La Bella Toscana: Barbi and San Gimignano

Day three of our journey begins. Our first agenda item is to take a tour of Fattoria dei Barbi, which is only 4 or 5 km outside of our hotel. The tour was a public one, and so there were 15 or 16 people total. The tour guide explained the different products that Barbi produces. They have a chart of all the products, from wines to olive oils to cheeses and cured meats. She also explained the different rules regarding Rosso, Brunello and Brunello Riserva production.

The age their grapes in french barrique. Wine has to be filled all the way to the top of the barrels (there can be no air), hence the little glass contraption at the top.

Part of the tour included their storage space where they keep bottles from older vintages. They also kept a bottle of the very first Brunello that Barbi produced as a souvenir. These are kept in a dark cool cellar at 13 degrees celsius (55 degrees farenheit for you winos out there) and at a humidity of 85%. They stay horizontal and are rarely touched. Hence the dust!

After touring Barbi, we headed to San Gimignano, a medieval town famed for its 13 remaining towers (not sure how many there were originally). Upon arrival, we headed straight to lunch at Mangiatoia - a lunch that would end up being declared our "second favorite" of the whole trip! I got a papardelle with a wild boar ragu and the Boy got the pici (which was pure awesomeness). He got lamb chops and I had some stewed beef (Tuscans are big into the slow cooked meats... mmmm.....). We shared a bottle of an 05 Rosso, and then headed out to explore San Gimignano.