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I love how powerful friendships in wine are, and how they show up for you at the right moment.
Last weekend, we had decided to have a dinner among a few friends – the wild girls – to spend time with our friend Nadia before she went back to Singapore. It was also to celebrate her upcoming 60th birthday.
Nadia had expressed a wish to perhaps go somewhere in Chianti. I suggested Fabrizio at Podere dell’Anselmo as it’s fairly close by and they also have a pool with a nice view of the surrounding countryside. We then discussed it further with our other friends. The initial idea was to invite a larger group of friends and make it a small party, but in the end, we decided on a more intimate dinner among friends. We also had to decide who would be the designated driver.
So we were five ‘wild girls’—moi, Nadia, Letizia, Chiara, and Tina—plus Alberto, a friend who joined us at the last minute. Kudos to him for supporting us and adding to the fun. We lounged in or by the pool, chatted, enjoyed aperitivo with Fabrizio’s Vermentino, and laughed a lot.
Lots of kudos to the staff at Podere dell’Anselmo, especially the girls in the kitchen, who, every time I came to ask if we could perhaps have this or that…only smiled and said: “Katarina, what can we help you with?”
Let’s rewind a bit. Nadia had explicitly told us:
“No birthday celebration, no cake, no gifts!!!”
Of course, we said yes: we hear you—no celebration, no gifts, no problem; it will be only a normal dinner. Then Letizia and I discussed it hush-hush, saying there will be a gift and a bit of celebration. No cake, though; that’s so kitsch.
But what could we give someone who has a bit of everything? An experience, we agreed. Ok, but an experience she can do in Singapore, or one to enjoy here when she gets back next spring? Letizia then had the great idea of a gift that could become a memory of her birthday, of us friends and our time together that night at Podere dell’Anselmo. A wine from 1966, the year she was born.
I searched and found a wine shop in the centre with a few 1966 wines available. A Chianti Classico 1966 from Podere Liliano in Castellina in Chianti. It’s less about the wine’s quality and more about the feeling it evokes. She might never open it, but we think having it in the cellar as a reminder of friendship and love will be precious. To quote Oprah Winfrey about leaving “heart prints with people”, we wanted to leave “heart prints” with our day together, the memories of the day, and the gift to treasure within us.
We added a card with a poetic message mainly created by Letizia; I only wrote the actual words on the paper. It created a lot of laughs because a bit ‘brille’ (i.e., happy on wine), we didn’t always get it right. The finished card was very spontaneous and creative, though. LOL
It was a fantastic day together with lots of “heart prints”.
Read more about Podere dell’Anselmo in a previous article:
But what about the wine?
As mentioned already, we shared a bottle of Podere dell’Anselmo’s Vermentino Toscana IGT Bianco for the aperitivo. We opened a couple more later on.
For dinner, we had the Terre di Bracciatica Toscana IGT Rosso 2022, I believe, which is a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a very easygoing and enjoyable red wine with great drinkability. Served slightly chilled on a summer evening, it’s just perfect. Fabrizio told me that it’s a bestseller at the wine bars and restaurants in town. He wants to make it a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine in the future, using the Sangiovese for other wines.
Fabrizio wasn’t there that evening, as he had another engagement; however, his brother stopped by our table and offered us a taste of their Franco Toscana IGT Rosso 2020, a Tuscan-style Cabernet Sauvignon. He also had us taste their Pax Toscana IGT Rosso 2022, which is a monovarietal Colorino wine. It’s a beautiful expression of this native Tuscan grape, with a nice structure enhanced by the ageing in barrique. Fabrizio’s brother leaned more toward the Franco wine, thinking Pax is more of a wine for connoisseurs. I think both wines are very accessible and enjoyable for a broader audience. They both give you a sense of Tuscan belonging, like saying “this is so Tuscany”, “this is so my taste”.
Fact: Podere dell’Anselmo is located close to Montespertoli in Tuscany. They also have an agriturismo (restaurant and rooms) and a riding school.
Do you have a friendship moment where wine played a central role? I would love to hear more. Just hit reply with a comment below.
