A day out in the Chianti countryside is always a good idea, especially when it involves an affordable and easy-to-reach destination like Fattoria di Vignamaggio that offers a plethora of original activities for the whole family near Panzano.
The barrel-vaulted reception rooms inside the farmhouse extend an unexpectedly design-led welcome in shades of terracotta pink, providing renewed lifeblood to the Chianti visitor experience. Pitchforks, hoes and sickles hang like artworks on the walls, accompanied by micro-captions in a captivating typeface, while impressive amphorae line the show cellars next to old wine presses. Next to casks containing balsamic vinegar, visitors can open up a wall-mounted cabinet of maps and illustrations that explains the Vignamaggio project, all 400 hectares of the land purchased in 2008 by South African tech billionaire couple Koos Bekker and Karen Roos. While more than 60 hectares are occupied by vines, both native and international varieties, sustainable mixed agriculture is the approach taken here, from free-range pig and sheep farming to truffles and artichokes, fruit orchards, olive groves and fields of grain. The sweetest of scents fills the air in the darkened vinsantaia, where 25 vintages of luscious dessert wine languish in barrel after barrel. A passageway leads to the white-tiled prosciutteria, where the estate’s own hams and cold cuts such as capocollo, finocchiona, salami and lardo complete the final stage of their maturation in vast glass cooling units.
The Vinsantaia
An educational moment comes before sampling the zero-food-mile delights, however. Dried flowers and creative tools are strewn throughout the calming atelier, where children and adults gather for pressed flower workshops, ecoprinting on tote bags, and to make blue-and-white cyanotypes and floral arrangements. Botany enthusiasts, on the other hand, can deepen their knowledge at masterclasses led by expert gardener Paolo Galeotti. See the website to find out about upcoming events at Vignamaggio.
Getting creative at Vignamaggio
The on-site restaurant, Il Ristoro, vaunts a contemporary Tuscan vibe, thankfully with some of the most competitive prices in the area. Despite the on-point interior design, centred around an indoor-outdoor ambience, an enticing bar counter and a social table made from cedro wood, a toothsome pasta course starts at 14 euro, while mains go no higher than 26 euro for a beef sirloin. The extra-long gran tagliere della fattoria, starring Vignamaggio’s exquisite Cinta Senese prosciutto and salami, is a steal, considering the quality. Parents will be relieved to learn that small appetites are sated with pasta and ragù for just five euro.
Il Ristoro restaurant
Meanwhile, wine lovers can savour the vinous bottlings in the adjacent Enoteca, where a duo of tastings are organized: the Chianti Classico experience, from the current vintage, a Riserva and Gran Selezione, and a Classic Tasting, which encompasses a tour of the tasting, followed by Chianti Classico, white Tramonte wine and vinsanto and cantucci.
A word to the wise. The gift shops are stocked with tempting mementos of your day out, including Vignamaggio’s own wines and liqueurs, pickled vegetables, linens and notepads, as well as cider, chutneys and even piccalilli from The Newt in Somerset, in southwest England, and South African wines and herbal teas from Babylonstoren, in the Franschhoek wine valley, estates that have also been developed by the visionary husband and wife team.
Roman Garden: 150 Days of Viridarium
Don’t miss the educational installation this summer at Vignamaggio. A gift from sister estate The Newt in Somerset, which presented a similar garden design at last year’s Chelsea Flower Show, the temporary setup is a tribute to the archaeological studies carried out by the San Michele Group in Greve in Chianti. A refreshing breeze swirls around the colonnades that surround the garden planted with 500-plus Mediterranean species, including vines, herbs and fruit trees, while water features add a cooling murmur in the hot summer sun.
Entry to the Viridarium and use of the audio guide are free. Open every day, from 10.30am to 6.30pm.
