Month: May 2020

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Dreaming of Tuscany

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Dreaming of Tuscany

8 Reasons to come back after Lockdown

As we all speculate madly the reopening of our borders and our personal freedoms it is impossible not to daydream about where we’ll go when all of this is over.

Here in Italy it looks as if international travel could be seriously limited for most of us in 2020 and holidays in our beloved country will be the order of the day. While we’ll be ready to jet off to faraway places when we can travel overseas again, our time in isolation has given us a new appreciation of the beauty spots found right on our doorstep. One place we’re dreaming of retreating to is Tuscany and to help you along we’ve come up with 8 reasons why Tuscany might fit the bill for your first adventure outside of the four walls of your city apartment.

Click on the playlist I’ve put together below to really feel the vibe…

  1. Open Spaces After time spent in close quarters with our families we are all begging for space-both inside and out. Our souls need restorative calm and comfort at the same time. We also know that maintaining safe distances will be critical now to prevent a second peak. Choosing more remote locations in the middle of small farming areas away from big cities will keep us safe and allow us to retreat without worry. Open skies, landscapes and deserted roads are on our shortlist of must-haves.

2. Immersing ourselves in Nature The unspoilt reserves and bountiful nature, combined with the warm hospitality, offers the perfect post-lockdown remedy to ‘re-wild’ and get back to nature. Gentle hikes, bike rides, yoga on your terrace or a lazy walk on an unspoilt beach are what we need to offset weeks of shifting sands and uncertainty. We want to unplug and tap into the simplicity of local life.

 3. We can drive there…and bring your dog How much do we love throwing our bags, kids and the dog in the car and heading off? As much as a trip overseas takes us out of ourselves, the flight can often zero us when it comes to travel stress. The simplicity of travel with the family and a car loaded up with everything we need is actually a godsend. And our children and our dogs need the countryside as much as we do.

4. Clean living, eating and drinking Getting back to our core values will be a priority for many of us. We’re all feeling” less than” after lockdown so making sure that whatever break we choose gives us the chance to nurture ourselves with organic food and drink and a farm to plate ethos Spending a few days being taken care of with wines, olive oils and regional foods which are all sourced locally is good for the body and for the heart. Plus, at its centre the best travel experiences are full of tastes, smells and connections of the senses. Its self care at its best and supports our local Tuscan artisans who have been hit the hardest during the crisis.

5. Making our money go a little further All of us have felt the hardship of the lockdown and how it has affected the Italian economy and our own pockets. Many of our own Italian businesses won’t survive and this is particularly true for those in Tourism. However, some are offering incentives to encourage us to support them while they help us at the same time. In addition, most Hotels are offering 100% flexibility for any bookings made right now. #booknowstaylater is the advice from many travel experts and by doing so we’re helping small boutique businesses get through a tough time. 

6. The Air is Clean in Tuscany Every day I check Il Meteo and I see the lightest azzure colour indicating the almost perfect air quality. Knowing that clean air is central to staying well during Covid makes me really think about where I want to spend time in the future when I have a chance to escape. Tuscany’s air quality and untouched landscapes resonate with our need for deep down healthy living-this is one of the new luxuries we will all be demanding. No doubt we will want to eat beneath the trees, gaze at a sunset and sip a glass of something exquisite al fresco. Its the lifeblood of our country.

7. The Wine….oh the Wine Vineyards stretching out beyond our gaze, a glass of rounded, red gorgeousness at our lips is something which echoes from our ancestors and draws us with a hypnotic pull to Tuscany time and time again. There’s nothing quite like your Tuscan aperitivo as the swallows fly overhead and the day comes to a balmy close. Wine experiences and tastings take you deeper and closer to the earth which produces some of our best vintages and olive oils. Don’t forget that this Summer we’ll have it all to ourselves without the tourists. Heaven!

8. Staying consciously It’s not enough anymore to check-in, chill and check out. We’re looking for a curated stay and a transformative experience. This holds true even with a short break close to home, but we don’t want to sacrifice quality. Service for many of us simply means someone listening to our needs and meeting them with personal attention, care and kindness. After such a huge shift in our lives where we have lost so many of our routines and in-person connections, we are feeling a deep deficit of self-care and grounding. Making sure we choose destinations with an ethical philosophy around the personal wellbeing of guests is a high priority for anyone coming to terms with the last few months. Where better than Tuscany to slow down, stay mindfully and heal in a safe sanctuary you can trust.

To reserve your private hideaway at Conti di San Bonifacio Wine and Wellness where you can recharge and rebalance in one of our seven suites #booknowstaylater.

