we had not seen anything as picturesque. 

Pulling into the parking lot, we were taken aback, as there were at least two dozen cars.  How did they define semi-private?  How many people would we be spending the next four hours with?

After checking-in at the registration desk, we were directed to a waiting room with a few other families. We wondered about the size of our group.

At the top of the hour, Danny arrived.  Think of Michael Chernus from Severance and Orange is the New Black.  Now imagine him in better shape, with an Italian flair, and… an ascot.  This guy pulled off wearing an ascot.  He was absolutely charming. 

With the wine experts in our little band of visitors, he shared intimate details of the science behind the wine making.  For pretenders like us, he kept us entertained with stories of wine-making, and interesting tales about the history of the castle.  As our tour of the grounds came to an end, we found ourselves in the restaurant and wine shop, awaiting the big upsell.

All of my angst, as usual, was for naught.  The meal and wine tastings were outstanding.  Danny and his colleagues continued to share stories about the area, and how to best enjoy the wine. 

One bit of inspiration came up in the cantina, the wine cellar.  They had kept several bottles from each vintage going back over 60 years.  The oldest bottles looked, well, pretty bad. 

Beyond the dust, it appeared that a cork or two had gone bad.  We wondered if the remaining bottles might have some value, and how might they taste.  Danny explained that they were worthless – worthless to anyone else.  These bottles were a symbol of the vineyard’s history, and invaluable to the owners. How does one know what to keep?

Searching for a place to stay in Chianti? Check out our post on the best accommodations.