Our meal then continued with a plate of beef tartare made with egg, beets, red cabbage and capers. My sister, a slightly picky eater, was adventurous enough to try the tartare and really enjoyed it. I had to remind myself that with traditional Italian fare, there are multiple courses including: apertivo (happy hour and one of my favorites, of course) antipasto, primo, secondo, etc. If we didn’t pause on the tartare, there was no way we could enjoy all of the other courses let alone walk an entire wine tour. I should mention I was still enjoying the crisp sparkling rosé I had popped made with Sangiovese grapes – a must try.
For my antipasto, I was delivered a simple plate of raw shrimp, slightly seared from the marinating citrus juice and accompanied with cucumber, radish and the most unassuming and flavorful passion fruit sauce. I could’ve eaten that goodness every day of my vacation. Next, we were served a rabbit ragù made with housemade pasta. Our server explained the pasta was made with three ingredients: water, flour and salt, and then it is hand rolled. Our ragù was the best pasta dish I had tried on our trip so far. It was later divulged by Baracchi himself, that the rabbit in our dish had been hunted by him the day before. This particular dish was paired with the Baracchi Sangiovese, aged 1 year in French Oak and kept in the bottle for a minimum of 6 months. The deep red Sangiovese had a intoxicating nose, with a velvety finish and notes of dark chocolate.
My secondo plate was a medley of more Baracchi hunted game consisting of stuffed pig, wild boar and served with roasted vegetables garnished with the property’s organic grown herbs. Need I say more? Just as a mélange of dessert treats had hit our table, Baracchi joined as at our table and asked to join him on a tour of our winery. We quickly downed our espresso shots and sadly left our sweet treats behind. I honestly didn’t think we even had room to try them, but they were gorgeous nonetheless.
Baracchi apologized for his imperfect English as we walked along the vineyards toward the winery. I was embarrassed how little Italian I spoke and even remember asking him to speak piano, which I thought meant "slowly" but really translated to “softly.” I reasoned to myself that I was trying to speak a romantic language so maybe he understood what I meant? Right…
According to Mr. Baracchi, his family acquired the Baracchi estate in the 1800s although it was originally built in 1600s. His mother sold the property around 1970 and then he re-purchased it in the 80s and has been re-storing it ever since. He took a small detour to introduce us to a friend of his – a falcon. Ahhh, that’s where the name Il Falconiere came from! The powerful bird was a hunting falcon and actually accompanied Baracchi on his daily hunting trips. I felt like I was in a scene from the movie Ladyhawk. It was pure adrenaline – like sabering the wine bottle. We gave the formidable aviator a quick pet and then said goodbye.
When we entered the winery area, Baracchi explained that he was one of the first winemakers to use the Sangiovese grape in a rosé and that many followed his lead and continued to make this blending method popular. He held up a bottle of his sparkling wine to demonstrate the yeast used for giving the wine its bubbles or “sparkle.” Baracchi mentioned that Cortona is known mostly for its Syrahs, which I found interesting considering the nearby Chianti region is so close and so popular. I noticed a bunch of Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir) bottles nearby, which apparently have received fantastic accolades throughout Italy. Reminder to myself – got to try that.
We walked along the wine fermentation tanks, and I stumbled upon a dated Baracchi winery poster. I asked him about the man in the poster behind him and he laughed and exclaimed that the picture was of him taken many years ago. “Still handsome,” I remarked and snapped a shot of him next to it. “Bramasole is nearby,” he said. Ah yes, Bramasole, the transformed Tuscan villa written about by Francis Mayes in Under the Tuscan Sun. He reminded us that bramar means "to yearn for" and sole means "the sun": to yearn for sun – just as his grapes do at the winery, I suppose.
If you’d like to read more about my adventure at Baracchi Winery, stay tuned for my next post.
Baracchi Winery is a bountiful and beautiful destination in Cortona, Italy, equipped with a day spa, cooking classes, a Michelin rated restaurant and an incomparable view. If you ever have a chance to make a journey to Tuscan territory, I suggest you grab a glass of Reserve Syrah at Baracchi winery, taste a truly delectable dish at Il Falconiere and melt yourself into happiness under the Arezzo sun.
Località S. Martino Bocena, 52044 Cortona AR, Italy
+39 0575 612679