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Master winemaker list 100

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Master winemaker list 100

BY THE DRINK BUSINESS

Q&A WITH OWNER AND WINEMAKER

SARAH DI SAN BONIFACIO

Q
What or who inspired you to become a winemaker?

A

I fell into wine making, just like I fell in love with Italy. The project was at its heart born out of a need to balance my busy life in London when I was at Goldman Sachs in the late 90’s. My husband to be, Manfredo, took me to Tuscany and it felt like heaven on earth. It took another 10 years and a lot of hard work in the City to have the courage to leave my job and devote myself full time to running and building out the Conti di San Bonifacio estate in Tuscany. Working in nature, creating organic wines and olive oils, feels like I’ve finally aligned passion and purpose.

Q
What’s your favourite part of the job?

A

Surprisingly, owning a Winery and a Wine Hotel is actually many jobs in one. Every day of the week is different. I can be immersed in vineyard and cantina, working closely with our oenologists or I’m in the office running the business.  I love the contrast and the freedom to choose who I work with. We have a great team of people working at CDSB. They inspire me!

Q
What’s the hardest part?

A

Without hesitation, I would say the heavy administrative burden imposed on businesses here in Italy. To an English woman used to working in the UK, the barriers to success the Italians impose on themselves are mind-boggling. Bottom line our internal standards are exacting and exceed the requirements from the state. As a result on top of everything we do to operate at the highest level there is a constant and confusing matrix of permissions, standards, taxes and regulations which we spend a huge amount of time trying to navigate.

Q
What’s your go-to drink at the end of a long day?

A

Well, that depends on the season. When I need a glass of pure, velvet comfort, I’ll open a bottle of our Sustinet IGT, our Super Tuscan Syrah. During our hot, Italian Summers, I’m reaching for a chilled glass of the CDSB Monteregio DOC. It’s a special example of the indigenous Sangiovese we’ve lovingly aged in second year oak. I love it on ice.

Q
If you could give your younger self advice when starting out as a winemaker,
what would it be?

A

I would tell her to be more confident in herself. When you start out you believe everyone knows better than you and you’re just inundated with advice, particularly as a young woman. But my intuition and common sense have served me very well and I’ve learnt to follow my heart and choose the advice I take very carefully.

Q
What has been your greatest winemaking mistake?

A

Gosh, one makes mistakes all of the time. Wine making has hugely unpredictable variables which catch the best of us out-the weather is just one of them. But the important thing is that I learn from what happens and teach my team to do the same. Actually, we wouldn’t have had the success we’ve experienced without failing a few times. As a team we are constantly renovating processes to eliminate errors and allow the wines to more fully reflect our terroir year after year.

Q
What wine-related achievement are you most proud of and why?

A

It has to be that we took on this beautiful estate in an untouched part of Tuscany and created a certified organic Winery and Retreat. My passion is to be ethical and sustainable in the way we care for the land and create these gorgeous wines. When we won the Gold Medal for the 2008 Sustinet IGT and then second-best Syrah in the world I knew our holistic and disciplined approach had captured the essence of this Tuscan soil. Pure magic!

Q
Who is your inspiration in the wine world today?

A

We get so much inspiration from organic wineries and sustainable farming practices the world over. We love reaching out beyond Italy to check out what others are doing at the forefront of making clean wines full of character. It’s so cool to see how others are getting the word out there to their audiences. We try to be humble-there’s always so much you can learn.

Q
Where would your fantasy vineyard be?

A

Exactly where it is. We wouldn’t want to change a thing about our location. There is nothing like checking in to our Wine and Wellness Retreat on the estate, sitting on the White Terrace while sipping a glass as your eyes stretch across our vineyards out to the horizon. It’s a place in a million. Just read the reviews!

Q
If you weren’t a winemaker, what would you be doing and why?

A

I’m also an environmentalist. Everything we do works to the same philosophy, from our olive groves and extra virgin olive oils to the Kitchen Garden which serves the Maremmana Restaurant on property. At its roots, great wine is all about caretaking the land for future generations. I’m fascinated by what else we can grow here on the estate and we’re currently working on a Food Forest project with an inspirational group of women. Connecting with others outside of the wine world, which can be very privileged and male, in this complimentary and symbiotic way feels really fresh and accessible. 

Q
Which wine (grape/style) do you find it impossible to get along with?

A

Sauvignon Blanc-just can’t stand it.

Q
How has your taste in wine changed over your career?

A

Wine is a journey. When you’re young and just starting out, you’re exploring and experimenting. I suppose as I get older and drink a little less, any glass needs to be pretty great. So, that could be a Conti di San Bonifacio Super Tuscan or one of my husband’s French Bordeaux from his cellar. But as we know a great wine can come in different guises so I try to keep an open mind and taste as many as I can.