Recipe: Tuscany 2006 Journal Entry #14-Goodbye Pienza & Banfi Winery Luncheon (with photos)

Tuscany 2006 Journal Entry #14-Goodbye Pienza & Banfi Winery Luncheon

Monday, April 3rd

DH insists on taking me to Pienza this morning. What a guy! Nothing could be finer than to be in Pienza in the morning! (with my sweetie).

We fill our arms with cheese from the very nice direct sales lady. She cut it up and cryo packed it for us. We go to Bai Linda for even more ceramics. Corks with ceramic tops and more stuff for me, me, me! Every time I turn around in my kitchen in Arizona I want to remember Tuscany! Inside her store their German Shepard once again does his job of letting you know he can, and will, eat you alive if you cross him. Boy are his teeth ever BIG! Then, as we are leaving he is lazing outside next to the door and his demeanor is totally different. This dog sure knows when he on and off duty.

We share a caf latte at our favorite bar, the one just inside the walls of Pienza. The owner talks me into a warm croissant with peaches inside. DH and I share it, happy my resistance to temptation is so low at the moment.

DH takes photos of one of the back courtyard gardens. I plan to frame one. This is where you can find me if I ever run away. Goodbye Pienza, I'll see you in my dreams!



We head to the Banfi Winery for lunch and the glass museum. I have to say it again, DH is SUCH a great driver/navigator. Today there aren't as many motorcycles on the road as yesterday. The roads were pretty wild with them yesterday.

The glass museum is large with lots of beautiful things to see. We wander for quite some time admiring the workmanship with Mo, Lona, Wilfred along with Nancy and Richard, two Untourists we haven't seen much of up until this point.

We are served a bubbly apertivo (apertif) I'm pretty sure it was a Principessa Gavi, (Cortese) in the showroom, where they have lots of ceramics and wine for sale. There are some with cypress trees on them, if I hadn't bought so much at Bai Linda I probably would have not been able to control myself there. Banfi winery has a web page with their wines in a PDF file if you are interested.

We go into the restaurant. Castello Banfi Il Ristorante and the first thing we notice is that at each place setting there are 5 wine glasses. Oh, boy.

There is a set menu with wine parings for each course.

We start with Antipasto Toscano, (Tuscan antipasto). Slices of salami, Prosciutto, bread spread with a topping of onions, capers and bacon. (Very delicious.) liver pate on bread and olive spread on bread. A small pile of olives rounds out this course which is paired with a San Angelo 2004 (a pinot grigio).

Next is a wonderful Zuppa di pane, (bread soup (Ribolitta)) paired with a Centine 2004 (Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot).

We realize that they are not limiting us to a glass of each, they keep refilling unless you tell them no. Oh, my.

We move on to Scotiglia di cinghiale con purea di patate, (Wild boar stew with potato puree), which consists of large pieces of boar with very yummy mashed potatoes (I realize I've missed potatoes these last couple of weeks )This course is paired with a Rosso di Montalcino 2003 (Sangiovese). Very delicious.

Next comes Selezione di pecorini toscani con miele e pinoli, (Selection of Tuscan sheep cheese with honey and pine nuts). The nuts are toasted a bit. This is paired with a Brunello di Montalcino 2001, (Sangiovese). Lona and Wilfred tell us of a town they visited yesterday where they were served pecorino melted just a bit and then slightly broiled. Sounds wonderful. (And it is, as we find out when we return home with our horde of cheese!)

A Tortino di ricotta con uvetta e pinoli su cioccolato fuso (Ricotta cheese cake with sweet grape and pine nuts in a chocolate sauce paired with a Florus 2003, (Moscadello), rounds out the meal. Good heavens!

How we possibly have room for lattes I don't know, but we manage, altho we do pass on the grappa that is offered.

This luncheon with the glass museum and winery tour included was 65 Euro each, a bargain for sure. We are very glad we decided to come.

During lunch Lona and Wilfred have shared some sad news with us. Seems the ambulance we ran across yesterday was taking the mayor of Montelcino to the hospital. He has died from a heart attack. He was quite young, in his forties. He was the best archer from his quarterie. (Montelcino is divided into quarters) They tell us everything in Montelcino will be closed tomorrow.

I take a peek at the regular menu, there is an asparagus and bacon flan with greens and cherry tomatoes listed under the antipasti, a splelt soup with Tuscan sausage and fennel in the primi piatti section, a chop of Cinta Senese pig in a celery crust with potato puree under the secondi listing and a rice flan with raspberry sauce in the dolci section to name just a few of the offerings. My, my.

The tour of the winery is late getting started. Mo, DH and I opt out. Mo stays and shops some in the showroom. We make plans to pick her up the following evening for a last dinner at Mario's. DH and I head to Montelcino for another boar key chain, Mo also wants us to pick one up for her and we want to check out the lingerie store we saw yesterday.

As we approach the traffic circle at Montelcino it becomes apparent they aren't letting anyone in by vehicle who doesn't live there. Not wanting to climb up from the lower parking area we go back to Le Chiuse, assuming everything is probably closed for mourning, anyway.



Stu is outside reading and tells us that Montelcino has been closed since that morning when he and Jan tried to go. They are going to Mario's for dinner. We are skipping dinner due to our Banfi experience.

We give the kitties the last of the whole milk, we'll miss having kitties around us.