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| Castello di Volpaia in Volpaia |
Volpaia
is a small, fortified 11th century quaint Tuscan village
in Radda in Chianti on the Sienna-Florence border, inhabited
by the historical Volpaia family of clock and instrument
makers. Once they owned the whole village, but the Giovanna
Stianti and Carlo Mascheroni family now owns 'two thirds
of the village with a population of 62', says Giovanna
while unlocking the old church, declared as a national
monument called Commenda dell Ordine De Malta , with
an antique looking key sticking out of a bunch that
holds the keys to two third of the village. It is also
used for conventions, wine tastings and other community
gatherings now.
But don't be surprised to see steel vats in the back
portion of the church and modernistic looking panels
on the sidewalls and ceiling of the church. 'There used
to be 5 seconds lag due to the high ceiling and close
walls, says Giovanna, 'The panels help absorb the echoes.
A day before we visited, a wine tasting had been held
here.
Castello di Volpaia winery owned by the family is making
fine Chianti Classico wines and extra premium quality
olive oil in the old traditional style . They also own
the restaurant; wine shop and B & B apartments with
a swimming pool (tariff €90-150 for a 1-BR apartment
with modern conveniences inside).
The architecture of early Tuscany can be seen here
in its entirety. Her vineyards surround the village;
on the hillsides below the village; Volpaia is the highest
site within the Classico zone. This Riserva is made
from vineyards at 400- 650 mtrs. altitude.
'We had to rip the roof off the building, (an old warehouse)
to get our equipment in,' said Giovanna. 'The laws about
maintaining the integrity of the old historical structure
are really strict here, perhaps more than anywhere else
in Italy. The façade and the outside walls cannot
be touched under any circumstances' she added matter
of factly.
Compare and Contrast with India:
 |
Crawford Market Building in Mumbai
-Going, going, gone?! |
This is in sharp contrast to India where it is considered
expedient to get rid of old, historical structures in
the name of modernisation. For instance Crawford market
in Mumbai is an old Flemish and Moorish style structure
in Mumbai, raised with the support of Arthur Crawford,
the first municipal commissioner of Mumbai in 1865.
The landmark heritage structure, recently renamed after
M.J.Phule, a renowned social reformer, is likely to
vanish from the landscape of the city if the politicians
and builders have their way. The Municipal Corporation
of Greater Mumbai took this decision last week in precisely
one minute.Mayor Dr. Subha Raul did not allow any debate
on the issue!
Preserving Old Tuscan tradition of winemaking:
The more you explore the wines of Chianti Classico,
the more you realize how much they can vary according
to the district where the vineyards are situated. The
wines of the Radda district, because of the high altitude
sites there, tend to be the most finely-tuned in the
Classico appellation.
Castello di Volpaia's Chiantis epitomize Radda. The
Coltasalla 2004 with 95% Sangiovese and 5% indigenous
Mammolo grape could pass muster as a Chianti Classico
now, but not in 1980 when they started this product
and the owners chose to label it as a table wine –
at the bottom end of the quality pyramid. At the tasting
table it was a lovely, elegant wine with delicate aromas
and spicy flavours with a firm but not too big a structure
with only a touch of oak.
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