Fried bread dough is found everywhere in Italy and each region has a different name for it: Coccoli, ficattole or zonzelle. This is the Florentine version of this national treat. WHAT WE NEED 200g flour Dry yeast Water EVO oil Seed oil Salt WHAT WE DO Empty the flour onto the work surface and make […]
THE BARRELS
“Botte grande vino piccolo. Botte piccola vino grande.” ‘Small barrels preserve the best wine’ – We asked ourselves if the best things do come in small packages after all. Is there any truth to this popular Italian proverb? We asked Francesco, caretaker of Vignamaggio’s vines and wines for the past 30 years. From barriques and […]
RECIPE: THE TUSCAN GRANDMA’S CAKE
Torta della Nonna (Grandma’s Cake), originally from Arezzo, is a tart of confectioners custard encased in a short-crust pastry and topped with pine nuts and icing sugar. Legend has it that the creation of the dish was the result of a challenge, to prove that Tuscan cuisine does have its share of desserts. WHAT YOU […]
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
As some of you already know, in 1992 Kenneth Branagh chose Vignamaggio as the setting for his adaptation of the theatrical comedy “Much ado about nothing”. The video shooting at Vignamaggio lasts for more than two months, a lively period of time for Greve: we can still imagine Denzel Washington, Emma Thompson or Keanu Reeves strolling […]
RECIPE: BAKED APPLES IN VINSANTO
Winter is the perfect season to warm up with a delicious homemade dessert and this time we thought we’d make a classic ‘Grandma’s recipe’: Our chef, Cristina’s delicious version of baked apples in Vinsanto. WHAT WE NEED 4 apples (4 people, one apple each) 125 ml Chianti Classico Vinsanto 4 table spoons raw cane sugar […]
WINTER SALADS
During the holidays there is always an onslaught of meat and fish, roasted and stuffed. We thought that the vegetables in our vegetable gardens also deserve a place on the dinner tables of special occasions. The base we started with is a simple radicchio and pomegranate salad: other than being delicious and in season, the […]
CHRISTMAS TABLE CENTREPIECE
Christmas is almost upon us, and just like every year, we find ourselves looking for ideas and inspiration to decorate our homes and ways to celebrate with those dear to us. For our Christmas table centrepiece, it was to Cristiano that we turned again. He created a simple centrepiece that is really easy to make. […]
THE FIRST DROPS
We often hear the term olio nuovo, or new olive oil, but it is not always clear what this means. It is commonly used to refer newer oil, to oil that is under a year old. A bottle of oil from the November 2016 harvest would therefore be considered “olio nuovo” until the arrival of […]
THE FLAN
Or, more precisely, the CRUSTLESS VEGETABLE FLAN. Flan is a French term with Germanic roots: in fact, in high German « flado » means wafer and today «Fladen (brot) » refers to a flat, only slightly risen bread. In our case, the flan refers to a soft and delicious starter. A simple, versatile recipe than you can […]
BEHIND THE WINE
So far, we have kept you up to date on activities in the vineyards during grape harvest season. But what happens after that? Activity now moves to the “Grape Reception” area, above of the cellar. The grapes are brought here by tractor to be washed, selected and de-stalked. After this, the grapes are pumped straight […]