Lunch at a Winery in Tuscany

I love wine but I have never had lunch inside of a winery before.  After a drive through the rolling hills of Tuscany we arrived at Poggio Il Castellare, a winery located in central Italy. This area is home to some of the most famous and highly regarded wines in the world.

We were greeted with a first course of cheese and meats from the region and of course, a glass of wine. The dish in the center is made with crushed day old homemade bread, diced vegetables from the garden and olive oil. The food is so simple yet so delicious.  

One of the wines we tasted during lunch was Brunello di Montalcino, one of Italy's most famous and prestigious wines.  It is made exclusively from these Sangiovese grapes grown on the slopes of Montalcino. The word "Brunello" translates roughly as 'little dark one' which seems entirely appropriate when looking at them hanging on the vine.

Now that my travels are over I need to get down to the business of painting.  I have roughly 2000 photos to work from taken over an 11 day trip and a lot of wonderful memories! And yes, it was not easy to take photos after a lunch where you taste 5 different wines but somehow I managed!