Day of Reckoning

On May 30th 2009 I became the luckiest man alive when I married the love of my life Yasmine in the Arcipretura di San Donato, Terricciola, Tuscany.
We had a truly legendary reception afterwards at Sergio's Villa Pieve de Pitti where Danielo prepared sumptuous food which was washed down with Cerretello, Moro di Pava, Aprilante and of course buckets of Prosecco.

Wedding Shots

The warm Tuscan evening guaranteed a full al fresco experience as we dined by the pool under the big Cypress trees. Guty and Simone provided the tunes, followed by a mesmerizing performance by a local 15 piece Italian-Brazilian Samba band.
The most memorable day of my life! Thanks to the Irish & Brazilian contingent who traveled all the way to share the day with us... Y&C

Convegno Tirreno 2009

A few shots of Pieve de Pitti Wine paired with some delicious Tuscan dishes @ Convegno Tirreno 2009

Feb Visit to Pieve de' Pitti

Last weekend I paid a trip to Pieve de Pitti to see how the land and her vines were coping with all the rain that has engulfed Tuscany in recent weeks. During my stay at the Villa I was lucky enough to sample some of Ida's wonderful cooking and flew back to Dublin with a cheery grin on my well fed face. Here are a few pics from around the estate & vineyards. . .

February Visit to Pieve de' Pitti

Decanter World Wine Awards 2008

Decanter World Wine Awards 2008 The 2008 Decanter World Wine Awards was the most succesful to date, with 9,219 entries. Pieve de' Pitti was the winner of a coveted Bronze medal for their stunning white Tribiana.

Bronze Pieve de' Pitti Tribiana 2006 Tuscany, Italy (White) Very sweet spices with some vanilla. Basil and sage with an earthy/mineral finish.

The red wines of Pieve De' Pitti

Pieve De' Pitti wines made their Irish debut with a review on Lar Veale's Sour Grapes website.



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Aprilante Video Review

This weekend I had the pleasure of speaking with Sergio Gargari from Pieve de’ Pitti about the super Tuscan white wine, Aprilante, made from Vermentino (40%) and white Malvasia (60%).



A big thanks to LAR @ www.sourgrapes.ie for doing the honors with the video production

Pieve de' Pitti

Pieve de’ Pitti is situated in the southern part of Terricciola, in the heart of “Alta Valdera”. There are 198 hectares of woods, cultivated fields and above all vineyards and olive groves that stretch radially, on the hill with the main landmarks, the Villa and the Castle of Pava. The name Pieve de’ Pitti in derived from the name the name of parish chapel of St. John of Pava, built on the ruins of an ancient Etruscan church And from the Florentine Pitti family, who owned the estate until the end of XVII century.

The road that leads to Pieve de’ Pitti offers a wonderful panorama, it winds uphill full of vineyards and olive trees, guarded by an age-old oak, nominated among the monumental old trees of Italy, until the top of the hill, where it enters a wood of ilexes and in the very center there are the historical wine cellars, the villa and the castle, and the park with the swimming pool.

Icon Tasting @ Enowine, IFSC

Last night I attended my first Icon tasting @ Enowine at the IFSC, Dublin. I guess its fair to say I wasn't disappointed. Here's how it works: state-of-the-art Italian designed Enomatic Wine Serving System allows you to serve a taste of any of the 60 wines they have available. I reckon the measure is roughly 30ml? It gives you the opportunity to "try before buy", avoiding disgruntlement on opening when you get home.

My favourites from last night were a 2005 Chateauneuf Du Pape, Le Chalice du Julian and a La Serra Amarone della Valpolicella

If you happen upon this shop whilst roaming around Dublin's main business district hunting for disenfranchised bankers, drop in and have a go!