{"id":14240,"date":"2019-10-16T07:53:39","date_gmt":"2019-10-16T05:53:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arttrav.com\/?p=14240"},"modified":"2019-10-16T09:17:35","modified_gmt":"2019-10-16T07:17:35","slug":"wine-medici-villa-malenchini","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arttrav.com\/florence\/wine-medici-villa-malenchini\/","title":{"rendered":"Tasting Wine in a Medici Villa: Malenchini Wines"},"content":{"rendered":"

Much of Tuscany is dreamscape – especially now, in Autumn, with this warm rosy light drenching the vineyards. The leaves on the vines are throwing colours before they drop from their trunks, a dramatic visual swansong. Have you seen how the leaves are moving from green to yellow?\u00a0 Depending on the grape variety, some leaves will go red – you can spot now where Colorino and\/or Merlot are planted in the vineyards as they will be a fabulous, glamorous extrovert red. This year, 2019, their work changing all that sunlight into sugars for the vine has paid off big time: most producers harvested very high quality grapes, and it looks set to be a great year for wine.<\/p>\n

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Malenchini vineyards in the Fall!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was difficult to keep my eyes off the leaves and on the road as I drove from my home in Siena to the hills North of Florence for a winery tour and tasting at <\/b>Villa Medicea di Lilliano<\/b><\/a>, an historical villa, the 17th century country retreat of the Medici rulers, with foundations that date even further back to the 11th century. I felt giddy as I stepped out of the car,\u00a0 \u201cJove help me\u201d I thought, this is before I\u2019ve even tasted anything!<\/p>\n

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I was to meet Diletta Malenchini,<\/b> the fourth generation of Malenchinis who have owned and loved the estate for over two centuries. Diletta is responsible for the winemaking and olive oil production. What a cool woman. I don\u2019t know what the female version of a bromance is but i have that for Diletta. She is so down to earth, but her home is a Medici Villa!! and the environment she has grown up in is pure fairy tale: gardens, courtyards, swimming pools all surrounded by 70 hectares of vineyards and olive groves, with the city of Florence a mere 15 minute drive away and the top of the Duomo even visible from the balconies of the estate. If I were her I would be completely carried away by the grand and magical surroundings of this villa. I would greet guests in full gown, and with a white wig on. And a beauty spot planted somewhere on my face. (I\u2019m not sure that is a Medici look, but I\u2019d work it anyway).<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Villa Medicea di Lilliano (@villamediceadililliano)<\/a> on