It’s almost harvest time in Tuscany!
Villa Nobile is the perfect location to enjoy all seasons in Tuscany! Opinions differ, is Spring or Fall the best time to visit. We love both, but the Fall is when all the action from the winter, spring and summer work comes to fruition. This is a great time to visit the region, see the process of making wine and olive oil and enjoy the celebrations of a hard year’s work at festivals throughout the Tuscan region. The harvest season highlights the wonderful Italian and Tuscan lifestyle that we all try to replicate in our own communities with great food, fine wine, and wonderful people all celebrating together.
Harvest time brings a countryside ablaze in spectacular colors of gold, orange and reds that makes every landscape picture worthy and you experience this from every angle of the property. The temperatures are mild during the day and pleasantly cool at night, enough to enjoy a glass of wine (or two) by the outdoor fireplace.
The Tuscans call this “vendemmia”, the grape harvest. Of course, the actual dates vary year to year due to weather and rain fall over the growing season and winemakers look for their grapes to reach the optimal level of sweetness. The vendemmia is a fun and fascinating experience and people come from all over the world to participate. It is a wonderful way to learn something about wine, food, local culture and to be part of tradition. If you are lucky enough to be in Tuscany during this time of year, you will also want to check out the many Harvest Wine Festivals throughout Tuscany.
Most agree that autumn is a great time to visit Tuscany as schools are in session which has limited the number of tourists along with the milder weather. As the weather cools, the colors of autumn awaken. The grape leaves turn gold, then russet, and the countryside becomes a photographer’s dream.
This is also a time for truffle and mushroom hunting. Chefs celebrate by creating spectacular specialties. The other Tuscan gem, Olive Oil, is pressed from the olives that are usually harvested several weeks after the grapes and in some of the cooler valleys that are affected with early frosts, they are picked as early as late September. Early harvest means that the fruit is less ripe, and therefore produces less oil, making Tuscan olive oils precious and limited. Olives that are less ripe create the special and prized peppery taste of Tuscan oil. During the olive press time this oil is green and wonderful, and its arrival is always cause for celebration. As the oil ages, it goes from a green color to the gold color we are used to using. This last fall the Villa Nobile team produced an exceptional oil that we and others are enjoying.
Being a guest of Villa Nobile brings all of this and more. You can get that picture worthy photo each and every day and experience all that the town of Montepulciano, its vineyards and wineries and neighboring Tuscan villages have to offer. There are some weeks still available at a reduced rate in September -- check availability in the footer of our website. We too look forward to having a grape harvest in the next five years!
