ciao for now: a weekend of "wining and dining"

Our "home" (castle...) for the weekend

After a short 20 hours spent in the beautiful hills of Tuscany, I have come back to Florence with purple teeth, a full stomach, and a seasoned (as I would like to think) wine taster. We spent the night at the wonderful wine and oil estate, Tenuta Il Corno, where we learned how to sniff, stir, and sip our wine. Maria Giulia, our gracious hostess and also a countess of Tuscany, is the sole heir to this beautiful estate and dedicates her time to producing many types of red and white wines and olive oils.

The Wine.

Stir. Sniff. Sniff with right nostril. Sniff with left. Sniff one more time with both. Sip. Suck through your teeth. Swoosh around in your mouth. And, finally, swallow and reflect on the wine and all that it brought to the table. This was the highlight of our trip, learning how to properly taste wine. Maria Giulia taught us that we do not taste with our mouths, but rather our noses and that it is very important to really take in the wine before you even try it out. Her wine was great, her cellars were impeccable, and she made me feel like I could sniff the finest wine list up and down like a pro.

P.S. I finally discovered why Italians are so skinny...When you drink wine at a meal, the wine along with the food speeds up metabolism making it easier and quicker to digest. Who knew?!

Another view of Maria Giulia's home

The wine cellars that sit beneath Maria Giulia's home

Views of Tuscany

The Meal.

I will be the first to admit that I do not really care for Italian food. Pizza and pasta have never been my go-to meal, but after the delicious food we ate this weekend, it is safe to say that I think the Italians' way of cooking is growing on me. Every meal has at least 3 courses, and there are different wines to pair with each course. Maria Giulia does not mess around in the kitchen. Try not to drool all over your keyboard as you scroll through the pictures.