The ports are nice, but the wine’s even better
Bridget McGrouther joins two television experts on a voyage to discover some great grapes – and her favourite tipple
When Joe Fattorini, a presenter of Channel 5’s The Wine
Show, reveals that Nittardi is one of his favourite wineries in the world, I’m not going to ignore his advice. After all, he has visited hundreds of wineries, and tasted thousands of wines… not such a bad day job, is it?
As the TV series has teamed up with Celebrity Cruises, guests on board can quench their thirst for wine knowledge, or at least have a veiled excuse for quaffing wine.
Not only are there wine shore excursions, but presenters Joe Fattorini and Amelia Singer are on board hosting tastings during autumn itineraries in 2018.
That’s why, last September, during our Mediterranean cruise, I joined Joe and a minibus of other wine enthusiasts on an excursion from La Spezia to one of the world’s oldest wine regions near Siena.
Joe explained the reason he liked Nittardi so much was not only due to the excellent, mainly Chianti Classico wines, but because the estate, dating back to 1716, has such an interesting history.
Once owned by Michelangelo, the wines inspired the artist when he painted the Sistine Chapel. The winery still gifts its best vintages to the Pope – and we were very much looking forward to sampling them during our visit.
It was still early morning when we arrived, though, so time for coffee. During the on-board wine tasting the previous evening, Joe had asked what coffee we each preferred, explaining that it’s a great way to get to know the palettes of your guests.
My liking for cappuccino apparently lumped me in with the majority of the population who have a penchant for Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot (correct on both counts). My neighbour’s sickly sweet preference for a caffe latte with vanilla placed him firmly out on a limb! I’m glad I didn’t have the headache of trying to choose a wine to suit us both.
In the winery’s light-filled art gallery, signed vintage label designs were framed on the walls.
Still maintaining a special relationship with art, each year the owners choose an artist – a previous choice was Yoko Ono – to design the label and wrapping of their annual Chianti Classico wine.
We then strolled through the sunny gardens past extraordinary, eclectic sculptures to the cellars, with their aged oak barrels, before taking a peek at the hand-picked grapes fermenting inside the more contemporary vats, some colourfully painted with funny faces.
Sitting on the patio by fragrant Cypress trees and lavender, drinking in the stunning views of the surrounding Chianti hills, olive groves and terraces, while enjoying Tuscan aperitifs of wild boar sausage, pecorino cheese and a crisp Vermentino is a memory that will live in my mind for ever. During our delicious lunch of fresh aubergine ravioli with shavings of black truffle, braised beef, roast potatoes and home-made tiramisu, we sampled more of Nittardi’s Super Tuscans, such as the aptly named 2013 Nectar Dei (Nectar of the Gods). Joe was entertaining company, sharing amusing tips and anecdotes, including the times The Wine Show was filmed at the vineyard and on board our ship, Celebrity Reflection, with its own quirky art, knowledgeable sommeliers, extensive award-winning cellars and excellent cuisine. I’ve been one of Joe’s biggest fans since he first wrote a wine column for a Glasgow newspaper when I lived there. As I have now moved to the Yorkshire Dales where he is from, we occasionally run into each other in our local pub. The next time I do, I’ll know what wine to order from the coffee choice he makes, although sadly I don’t think there is any of Nittardi’s excellent Chianti Classico on the wine list. It’s just as well I brought a bottle or two back home…