There is nothing like Italian sunshine to chase away the winter blues. And in vineyards in March, the sun melts the snow faster, and the vineyards begin to show hints of life earlier, making a March hike through the Piedmont countryside a true delight.
Add to this the opportunity to taste a light, sweet wine, with sweet summer berry flavors, and dreams of summer flood the senses. In this case, the wine was Malvasia, and the countryside was around the Piedmont village of Casorzo, homeland of the DOC Malvasia di Casorzo.
The Monferrato wine district lies within Italy’s Piedmont wine region. The DOC system recognizes various unique varietals and some interesting wine production techniques. The wines from here are not only high quality overall, but also closely related to the land and the history of this district.
A cool and misty delight, is how I will remember this trail. Although in Italy, this trail had the weather, but more importantly, the care for its trails that reminded me of trails in Germany: neat, maintained, well-marked, and thoughtfully laid out to begin with, to include lots of rest areas, diverse views, and pubs and cafes along the way.
In the South Tirol area as a whole, almost 45 percent of the territory is planted with red varietals. These include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir, and two special varietals: Lagrein, and Vernatsch. These two grape varietals have indigenous origins, and have been traditionally vinified in the South Tirol for centuries.
The wine region of Suedtirol Alto Adige has seven wine districts. The Oltradige district, the area around Kaltern and Eppan, is dominated by high hills on both the east and west sides of a valley, and contains a lake in the middle. This district produces one third of all wine from the region, with white wine production predominating slightly at 56 percent. However, the red varietals and wines from this district are unique, especially when from around the lake called both Kalterer See (in German), and Lago di Caldaro (in Italian).
At long last: I found a designated hiking trail in the Chianti region that focused on an area of vineyards and wines outside Castellina in Chianti in the Chianti Classico wine district! Communal or regional trails for wine-lovers are seemingly rare in this corner of Tuscany. So when online research finally produced information about the Anello del Gallo Nero trail, I was eager to hike it, especially as it was named after the Chianti Classico trademark, the black rooster.
A lovely characteristic of the Chianti landscape is its variety. Agriculture here is intensive, not invasive, done on a small scale. Small olive groves are tucked between rows of vines. Fields of grain, small patches of amber in the distance, are scattered throughout. The forests play an integral role as well, providing a wide range of resources from firewood to wild boar, berries, and chestnuts. This manner of resource exploitation has left lots of remote, delightfully hidden corners to explore. Therefore, this hike offered varied landscapes to savor, experience and photograph.
