Welcome into the Conti Capponi Wine Club!

Dear friends,

I am very happy to welcome you into the extended family of Villa Calcinaia and I would like to thank you greatly for joining our new project.
I hope to be able to evoke, through our Wine Club, the memories of a beautiful journey in our region, the flavors and aromas associated with this wonderful land and its amazing products , among which the Chianti Classico Gallo Nero stands out.
For those who instead have not yet visited us, I would like to be able to stimulate your curiosity, awakening your desire to make this beautiful journey.
My first proposal is connected with the passing of the seasons, the transition from winter to spring, and it is precisely for this reason, that I have chosen three wines that will accompany us well during the warmer days ahead of us and the evenings that are still cool.
The first wine I would like to present is Villa Calcinaia Comitale: a white produced here at the winery since the early ‘70s and which has the Grechetto as his main actor, along with a small addition of another white varietal named Vernaccia. Due to its characteristics such as fresh acidity and aromas reminiscent of aromatic herbs , it pairs very well with our spring cuisine which features the first vegetables such as peas, fava beans, artichokes and chicory.
The Comitale can be served, for example, with a plate of “ Florentine style” green peas seasoned with Tuscan dry-cured ham ( prosciutto toscano) or with a salad of peeled fava beans and diced fresh pecorino with a drizzle of Villa Calcinaia extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper.
The second wine is the Villa Calcinaia Chianti Classico that many of you may know from the black and white label created by my mother in the early sixties, and which I personally consider, given the number of bottles produced each year, as the most important wine we make. The pairing in this case is always tied to dishes where tomato is one of the main stars, since the acidity of this fruit softens the acidity of the Sangiovese . A plate of spaghetti with fresh tomato and basil sauce represents an ideal pairing, for example.
The third is another Villa Calcinaia classic and is, please excuse the tautology, the Villa Calcinaia Chianti Classico Riserva. During sharecropping times, the Riserva was the only wine that the owner would set aside and bottle in order to drink on special occasions. The main character is again the Sangiovese,
and for this wine also the tomato can be a worthy companion together with some “ciccia”, a term used by Tuscans to indicate meat in general. Nothing beats grilled meat, the famous Fiorentina steak , accompanied by a glass of Villa Calcinaia Chianti Classico Riserva.
May I take this opportunity to renew my thanks and I look forward to seeing you soon at Villa Calcinaia!

With my warmest wishes,
Sebastiano Capponi