Reviews; write to us, we would like to print your comments here

REVIEWS WHAT THE PEOPLE SAY ABOUT US. WRITE TO US, WE WOULD LIKE TO PRINT YOUR COMMENTS HERE.

We had the pleasure of staying with you from 1 - 15 July 2001. We wanted to write something for you to use on your web-site. It has taken a long time because we were busy returning from Austria to Canada and rebuilding our own house.

We have very happy memories of our stay. The two demi-johns that we took from you are filling up with corks. We hope the attachment may be of some help and please feel free to edit it if you wish. We wish you and your sons all the best for the future and hope very much to see you again one day. We brought many of your bottles home to Canada so there is a little bit of Caparsino here!

We chose to stay with Paolo and Gianna Cianferoni in the summer of 2001 quite by chance. Not having been previously to this region of Italy, we picked the address at random from an accommodation list and made the best holiday choice of our lives. One week was not enough and we were fortunate to be able to extend it to two.

At the time, my husband and I were living in Vienna and decided to drive to Chianti. The 8 hour journey was direct and pleasant and, more importantly, it enabled us to return with a large quantity of Caparsino’s fine wines.

We went in search of peace, beauty, good food and a taste of Chianti Classico at its best and we found all of these things. The article by my fellow countrywoman entitled ‘Land of the Grape’ details the farming methods and the various vintages of the Cianferonis and when we were there, the availability and prices of both wine and accommodation had not changed. There is no doubt that the Chianti Classico Doccio a Matteo Riserva 1997 is an exquisite wine, as is the Riserva 1994. We tried all of Caparsino’s wines, recognized the differences in quality but enjoyed them all. Furthermore, this excellent web-site will tell you all you need to know about booking a holiday here.

By some standards, Caparsa is not a huge enterprise and it is the devotion and love of his land that makes Paolo’s organic vineyards so special. All wine is produced on site and Paolo will patiently explain as much or as little as you want to know about the production and quality of his bottles. All of this can be done at the farm, though the Cianferonis have a shop in Radda where tasting and buying can be done.

The accommodation is in the old house, typical of Tuscan design, above the wine vaults and strictly for 2 people (though there is room for a small child). It consists of a bedroom with a queen-size bed, a large bathroom that also has a washing machine and a very large room that serves as living room, dining room and kitchen. It is all clean and comfortable and well-equipped. We spent most of our time on the balcony overlooking the vineyards and the hills beyond. Here we would eat breakfast and lunch with produce purchased in the delightful town of Radda, a 5 minute drive away. A glance at the visitor’s book told us that guests come from all over Europe and from North America and many re-visit.

Since the Cianferonis are trying to be as self-sufficient as possible, the variety of animals and birds on the land are ever increasing. It is a fascinating experience to be on the farm alone, but this part of Tuscany is so beautiful that it would be remiss not to explore the rest of the Chianti region. Paolo, who knows every village and good restaurant in the area will happily advise you. For example, we found a wonderful vinigar producer in Volpaia, an impressive castle at Brolio (though there are castles everywhere) and excellent restaurants (Il Poggio at San Polo and Le Vigne and Restaurante Vignale - both in Radda.) The central location of Radda in Chianti makes it possible to make day trips to the other treasures of Tuscany and surrounding provinces - Florence, Pisa, Sienna, Assisi. Wonderful as they all are, it was always a joy to come back to the natural beauty of Caparsa.

We are now back and retired in Canada but we have recommended Caparsa to many friends and plan to return ourselves one day. Thank you Paolo and Gianna for the wonderful memories.

