Casato Prime Donne, Part 1

My Rare One and I are not big into wine so when we visited Tuscany in 2008, we only toured one winery. We visited the Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino, a region famous for its red Brunello wine. Montalcino is south of Siena and Florence and in the late Middle Ages, it suffered greatly in the power struggle between those two city states.

The Casato Prime Donne is owned and operated entirely by women, a rarity in Italy's male-dominated wine industry. This assertive feminist connection was the drawing card for us, not the wine!

But speaking of the wine, it is aged in the Casato's beautiful old stone cellar house --

There was lots of art displayed on the buildings and grounds -- see the white ceramic doves high up under the eaves on one side of the building?

We arrived at siesta time after lunch when everything was closed, so we spent about an hour walking around the surrounding vineyards and countryside. The soil here is heavy, dense clay which is ideal for only two things -- growing grapes and making terra cotta pottery and other items. No wonder those activities were traditionally Tuscany's two main industries!

Harvest was just starting on the day we were there and already, the fields were dotted with many bright plastic containers full of grapes. My Rare One had a lovely conversation with some women harvesters even though no one spoke each other's language. She can talk to anyone!

Tomorrow -- a cellar tour!

[Photos © 2008 Debra She Who Seeks and My Rare One]