Under The Tuscan Sun

SOMETHING WE ALWAYS remember our dad telling us is: “Above all else, the wine industry is about people and relationships.” Who you meet and build relationships with leads to strong bonds that affect everything from special allocations received from importers and distributors, to invitations to trade events and educational trips, to the sense of overall trust and loyalty you have with your colleagues. Like in your personal life, the memories you create with your friends in the wine business are priceless and precious.

In October 2024, we were able to plan an impromptu trip to Tuscany because of these relationships. We made two phone calls a few weeks before we wanted to fly to Europe—one to a winemaker in San Gimignano, and one to a wine exporter in Florence. What followed was a beautiful journey featuring wonderful times with people who have become lifelong friends.  

TENUTA LE CALCINAIE: DEEP ROOTS

Our first stop was Simone Santini’s estate, Tenuta Le Calcinaie, in the hills outside the walled city of San Gimignano. Simone crafts award-winning, certified organic wines including dry, crisp Vernaccia di San Gimignano and distinctive sangiovese-based Chianti reds. His Vernaccia white wines have won countless awards and are considered a local treasure. For folks who love clean, dry, mouthwatering whites to pair with seafood and white meats, or cured meats and cheeses, these are perfect. Super fresh with lemon, mineral, white flower, and melon flavors, Le Calcinaie Vernaccia is just as energetic, upfront, and charming as its winemaker.

For Chianti, many folks think of the most famous district, Chianti Classico, located between Florence and Siena. However, there are many more subregions within the greater Chianti zone including Rufina; Colli Fiorentini; Colli Aretini; Colli Pisane; Montespertoli; Montalbano; and Colli Senesi, the southernmost subzone of Chianti, where we stayed at Simone’s family villa and vineyard.

Chianti Colli Senesi is made of 100% sangiovese. The wine is rich, savory, and full of terroir, which is the taste and soul of the place where it originates. It comes from vines planted 50 years ago on land with a history of grape-growing that dates back thousands of years. In fact, Simone has found geologic evidence of the Pliocene Epoch, which took place 2.5 to 5 million years ago, on his land. This includes a profound, intact piece of earth with visible shells and stones embedded in the marl. The soils at Le Calcinaie are so rich in these marine sediments that you taste salt, stones, and minerals in all of the wines.

In Chianti Colli Senesi, look for black cherry, purple flower, wild rosemary, and mineral nuances with a rich palate that remains fresh and balanced on the finish. We like pasta dishes with meat sauces or artisan pizzas with mushrooms in particular with a tasty Chianti like this.

ISOLE E OLENA: A TRUE CLASSIC

We also ventured up into the hills of Chianti Classico and visited a top-tier estate named Isole e Olena. The views and vineyards from this winery are completely breathtaking, and the wines are world famous. Legendary winemaker Paolo de Marchi built the vineyard’s reputation over 40-plus years with hard work and innovation.

In 1980, he created an iconic luxury wine named Cepparello, made of 100% sangiovese. It brought an astounding level of elegance and purity to wine made in Chianti. The wine features hints of blood orange, spice, cedar, and mint that lead to a potpourri of ripe red fruits like cherry and tomato wrapped in freshness and sweet earth.

The Isole e Olena estate also crafts a first-rate Chianti Classico made of mostly sangiovese with canaiolo and syrah; it’s high-toned, pure, floral, and very ‘Classico.’

MEDIEVAL CITIES: ANCIENT ALLURE

Since Tenuta Le Calcinaie was just a few minutes’ drive into the medieval town of San Gimignano, we enjoyed hopping into our rental car for morning coffee, sightseeing, and shopping. It’s a world-renowned place to visit with panoramic views, ancient buildings, cobblestone streets, restaurants featuring regional specialties, and quaint shops filled with local treasures, from leather to jewelry to wild boar sausage.

As you drive around the ancient walls of San Gimignano, everywhere you look are beautiful hills, vineyards, and winding roads. This part of Tuscany is certainly “la campagna,” or the countryside. Completely relaxing and slow paced, it is the quintessential Italian wine life.

Tuscans are justifiably proud of their wines, foods, and traditions. We were enamored every morning with indulging in a caffè and cornetto (coffee and pastry), especially the ones filled with pistachio cream. This Italian croissant is less buttery than its French cousin with a sweeter dough and is a common breakfast item in Italy.

Day trips to Siena and Volterra were also easy to navigate. Visiting beautiful churches, shopping for regional foods, and having long lunches with Tuscan wines made every day seem like a dream.

FLORENCE: WHERE CULTURE MEETS FUN

After several days of country living, it was time to head into the city of Florence to see Italian wine exporter extraordinaire Barbara de Rham Tori. We met in New York City more than 20 years ago and have been dear friends since. Always kind and generous, Barbara is also a tireless advocate of Italian wine education. We have learned so much from her and have shared many wonderful times (and wines) together. She proudly represents small, family-owned estates in regions throughout Italy, from Tuscany, Piedmont, Liguria, Veneto, Sardinia, Umbria, Emilia Romagna, Abruzzo, Friuli, and Campania.

Our hotel was a two-minute walk from Barbara’s 900-year-old apartment, and we spent all our time in Florence with her, exploring everything that one could ever hope to do. Visits to the Uffizi Galleries and Galleria dell’Accademia filled our souls with magnificent Renaissance art. We enjoyed leisurely walks on medieval streets; admired the majestic Duomo day and night; passed over the Ponte Vecchio like every other happy tourist; took in sweeping views of Florence from the Bardini Gardens; grabbed the proverbial Italian dessert at Barbara’s favorite spot, Edoardo il Gelato Biologico; devoured hand-held sandwiches filled with silky mortadella; and dined both in Barbara’s beautiful home and out on the town, in the coziest trattorias and the finest restaurants. As we feasted and drank wine or Campari Spritzes, we would talk about wines, the people who make them, and the beautiful places where the grapes are grown.

We even planned Barbara’s next visit to the United States. In May 2025, she visited Spring Lake with a young, talented winemaker from Liguria, Filippo Ruffino from Vigneti a Prua, bringing captivating whites and reds from grapes first cultivated by the Etruscans on steep vineyards overlooking the Ligurian Sea. We are so grateful to our wine friends around the world, for making such special memories with us, both here and abroad. Grazie mille, amici cari. Until we meet again...

BY CYNTHIA A. MURRAY