Chianti wine festival at Montespertoli 2026

The Chianti wine festival at Montespertoli is coming up (30 May - 7 June 2026) and as usual it will be an entertaining occasion with a procession of locals dressed up in 19th century costumes and, of course, lots of wine to taste. This wine festival is unusual in the number of street musicians and costumed bands who, along with Tuscan flag throwers and street actors, turn out to provide entertainment. In this respect the Montespertoli Chianti wine festival is superior to the Rassegna del Chianti Classico wine festival held later in the year in Greve in Chianti. The Greve festival has plenty of excellent wine available to try and buy but the entertainment is quite feeble in comparison with that of the Montespertoli event, especially in the evenings.

Chianti wines ready for tasting at Montespertoli

The important difference between the Greve and Montespertoli Chianti wine festivals is that they present wines from different wine zones of the Chianti appellation. The Montespertoli festival covers Chianti, Chianti Montespertoli and Chianti Colli Fiorentini while the Greve festival is devoted to Chianti Classico.

Wagon loaded with Chianti fiasci pulled by Chianina oxen at the Montespertoli Chianti wine festival

Montespertoli is within easy reach of Florence by public transport and there are some excellent agriturismi vacation accommodations in the area

More about Montespertoli.

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Author: Anna Maria Baldini

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Pieve di San Cresci

The Italian word "pieve" means "parish church" in English, and the pievi of Chianti are in many ways a similar phenomenon to the ubiquitous Norman churches of England. They were built in large numbers during the period of rapid population growth that took place in Tuscany at the end of the Dark Age (the Early Mediaeval period), from roughly the year 950 onward, and they are dotted, often in ruins, all over the region. 

Pieve di San Cresci - the parish church

Today, I want to talk about the Pieve di San Cresci which is thought to be one of the oldest pievi in Chianti. The nearby Pieve di San Pietro a Sillano might be older. The latter is mentioned in scrolls dating from the year 884 held at the nearby Abbey of Passignano. The Pieve di San Cresci is referred to in a document dated 963 which is held in the same library. A stone, carved in Longobard style, was found embedded in the wall of the nave during restoration, and this suggests that the Pieve di San Cresci was built on the site of a Longobard villa, perhaps incorporating part of the original structure.

The Pieve di San Cresci

The Pieve di San Cresci is located across the valley of the Becherale torrent from the fortified village of Montefioralle, about 2 km from Greve in Chianti, in the middle of the Chianti Classico wine zone. In fact, although Montefioralle houses the ancient church S. Stefano, rebuilt in the 17 C and 18 C, the Pieve of San Cresci is the original parish church of Montefioralle. The church is well worth a visit and can be reached easily by car or on foot from Greve along the road that passes by Villa Zano.

The interior of the church was completely rebuilt in Baroque style. However, part of the facade belongs to the original Romanesque church. The very photogenic lower part consists of two mullioned windows and is decorated with a dichromic motif in the archivolts.

 The facade of the Pieve di San Cresci

Pieve di San Cresci - the winery

It's very common in Tuscany and especially in Chianti to see secular structures built onto churches (and also onto former military structures such as watch towers). The Pieve of San Cresci is no exception. The home of the Ballini family, wine makers here for at least six generations, is built onto the Pieve di San Cresci, and their winery, formerly Podere San Cresci but now named after the church, occupies cellars that were once a part of the church.

Pieve di San Cresci wines

Listen to me, my dear intelligent and discerning readers! The red wines of Pieve di San Cresci winery are outstanding, even in a wine zone famous for its excellent wines. If you will be in the area of Greve in Chianti, I strongly recommend that you phone Pieve di San Cresci winery and make an appointment to taste their wines and maybe even pay a visit to the wine cellars. You won't regret it! They make a range of red wines,including of course Chianti Classico, Chianti Classico Riserva and Chianti Classico Gran Selezione (the new top-level denomination for Chianti wines), plus some very good Indicazione Geografica Tipica wines which have this designation because of their original grape composition, not because they are lesser wines.

