Being Fancy Shmancy

WHAT A DAY!

So I know I've been really horrible and lazy when it comes to updating this blog. I don't know what it is about diaries, but I've always found them so hard to keep up. Living it seems so much more fun! Much like my pictures, the words never seem to do the actual events justice. I will try my best to help you all understand:

So today, (Feb 18th, that is), I signed up for a wine-tasting tour in the Chianti region of Tuscany. We went to a beautiful estate of Castello il Palagio. Yes- a castle. First we toured the grounds, learning about the grape production in the area, the olive groves they take care of (fantastic olive oil!!!), and the types of wines they produce. I was so proud to have actually known most of the information the guide was giving us! Guess the wine classes are paying off.

Castello il Palagio estate

We continued on to the cellars, where rows and rows of barrels were waiting, slowly aging the wine we were about to drink. yummmmmy. Quick fact: the size of the wooden barrel matters! Wine is often aged in the small barrels (which have to be replaced every 3 years or so) for a while, and then transferred to the large barrels (and by large I mean about twice my size) to be aged for YEARS.

Some of the small barrels in the cellar

After a morning full of walking came the most anticipated part. THE TASTING. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't expecting much. After all, this was a free trip- how much could they possibly give us? BOY was I wrong! Our group was ushered into the reception room, where several tables were waiting for us, laden with bread, plates of cheese and meats, and bottles of wines. Everything was delicious!! We were given three types of wine, one of them a dessert wine. Finally, we finished off the wonderful meal with biscotti! again, WHAT A DAY.

my plate. My O MY

Our table. with plateful of CHEESE!

ciao a tutti!