Vallone di Cecione, a winery in the heart of Chianti

We all know that a glass of wine can do wonders: when well chosen it complements our food and can also help digestion. A glass of good wine is even better and it will help our spirit too. Vallone di Cecione winery is what you are looking for!

How we choose our wineries

As a wine tour company we like to treat our guests by taking them to visit the very special boutique wineries that are part of the small, but precious network that we have created over the many years of activity in Tuscany. We are very selective in choosing the wineries, with strict criteria. They include beautiful settings, genuine people, and of course excellent wines! In return we are very grateful to them for choosing to work with us in an exclusive relationship, but we have gained their preference thanks to the careful, dedicated and entertaining way we have shown in our work along the years.

Since at the moment we cannot take you there physically, we will try to take you there mentally. Maybe you have already been to some of the wineries that we are going to describe, or maybe not yet. Our attempt is to either refreshen the memory of your visit there, or perhaps to tingle your curiosity about those you have not visited…yet!

One of our favorites: Vallone di Cecione

Today we’re taking you for a virtual visit of Vallone di Cecione winery.

It’s always a great pleasure taking people there. It’s like a jewel box: a small container with a very special treasure inside.

Already at the arrival one senses how special this place is, with its breathtaking views over the famous Conca d’Oro. That’s the beautiful container, adorned also by the old farmhouse, where Francesco Anichini lives with his family, the vineyards, the gardens, the olive grove…. But the real treasure is something one really starts to discover when listening to Francesco introducing his wines and explaining the history of his family farm.

Francesco is the 4^th generation there. What I personally appreciate of his approach to wine making is his deep connection to the past and the great respect he has for the entire environment. Infact, Vallone di Cecione winery, is one of the many organic wineries in the area. But they also include a biodynamic approach to the operations, both in the field, and in the vineyard.

The result of this attentive and labour intense work are Francesco’s wines.

Their wines:

Of course he makes a beautiful Chianti Classico – he’s in the right spot for that – but as I tell all the people I take there, it is also quite unique. This Chianti Classico is one of the truest expressions of how this wine was also in the past. Francesco has always remained faithful to the more historical recipe by using only local varieties: Sangiovese, of course and Canaiolo; and by aging the wine in the old style chestnut wood barrels, something that is becoming more and more rare to find these days. A perfect wine for all meals, just like tradition calls for.

He produces also a pure Sangiovese, made with a special selection of grapes from a single vineyard. It has a longer aging period in big oak barrels that makes for a bolder wine that has greater potential of evolution in the bottle and therefore more suitable for those palates that search for complexity.

To complete the “family” we find there a rosé, also made with Sangiovese only. This is a wine that I love in summer, not only as an aperitive, but especially with meals. It is a rosé “with guts”, one of those that is ideal to replace a red wine when food would call for that, but the climate is such that a red might feel too heavy. Wonderful!

Two special wines: Malvasia and Canaiolo

Finally, two more reds complete the picture: a pure Malvasia and a pure Canaiolo. These two varieties are quite special. Malvasia is a variety of grapes that is only recently being re-discovered. A very small number of wineries work with it, possibly also due to the particularly low yield that it offers. Canaiolo has a similar history. Not totally forgotten by all, but definitely relegated to the bottom of the list by most and usually included to make up blends. Francesco, who never abandoned these two creatures of our past, has found a way of exalting all of their characteristics. He chose not to age them in barrels. Instead he simply lets them mature in clay (Malvasia) or cement (Canaiolo) vats for a few months to preserve all the real flavours and aromas. Both are therefore very special and rare. They are easy drinking wines and will put anyone in a good mood. And everybody needs that!

But nobody should just take my words for this: you should try for yourself and I am quite sure that when drinking Francesco’s wines you will taste also the beautiful surroundings and all the passion that he puts in his work.