Contact details and directionss for Pieve di San Cresci winery

More about Greve in Chianti.

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Author: Anna Maria Baldini

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Excellent 2022 Chianti wine vintage coming up

 

Today we had another heavy rainfall here in Chianti, just 3-5 weeks before the Chianti vendemmia is due to begin, exactly when it was wished for. Already in June we knew that vines planted in Chianti indicated a bumper crop of grapes after five years of decline. Then the drought hit and growers became increasingly nervous. At first they hoped for a small but concentrated Chianti grape harvest, but as the drought continued it seemed there might be no harvest at all. Now, within a single week, we have had to massive downpours of rain which, combined with the extreme heat of the past couple of months, means grapes packed with concentrated flavour together with excellent juice volume.

The 2022 Chianti wine vintage will be phenomenal.
Get ready to stock your cellars early next year.

YOU READ IT HERE FIRST!

 

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Pieve di San Cresci winery.

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Author: Anna Maria Baldini

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An exceptional vintage is predicted for Chianti Classico 2015

Very hot and dry weather conditions in Chianti mean an exceptional vintage is predicted for Chianti Classico 2015, according to the experts. This year will also be the second earliest vendemmia (grape harvest) since World War II, 2003, the year of a major drought, being the earlier harvest. Both quality and quantity of Chianti wine should be excellent this year, with estimated production rising at least 5% over last year, for an projected total of about 44 million hectoliters.

The additional production should keep prices stable so watch for the Gallo Nero label of Chianti Classico 2015 when the wine reaches the shops in spring next year. The Riserva will appear on the market starting from late 2016.

As with all Chianti Classico wine, cellar your bottles for 5 to 6 years, not more. Some can be drunk even sooner, but they should not be kept for much longer than that period. In contrast to claret, for example, Chianti Classico is best consumed quite young.

Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil harvest 2015

Based on my olive trees and those I have seen in central Chianti, this year's olive oil production in Tuscany will be infinitely better than the disastrous harvest of 2014. It looks as if it was cold enough during winter to inhibit the life cycle the Bactrocera oleae, the fruit fly that lays its eggs in the olives whence, eventually, the larvae eat their way out, destroying the fruit. Four days of frost kill the eggs. Last winter was the warmest on record in Tuscany and was followed by warm, humid conditions, ideal for fruit flies.

Until now the bacterium that is wiping out olive trees in southern Italy has not made an appearance in Tuscany. Xylella fastidiosa is a bacterium carried by aphids and has spread quickly through the olive trees of Apulia. This is particularly tragic because some of the olive trees there, in contrast to those in Tuscany, are up to a thousand years old. We are praying that the disease is brought under control before it spreads to Tuscany.

Tuscan wine tours and winery vacation rentals.

Don't forget to visit my Tuscany Travel Guide! Up-to-date news on what to see and where to stay in Chianti and all of Tuscany. Tuscany Travel Guide

Holiday accommodations in Chianti

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

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Where can I find the best pizza in Tuscany?

Well, I obviously can't answer the question, "Where can I find the best pizza in Tuscany?". For one thing neither I nor anyone else has eaten at every pizza restaurant in Tuscany and, of course, tastes vary. However, having said that, what I can tell you is where to enjoy truly excellent thin crust pizza in Tuscany. I prefer the thin crust variety of pizza because it's lighter, easier on the digestion and the taste of the dough doesn't distract attention from the tastes of the toppings.

A delicious thin crust pizza

In Greve in Chianti, Ristorante Pizzeria La Cantina, located away from Piazza Matteotti on the small Piazza Trento where the buses from Florence stop, serves a range of beautifully presented Tuscan dishes AND the best thin crust pizza I have tasted anywhere in Chianti. You have a choice of sitting outside on the piazza or inside in the "cantina" which used to be a coal store for the steam trams that used to run from Greve to Florence. The restaurant was the bar of the tram station which occupied Piazza Trento. During summer, I always sit outside in enclosed area on the edge of the piazza.

