30 June 2021
Who said that a wine tour cannot be done in the summer?
On the contrary, the summer break is an excellent time to combine holidays and tastings on some of the most beautiful coasts of Italy, discovering an unknown aspect of the sea: that of wine production. Because, let's face it honestly: wine and the beach always go hand in hand!
LIGURIA
Lunae, rocks, marble and sand
Lunae rises exactly halfway between Sarzana and Carrara, on the border between Liguria and Tuscany. Founded in 1966 by Paolo Bosoni, it is the winery that more than any other has invested in the enhancement of Vermentino in Liguria, bringing the territory of the Colli di Luni to international fame. Lunae's position is strategic: it is located a few kilometers from two different types of coast. To the north, just beyond La Spezia, the "rocky wonder" of the Cinque Terre, one of the most spectacular marinas in Italy, where villages and mountains become one with the sea. To the south, however, the beaches of western Tuscany: Marina di Carrara, Marina di Massa and Forte dei Marmi, famous for being at the center of the most important Italian marble quarries. Places of magnetic beauty, where endless sandy beaches and crystal clear sea are dominated by the austere figure of the Apuan Alps that rise behind the coast.
TOSCANA
Campo alle Comete, the luminous charm of Bolgheri
In Bolgheri, everything speaks of the sea: the crystal clear light, the breezes of the Tramontana, the silver olive trees and the wonderful maritime pines that offer their hats of shade to travelers. Bolgheri is a secluded and uncontaminated land, embraced by hills arranged in an amphitheater that protect its charm and Mediterranean climate. This is where Campo alle Comete rises, a winery suspended between sky and earth, sea and hills, immersed in a magical garden of tranquility where everything is prepared for the slow rhythms of wine aging. Campo alle Comete is one of the most awarded Supertuscan producers: do not miss the opportunity to taste Campo alle Comete Bolgheri Rosso Superiore, a perfect balance between tannic structure and softness.
LAZIO
Casale del Giglio, the sea of ??Aeneas
According to Virgil, the Trojan hero Aeneas, who escaped the destruction of his city, landed on the coasts of central Italy after a long voyage. We are in Lavinium, today Lido di Enea, where the same toponymy recalls the exploits of the one who gave rise to the glorious lineage of the Romans. The archaeological remains of these lands reveal how much the Latins loved this coast a few kilometers from the Eternal City and built prodigious patrician villas there, such as the Caves of Nero, a residential complex from the 2nd century AD. Here the beaches are sandy, dominated by a luxuriant Mediterranean scrub and interspersed with sudden rocky promontories. Casale de Giglio is located less than 10 km from these places rich in history. A winery not to be missed, immersed in the evocative and wild Roman countryside. Dino Santarelli, the founder, gave birth to a viticulture of excellence, discovering the vocation of the Agro Pontino to international vines, which enjoy the extraordinary Mediterranean climate of the area.
CAMPANIA
Marisa Cuomo, breathtaking wines
Furore is not a place for the faint of heart. It stands on the rugged coast of Italy, the Amalfi coast, where you have to be geniuses or crazy to cultivate vineyards. Marisa Cuomo belongs to both categories, since in Furore she made her fortune: the madness of planting vineyards on extreme coasts, overlooking the sea, very difficult to cultivate. The genius of never compromising, making difficulty a strength, heroism of cultivation for equally heroic wines. We are located between Positano and Amalfi, but forget the amenities of the beaches. Marisa Cuomo's vineyards rise on the rock of the cliffs, on hand-carved terraces, where every glance seems to be swallowed up by the blue of the sea. Only native vines have been planted here, the legacy of a centuries-old “sea viticulture” which today is expressed in refined, rare labels with a pure Amalfi identity.
