After an early start and long bus ride through Tuscany, we arrived at the Prime Donne winery, a maker of the famous Brunello di Montalcino wine.What's interesting about this winery, besides the fabulous wines, is that it is a winery run completely by women! Long a male-dominated industry, innovations in technology now make the wine industry less dependent on muscle, and more focused on technique and innovation.
Just before arriving at the winery, we found the dirt road blocked by a flock of sheep, and the Sardegnian herder- our large Pullman bus more the intruder on this Tuscan dirt road than the sheep! Our driver didn't seem all to happy about taking his bus down these roads either...
The painting is a depiction of a famous battle between Siena and Florence - the prize being the town of Montalcino. Montalcino was to arrive at the battle and pick their side- but in order to avoid picking the wrong side, re: the loser, the Montalcino forces arrived late after the battle was over. Siena won the battle, but to punish the Montalcino soldiers, they were forced to bury the dead of both sides. This earned the Montacinese the rather derogatory nickname of "gravediggers", still used today.
After the tour and tasting, we drove to the Cascina, or farmhouse of the winery for a fabulous five course meal, paired with wines, of course!
Brunello di Montalcino is a DOCG wine made from 100% sangiovese grapes that originate from the area only directly surrounding the town. The wine must be aged in oak cask for a minimum of two years before it is bottled. The riserva is aged a minimum of three years.
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