A way over due post on the Tuscany trip. Planned amongst many, it was a trip for 8 pax, hardly easy to accommodate everyone. Here's a lunch stop in Parma, Ristorante Gallo d'Oro. The very best Parma ham I've ever tested! Not the least salty, these were mostly sweet like! nice bottle of castellardo to pair with it.
Our lovely Villa in Sienna. Way too cold to swim!
A little too cold for outdoor dining, we did have a very poorly made dinner and it was the only dinner for our week-long stay at the villa.
Yes, the drinking starts....
And the very next morning, the fight of the century between Pacquiao and May weather, and they had this FOC !(in italiant though), while in SG, we paid ~SDG$35 or so for Pay per view! brrr! And Pacquiao lost!! :(
Very touristy but still very post-card like, the city of Florence. our view during lunch!
Lovely Barberas and Barbarescos.
Homage to my current favourite watch brand. The original Giovanni store in Florence!
Yes, I think the ultra rare time when I kept a paper bag..heheh.
Art is in the air, with street performers, opera singers lining corners in Florence.
One of the highlights of Tuscany is the Chianina steaks, costing 30-40 euros/kg, they're half the price as compared to in Singapore. We had 4-5 sessions of these in a week. Here Jolene knives the steak expertly.
The beautiful sloping vineyards of Tiganello.
out of bounds to visitors, this was a treat for us.
A short trip from Tiganello was the Antinori, a superbly giant
Yes..I snuggled back a birth year bottle.
Pretty good 2012.
A short distance from Tiganello was the Antinori facility, a boost of modern architecture what money can buy.
A long bumpy trip to a cult maker, Trinoro!
An 'entry' cuvee but I really like this. Rose petals everywhere!
One of the friendliest owner which allowed us to a private cellar and as usual, the boys would spend a ton on time on wine hunting.
A little steak overdose by now.
An exceptional tour and history of Mastro Janni, pretty good juice too.
Super simple lunch prepared by Mastro Janni.
Mastro Janni and Podere Le Ripi are currently owned by Francesco Illy of the Swiss coffee company. The Amore Magia Rosso is my favourite of the rasting.
And every Farmer has their dog.
Francesco Illy has the plot with the highest density in the world, and it makes a out of the world wine, called the Bonsai.
The generous Francesco Illy opening a bottle of his prized Bonsai.
A 'last minute' stop was Biondi Santi. Elegance/long-live, never meant to be powerful. Very good indeed.
My absolute favourite meal of the trip. Game of rabbit/Duck/wild boar! only 8 euros for the basic pasta!! We went back to this Trattoria in center of Sienna (only place we ate twice ).
Rolling hills where at the top, stands Reddigaffi.
It was my favourite tasting of the trip, all the wines were good. The Bianco especially, which I almost finish half a bottle on my own!
Never trusting Gallileo's experiments, a ticket was compulsory to exact the gravity experiments.
But the view (and pants) and I forgot my steel balls and 1kg bags of feathers too, damn.
Lame tourist spotted trying to 'lean' the tower.
The Tuscany sun, or simply the Mediterranean sun, when it hits the right angle, makes everything glow, here a lovely all white cat basking in the setting sun.
A place with 'everything truffles'. I was exhausted and didn't remember much of this meal.
Another wonderful tasting. Ornellaia!
All the wines performed really well, 2nd best tasting after Tua Rita.
The 2005 was ....delicious...
And BBQ pork from Singapore did a wonderful pairing!
Manicured gardens of the estate.
A short drive to the beach for lunch.
And it was Sa-ci-ca-ya after lunch...
Spectacular rows of barrels behind glass doors.
To be honest, the least 'wowed' tasting.
A superbly easy * and homely restaurant.
The Tuscan sun in all it's glory.
And it was the end of the wine portion...it was onward to Florence for some last minute grabs before heading back to Milan--SG!
Oh...last meal at my fav restaurant. And yes, we were CRAZY to order 2X 1.5kg slabs of MEAT... I was already RED with wine and beef for whole week, and moos could be hear from some of us.
But...to die...with guts and blazing glory....and with two superbly drinking 1997s.... what's there to bemoan?
Special thanks to Mr Marcus Lai for arranging the most of the wineries. To all my friends. <3 forever.="" p="">
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