Salcheto

Just below the town of Montepulciano, in a lovely valley filled with ripening grapes, is one of Italy's most forward-thinking vineyards. Salcheto has been making wines since the early 1980s, but in 2011 they made a major investment in organic and sustainable practices. They claim to have one of the lowest carbon footprints of any winery in Italy.

Their fermenting and aging facility is built partly underground and uses the earth above it as a cooling mechanism. The exposed sides of the round building are covered in coir fiber and completely planted with vines to disguise the structure so it blends into the surroundings and also to help maintain the desired temperatures. All of the lighting is done by the sun via solar lighting tubes. Even two stories below ground, the space was brightly filled with sunlight.

To mix wines, most places use an electric pumping system, but Salcheto has found a way to trap the naturally-occuring carbon dioxide gas in tanks below the grapes and they release the gas--as big bubbles--back into the wines at various intervals. These bubbles passing through the wine naturally stir up the contents of the tank without using energy or manpower.

All of the hot water used in the kitchen of the enoteca comes from the burning of all the discarded grape stems. There were so many interesting innovations here.

After our tour, we sat at long lovely tables, each made from a single plank of an ancient tree, and chose our lunch to accompany the tasting of their wines. Five different wines were poured, all made from grapes grown organically on the 56-acre property.

Lunch included a cream of chick pea soup, a plate of salumi and formaggi, then some vegetables from their gardens. It was all good and gave several different flavors to pair with the wines. We enjoyed the wines, but opted not to buy any bottles on this trip.

After lunch we drove to San Quirico, one of our favorite towns. There we walked around the streets looking to see if there was anything interesting for sale. There was. We finished the afternoon at the Bar Centrale, which is where all the locals hang out. It's a great people-watching spot.