Land of the Grape
Patricia Rockman MD, CCFP

When I decided to drag my man off to Italy, it did not occur to me that we would be jumping
mouth first into the world of the grape. As a prologue to our trip Peter Boyd, sommelier at Scaramouche,
one of Toronto's finest, offered to introduce us to the Art of Wine Tasting with an Italian bent. After all, as
he pointed out, "I drink wine for a living", so who would be better? Thoughtfully he chose the wines of
Tuscany and the Veneto to educate our virgin palates.
Rules I remembered to take with me to the Old World Firstly, everyone throughout the planet is
making "the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Cabernet." Given
that these grapes come from France and not Italy, it is best to stick with grapes of origin during one's
travels. There is a form of agriculture that maintains one should only imbibe or eat that which comes from
its home turf. Transplantation of food and drink removes something essential, what exactly I'm not sure.
Secondly, 1997 was a spectacular year for wine, the best since the 50s, especially in Italy where
grapes may be difficult to grow, their season shortened by early frost. In 1997, 40% of the crop was killed
by frost, leaving fewer grapes with access to more nutrients from the vine.
Thirdly, when tasting wine clean your palate in between with bread or cheese, preferably a
pecorino (sheep's milk) or Parmesan. Prosciutto will also do.
Lastly, always swirl the wine in the glass prior to tasting in order to release its flavour and to
warm a red wine (red wine is best tasted at 19` C). Once the wine enters your mouth, observe its qualities
from the time it touches your tongue until its final glide down your throat.
With these tips of the Trade, we entered Italy, where we were initiated into "The Sweet Life."
After two wild days in Rome where we saw everything, we headed for the foreigner's bourgeois
paradise, Toscanna, specifically Radda in Chianti to spend a week among the hills and history. We landed
at Caparsa, a vineyard and farmhouse where we had rented an apartment for a week. Upon our arrival, we
were met with a note advising us that our hosts were in town at a commercial wine tasting fest for the
public. For $7.00 each we purchased crystal glasses and began swirling a variety of Chiantis from glass to
gullet. It was a delightful introduction to the region.
Paolo Cianferoni and his wife Gianna, owners of Caparsa, greeted us with their very own and very
fine Chianti Classico Doccio, a Mateo 1997 Reserva. It is made with 100% San Giovese grapes, grapes
born and bred in these hills full of the vine and olive tree. And so, our education continued.
It seems that before the Second World War Tuscan vineyards were run in feudal fashion. Many
families worked for the landowners eking out a minimal living. Post war Tuscany saw a decline in wine
demand. With economic depression the grapes withered on the vine, so to speak and the workers left for the
supposed greener pastures of urban centers like Rome and Florence. The Feudalists had no one to work
their fields, a task they certainly weren't up to themselves, and so for them financial ruin followed. Tuscany
and its many farms were left to slumber with Mother Nature and God.
Signor Cianferoni, Paolo's father was a man ahead of his time and low land prices allowed him to
buy Caparsa for himself and his family. He developed this truly exquisite piece of property into a thriving
Chianti producing vineyard. Thirty years later his son and Gianna chose to take it over. A hands on man,
Paolo's hands are everywhere at once, planting, picking, labelling, bottling, pricing, selling. Gianna works
along side Paolo, indulgent of her husband's restlessness. They are both passionate and Caparsa exudes this
passion with its stone walkway lined with lavender and 16th century buildings, patio tables under mulberry
trees, herb garden, numerous flowers, vines and rabbits living with chickens and geese honking. 300
hectares of grape and olive surround wine aging deep in the household cellars. We tour the wine cellars
tasting directly from oak barrels. It is bacchanalian at its best.
Caparsa is an organic vineyard using no synthetic pesticides but rather small amounts of copper
sulfate and sulfur. Manure and seaweed feed the earth that produces the Cianferonis' livelihood. Paolo does
not blend his wines, a common practice occurring after wine is made but mixes grapes prior to their
fermentation. Nor does he produce Super Tuscan wines - an invention of wine manipulators who pay no
attention to the grape's homeland. The Cianferonis strongly believe in the relationship of man to the earth.
The grape and wine are foods first that date back to Etruscan times. They exist not merely for pleasurable
purposes. Paolo and Gianna do their best to interfere little with nature, trading higher profits for a more
harmonious and healthier wine. As in many vineyards of the area, olive oil is also proudly produced. In
Tuscany, overwhelmingly the typical red grape of the region is the San Giovese and the whites are the
Trebbian and Malvasia. Carpasa's wines are as follows:
1) Chianti Classico Doccio a Matteo Riserva - bottled 27 months after harvesting- 100%
San Giovese, peaks at 10 years. The Riserva designation is an indication of the highest
quality grape
2) Chianti Classico Riserva: Grade A - best San Giovese and Canaiolo grapes
3) Chianti Classico: Grade B - second class but good grapes, bottled after one year

Some years everything is Riserva and other years nothing meets this standard. The Grade a wine
receives is both harvest and market dependent.

4) Vino Rosso di Caparsa - a drinkable tavolo (table) wine made from San Giovese,
Canaiolo, Trebbiano and Malvasia. It is light on the mouth and the pocket. This wine is
not regulated.
5) Vino Bianco - a white wine mix of 50% Trebbiano and 50% Melvasia using only the first
pressed juice (no skin).

During our seven-day stay at Caparsa we try all of them. Our sommelier was right. The 1997
Docce a Matteo is truly, "heaven in a bottle", but then we are in heaven, so what else could we be drinking
but a little bit of paradise? I won't tell you how much we brought home.
If you go, shop comparatively for your residence. Our apartment was $950,000 lire for the week
(roughly $700.00). It can be rented through the Cianferonis - e-mail: caparsa@ecoitaly.net , Tel: 39-0577-
738174, Fax: 39-0577-738651. Reserve your car from Canada as it's less expensive and call intermittently
to see if the rates have dropped.
There are a cornucopia of wineries, over two hundred in the Chianti district between Florence and
Sienna. Many sell directly to the public. Some offer tours and tastings. Be aware that the British, German,
Dutch, Swiss, French and Hong Kong have bought up much of the Tuscan landscape. They too have
become wine makers with a vengeance.
The Consorzio del Marchio Storico - Chianti Classico is a consortium whose function is to verify
the quality of wine and promote it. The consortium's seal of guarantee is the Black Rooster. To obtain a
map or more information on Chianti wineries contact Consorzio, Del Marchio Storico Chianti Classico via
Scopeti, 155-s, Andrea in Percussina 500265 an Casciano V.P. (Firenze) Italia. Tel: (055) - 8228245-6-7,
Fax: (055) - 8228173.
If you ever decide to taste "La Dolce Vita," remember, as a friend of mine predicted, a little bit of Italy will rub off on you, never to be washed away.