Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
terraced slopes, buttressed by white rock
walls and bordered by tall slender cypress
trees. Snowcapped Alps sit in the dis-
tance, and the vineyard slopes are embel-
lished with the occasional stone statue.
The dark intense berries grown from these
slopes are placed in special drying houses
for 100 days before being moved to large
red-rimmed casks in the winery´s brick
vaulted cellars. They keep the wines 5
years before releasing them.
Allegrini conduct tours of the facility
with the emphasis on good old-fashioned
Italian hospitality. They host cellar tastings
and vineyard tours, even cookery classes
conducted by Marilisa Allegrini at the
nearby Villa Giona, a gorgeous Italianate
villa of arched windows. The Villa sur-
rounds an expansive lawn with wicker
chairs and the occasional Renaissance
statue; inside you´ll find period artworks,
antique furniture, and colorful frescos.
Tastings are conducted in the medieval
tower, and eight luxury bedrooms wel-
come guests.
Allegrini Winery,
Via Giare 9/11,
Fumane di Valpolicella (
&
39/45/6832011;
www.allegrini.it).
(
Airport Catullo, Verona (15km/9 miles).
L
$$$
Ai Capitani Hotel,
Via Castel-
letto 2/4, Peschiera del Garda (
&
39/45/
6400782;
www.aicapitani.com). $$
Al
Quadrifoglio Bed and Breakfast,
Via
24, Maggio 6, Verona (
&
39/338/2253681;
www.alquadrifoglio.it).
Italy
336
Ruffino
The Chianti Effect
Tuscany, Italy
It is called the “Chianti effect.” It happens
when wine lovers visit a beautiful winery
and are so carried away with the utter
charm of their surroundings, they proclaim
the wine the best they have ever tasted—
when in fact it is rustic grape glop.
It is easy to understand why people get
so carried away and delusional in Chianti,
Tuscany. Italy's oldest wine appellation is
an enchanting set of rolling green hills
punctuated by lonely clusters of tall cypress
trees. The area lends its name to a famous
red wine that unfortunately people now
associate with checkered table cloths, piz-
zas, and straw-covered wine jars. Though
Renaissance poets called it the wine of Bac-
chus, Chianti's excellent reputation faded
in the 20th century, after strict controls
went lax and winemakers began mixing the
rich, earthy, floral Sangiovese grape with
other wines including (unforgivably) white
wine. America's most popular Italian wine
became regarded as cheap and light-bod-
ied, not worth storing. Then a scandal
erupted questioning the authenticity of
Chianti. Other wines appeared on the scene
that rivaled and outbid Chianti, most nota-
bly the Super Tuscans. When Hannibal
Lecter famously declared the wine perfect
to drink with the liver of a dead census
taker in the movie
Silence of the Lambs,
he
nearly sealed its fate.
But now Chianti is back. New controls
insist that the wine cannot be called Chi-
anti unless it contains 80% Sangiovese
grapes; adding white wine is forbidden.
This has yielded a marked rise in quality,
and Chianti is once again making poets
wax lyrical.
Leading the charge is one of Italy's most
important wineries, Ruffino, a name that
has become practically synonymous with
