Leuta, Bottling Nature

Leuta produces a variety of different wines, five from single red grape varieties – Sangiovese, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec and Cabernet Franc, Leuta’s signature wine.  There are also two very interesting blends, the red IGT “Tau” a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah grapes,  a  single barrel blend, “Nautilus” as well as a special limited edition wine produced just once in 2016 and dedicated to Denis’s grandfather “Cornelius”.  Other products include a fine Vinsanto and organic olive oil.  A white wine and two kinds of Spumante are also produced from grapes in a second Leuta winery in Denis’s native Trentino, with the help of colleague, biologist Giulio dei Vescovi.

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The poetry of Vicchiomaggio

The Castle has been owned since 1964 by the Matta family, who in the 1980s began in the accommodation business with six apartments inside the castle. Currently there are 16 guestrooms, including those inside the castle and the suites in the rectory. Under the walls we find an enchanting swimming pool with a panoramic view over the valley, a delight for the eyes.

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Fonterutoli, a geopolitical balcony over Florence and Siena

Amongst the great variety of temporal and spiritual potentates that dot the history of Italy, the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III passed through here (remembered by the Edict of Fonterutoli of 998 which put an end to the territorial conflicts of the dioceses of Siena, Arezzo and Fiesole), then Pope Leo X who left Rome and stopped in Castellina to meet the freshly nominated King of France in 1515; here came the Guelph troops who came down from Florence for the Battle of Montaperti (4 September 1260) and were soundly defeated; an earthquake for the European geopolitical scenario in favour of the Empire and the Republic of Siena. We also remember how Filippo Brunelleschi passed here to remodel the fortresses of Castellina, Staggia and Rencine. We also recall, for various reasons, various famous personalities who were here for work or residence, such as Niccolò Machiavelli, Jacopo della Quercia, Lisa Gherardini and Michelangelo Buonarroti.

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The Mazzei Family, a visionary dynasty

The wine cellar visit is structured as a ‘wine experience’: technical, emotive, sophisticated. The goal is to experience it without predefined paths, passing through the vinification, the vat, the concept of working with gravitational flow. Finally, the curtain opens on the barriccaia, a theatrical scenography with details that condense into a refined show.

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Volpaia: a small village, a fascinating history

Volpaia currently has 33 inhabitants and 4 restaurants: the properties have now been reunited in large part by the Mascheroni Stianti family. In addition to the prestigious winery there is also a farmhouse, a restaurant and a bakery. The vegetables that arrive on the Castle’s tables come from half a hectare of a strictly organic vegetable garden. In fact, since 2000, the Volpaia winery too has been certified as organic.
The winery extends within the village buildings, connected by an engineering masterpiece: an underground wine pipeline, which goes under the streets of the town.

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Psychologist Francesca Mariottini, concrete help in a difficult moment

oday, finally, this stereotype can be said to have changed radically. More and more people, in fact, understand that in times of difficulty an expert and professional consultation is necessary. People who want to implement a change aimed at improvement or who want to be listened to in order to learn how to better manage their emotions and external situations now visit a psychologist.

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Ozone therapy at the Adler Hotel, looking into the future

The scientific community agrees that all pathologies and disfunctions that undermine our well-being originate from a chronic inflammatory state and/or from a lack of ‘tissue’ oxygen. Poor nutrition, stress, lack of exercise, poor breathing, habitual use of prescription medicines, are all factors that contribute to activating the processes of chronic silent inflammation and, at the same time, cause a reduced supply of oxygen to the tissues

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Radda redeems itself from a difficult past

BY SIMONE BANDINI Our journey to discover the Radda in Chianti area continues – begun with the Mayor Pier Paolo Mugnaini and architect Daniele Barbucci – and in particular its winemaking tradition. Let’s take a cue from the recent awards that have fallen like rain on local producers: seven vineyards awarded three glasses by the […]

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Castellina in Chianti’s Liquid Gold

BY GIOVANNI SALVIETTI In autumn, when the trees undress themselves, and let their leaves fall, as if they were daughters making light silk dresses for themselves, the olive tree bears its fruits created with difficulty in a long-awaited gestation. Thanks to an ancient process of transformation its liquid gold is distilled: extra virgin olive oil, […]

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