Rocca Delle Macie
Traveling south out of Florence, the SR 222 is a leisurely route through the heart of Tuscany.The views alone are worth the trip, especially as you enter into the Chianti Region. I traveled this route on my way to Rocca Delle Macie, we were visiting the winery for a tour and overnight stay. It happened to be in January and things were particularly quiet along the way. The views were still very tranquil and gave you a sense of peace. I’ve had the pleasure of taking the same route during the spring and fall since then, and each time the drive left me with the feeling of not wanting the drive to come to an end.
Rocca Delle Macie is a relatively new winery in the sense of Tuscan history, albeit with a storied history of their own. The winery was founded in 1973 by Italo Zingarelli, with the purchase of the estate “Le Macie”. The original estate was eighty-five hectares of which two were planted with vines. Today the company is run by Italo’s youngest son Sergio, who since 1989 has guided the company on it’s path to becoming one of the premier wine producers in the Chianti Region. Rocca’s holdings now include six different estates, with over six hundred hectares, of which two hundred are planted with vines and another eighty with olive trees. The team at Rocca is committed to producing excellent wine and the amount of awards they have collected over the last twenty years is a tribute to their efforts.
The first time I visited Rocca, I wasn’t very familiar with their wine, a friend of mine in the wine industry had set me up with the visit. I remember how impressed I was with the quality of their entire wine portfolio. We spent the evening at the Relais in Fizzano, a beautifully restored medieval village that evokes the true Tuscan flavor, complete with the stone villas and beautiful fireplaces. It was an interesting experience visiting Tuscany in January, we had the run of the winery to ourselves, our hosts opened up their restaurant for our party that evening and treated us like nobility. The food and the wine were were paired perfectly and seemed to go on for over four hours. At the end of our meal, we were treated to a tour of the facility and discovered that Olive Garden trained their Chefs at this facility. I found this information interesting that Olive Garden flew their Chefs to Italy for this intense training program. It made me realize the value of traveling to Italy for food and wine.
The Rubizzo is an entry level Chianti from the Colli Senesi region of Chianti, it is almost predominantly Sangiovese, with a little bit of Merlot. The reason I enjoy this wine so much is that it is so approachable, the wine is soft, easy on the palate, full bodied and pairs well with both red and white meats. I love to find wines that are affordable, and pair well with most foods. Rubizzo even pairs well with pasta dishes, and grilled fish. If you are looking for a great everyday wine that your friends will love, try the Rubizzo Chianti and take the time to enjoy your dinner.
Dick Varano