Interior of Ristorante Pizzeria La Cantina in Greve in Chianti

It's usually Alessandro taking the orders (using an app on his cellphone) with Lorena in charge of the kitchen. There's a good range of pizza toppings and a very good wine cellar. And don't forget to try some of the other dishes - classic Tuscan with individual flare.

Here's Alessandro taking an order

Happy customers at Ristorante Pizzeria La Cantina

La Cantina house wine - an excellent Chianti Classico

Alessandro's family opened "La Cantina" in 1980 in the old tram bar and later extended it by converting the coal store into a commodious dining room. La Cantina is open for both lunch and dinner.

More about Ristorante Pizzeria La Cantina in Greve in Chianti.

Don't forget to visit my Tuscany Travel Guide! Up-to-date news on what to see and where to stay in Chianti and all of Tuscany. Tuscany Travel Guide

Holiday accommodations in Chianti

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

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Super Tuscan wines: what are super Tuscan wines?

For many visitors to Tuscany, our wines are one of the things they plan to enjoy while they are here. No doubt that's also why I fairly frequently hear the question: What are Super Tuscan wines ?

The answer is very simple but with interesting ramifications - super Tuscan wines are wines made in Tuscany that are very good to drink and that do not conform to one of the standard wine compositions - meaning the percentage of certain grapes used to make the wine.

Sassicaia - the first and one of the greatest Super Tuscans.

The Super Tuscans originated in the 50's and 60's when Chianti wine was not all that good - indeed, when it was plonk, and when there were even growers who proposed to rip up all the vines and put cows on the Chianti hills instead. That's how low morale had fallen. However, coincident with the introduction of modern wine-making techniques, a few lateral thinkers decided to grow non-native grapes and make blends with sangiovese, the best of the autochthonous Tuscan grape varieties, and in some cases the results were phenomenally good. Since then, the wine consortia that set the composition rules have become more flexible but nevertheless there are still excellent wines with grape composition outside the rules. These are designated IGT (the former "Vino da Tavola"). Most are good, some are outstanding, but remember that some are also indifferent. There's nothing on the bottle to guide you. You need to do some tasting and also read the wine reviews to know which Tuscan wines are super Tuscans and which are still simply just table wines. They don't have to be expensive (although the famous ones are very expensive) because there are more and more super Tuscan wines out there waiting to be discovered.

More about Super Tuscan wines.

More about the new Chianti Classico top quality designation.

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Chianti Italy Tourist Information

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

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Chianti Classico 2010 vintage

The 2010 grape harvest in the Chianti Classico wine zone together with the initial analysis of the wine suggests an unexpectedly good year. Winter was very cold for the zone and spring was wet and cool, so that the vines blossomed later than usual. However, July was hot and vine growth accelerated. Growth proceeded somewhat slowly in August and September, which were also hot but not scorching. The second half of September and early October offered splendid days of normal weather with temperatures close to seasonal averages but also several hours of rain. The sunny days during the harvest in late September and early October, bringing high temperatures especially at midday, contributed to the good results of the harvest. Nevertheless, grapes had to be picked in batches, depending on the ripeness of individual vines. By agreement via the Chianti Classico Wine Consortium, growers lowered harvests by 20% in 2010 in an effort to maintain a reasonable price for bulk wine. This will also contribute to the quality of bottled wine.

All in all, the grapes arriving in the cellar this year are really good. Initial impressions from the winemakers are that fermentation proceeded without hitches and the wines emerging have intense colours and fragrances, with acidity levels high enough to predict a good aptitude for aging; alcohol content is high but not excessive, to the benefit of balanced wines leaving room for a wealth of aromas.

Be sure to check our post on shipping wine from Tuscany.

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

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