Visiting a Winery

This morning we were just a moment too late to capture the entirety of this beautiful cake.

Our hostess makes the most incredible breakfast cakes (yes! – I have found my country!!), including the one I had again this morning, an olive oil cake made with regular and almond flour. Laced with European butter and drizzled with honey from their own bees. Heaven on a plate.

Here’s us back in our room, planning our day. Or as I like to call it, me trying to show Don the difference between a photo of something and a selfie.

Then it was on to a luxe winery at Castello di Paneretta. Had to make a reservation, which turned out to be worth it and for which we were the only people on the tour.

A nice young man met us at the gate and showed us the current wine in process, the cellars, and the dining room of the castle, which dates in part from the 16C. Sold to current owners in 1984 and they have renovated and continued to expand and improve the existing wine production.

After the tour came the tasting – the best part of course – and we really did learn some things we had never heard before.

Back to our lodgings for a nap (me) and a lounger by the pool (Don) before we headed out to an old favourite for dinner.

The first time we were in Volpaia, we had lunch or dinner at a tiny outside bistro and noticed that there was a small gang of neighbourhood dogs, carousing around and living their best lives. One of them was a tiny wiener dog that the lady told us was called Arturo. He lived up the street and went home at night. He might have been one of the reasons we ended up with two wiener dogs a few years later.

Anyway, Arturo is long gone, but we still love little Volpaia, so we headed up there today to find some pizza for an early dinner. We shared an outdoor table with three charming ladies, two from Nova Scotia and one from Holland. Then had a stroll around the medieval centre of the village.

Tiny and picturesque, including two churches for what can’t be more than a handful of permanent residents.

So that’s it for today – who knows what tomorrow will bring!?!