While you are here you should sample the extra virgin olive oil (DOP). The olive groves extend for 50 hectares with 12,000 trees, and the olives are picked by hand and crushed daily in the estate's presses. The Chianti Classico DOP certification has strict rules, and this oil has no adulteration or chemical residues. Its fragrance is like the fruit, and its taste lightly bitter and spicy: marvellous both for the palate and for the heart.
Chianti is of course not just a territory - it's also the name of a famous wine, still produced from the tiny geographical area between Florence and Siena. Only the name Chianti Classico and the red crest within a picture of a black cockerel identify the wine produced in this original area: it is guaranteed and certified by the rigorous specifications of the Historical Chianti Classico Trade Consortium. Cinciano is within this strictly delimited area, and produces some marvellous wines.
There is an immense amount to see once you strike out from the estate of course. Chianti is a land of softly rolling hills, clad with olive groves and vines. This region, stretching down from Florence to Siena, is what the visitor imagines when they dream of Tuscany. It's a long stretch of hill towns and vineyards, bathed in sunshine and superb light during the summer, and mild even in the depths of winter, and with many hundreds of acres of woodland complementing the intensively farmed vineyards and fields.
[ View on Google Map | map of region ]
Fascinating towns and cities such as Arezzo, San Gimignano, Poggibonsi and Montecatini lie within easy reach, as do rewarding mediaeval cities such as Florence and Siena. To find out prices and availability, just click below.
