Hunting for truffles, with intriguing and excellent wines
In Tenuta Torciano the most popular activity by our most adventurous guests is the opportunity to experience the ancient tradition of Truffle Hunting. For centuries the Tuscan people used to immerse themselves into the forest in search of truffles, a culinary delicacy that is an integral part of the culture in rural Tuscany. Truffles, also known as tubers, grow spontaneously in the ground near the roots of some trees or shrubs, in particular oaks and forest oaks, with which they establish a symbiotic relationship.
Visitors are first taught how to identify and find the truffle. Afterwards a professional guide bring guests during an excursion in the surrounding woods, with special trained dogs, to look for the little treasures. At the end of the hunt, guests can participate in a Cooking Class where they learn the right way to prepare and cook the culinary delicacies combined with truffles found during the experience. The day combines the beauty of the Tuscan countryside with the gratification of an exquisite meal accompanied by 10 different kind of wines.
Many special guests have decided to spend an unforgettable day in the name of truffles and good wine. After hosting Forbes a few months ago, even the very famous website BuzzFeed (specialized in news, videoblog and podcast online) has come to visit us to document this fantastic experience. The “Bring Me!” team, after the truffle hunt, took part in a delicious Cooking Class where they learned how to prepare fresh homemade pasta and to cook the precious truffles found in our private forest. Later the video was published on buzzfeed.com and buzzfeedtasty, achieving incredible success with almost 2 million views.
In October it was the turn of the famous Chinese singer and actor Timmy Xu (Xu Weizhou), testimonial of the fashion magazine Baazar and ambassador Sino-Europe travel for the Chinese magazine. A full day of video and filming always in the name of truffle hunting, concluded with a complete tasting of Torciano wines, was the it was the highest point of his first time in Italy.
Finally in November a beautiful day organized by @blogger.week, with 30 of the most influential Travel Bloggers in Eastern Europe (Russia, Ukraine, Poland) Austria, Cyprus, Singapore, Turkey and … Italy. The group spent a couple of hours in the company of Pierluigi and his staff, taking stunning pictures, capturing all the moments of the guided tour of the winery, the property’s own truffle wood and the pergola of the estate where they could taste all the products of the estate in a Tuscan lunch based on typical dishes such as Lasagna with truffles, Ribollita, stewed wild boar and Cantuccini. Many of them had never seen a truffle before visiting Tenuta Torciano and it is always a great pleasure to teach the secrets and export the treasures of the Tuscan tradition all over the world.
More and more people are approaching the Truffle Hunting by Tenuta Torciano. The forest of the estate hosts guided tours every day, for 10 months per year. If you also want to experience the thrill of this wonderful activity once in a lifetime, visit www.torciano.com to book your Truffle Tour.
To purchase our gourmet products such as truffle flavored oil, extra virgin olive oil and selected balsamic vinegar —–> www.torciano.com/en/shop/
To buy our wines to match with your best truffle-based dishes —–> www.torciano.com/en/shop/
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Author
Luciana Cilemmi
Luciana Cilemmi, deals with Magazine, Style Director and Co-founder of Tenuta Torciano winery and Tenute Giachi wines and the innovative Viviarium Restaurant of Bottega Torciano- Tenuta Torciano & Winery is part of an international reality that is born in Italy by an initiative of Pierluigi Giachi and Luciana Cilemmi, who have worked for years in the Italian wine market , expanding throughout in the United States, managed and controlled by the american company ' Bellavini winery. Luciana Cilemmi was born in San Gimignano to a family of artists specialised in the restoration of medieval buildings. Having completed her technical studies, she now pursues the interests passed on to her by her family, like her passion for artistic objects, in particular works of art created in Tuscany between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. But she reserves her keenest enthusiasm for the historic works completed in San Gimignano between 1100 and 1300. Alongside her love of medieval history, she is fascinated in wines produced from Tuscan vineyards, which, together with saffron and wool, were the most sought-after goods traded by the wealthy noble families of San Gimignano already in medieval times. Luciana Cilemmi left San Gimignano at the age of 21 and embarked on a pilgrimage in search of knowledge and to discover the new winemaking skills and products that were then developing both in Italy and in France. In the meantime she added to her knowledge of wine by attending specialised courses and becoming a master of wine. On returning to Siena, she discovered a wonderful area near Murlo where she fell in love with the tiny, unspoilt village of Montepescini. She bought the estate of Montepescini where, based on the experience she had acquired over the years, she found a particular lie of the land, special climatic conditions and an altitude suited to the creation of great wines. With enormous enthusiasm, doggedness and considerable effort, a reclamation programme was started to renew the terrain which was then used to plant 30 hectares of specialised vines. Sangiovese is the dominant vine, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Years of experimentation and the introduction of new winemaking techniques eventually led to the creation of Luciana di Memmi’s prestigious wines. Some years ago, Luciana Cilemmi succeeded in realising her dream of a lifetime: to return to her home town, San Gimignano. She was destined to buy the historic palace with the medieval tower, which had been owned by the prestigious Useppi family from 1200 to 1927 and had then passed to the noble and historic Chigi family of Siena. The Useppi were a powerful Sienese family who owned several castles. This beautiful medieval building has an elegant and distinctive façade full of Sienese and Pisan architectural influences. If you find yourself in San Gimignano, make sure you visit the Chigi Tower and Palace. Luciana Cilemmi holds regular events in the rooms of the medieval tower, such as the presentation of wines, both from her vineyards and elsewhere, attended by international journalists, experts from the sector and critics. She also organises exhibitions of works of art and paintings, and press conferences on the subject of "Wine in San Gimignano during medieval times”. Visiting the home of Luciana Cilemmi is like re-living an aspect of the past that will not return except through the imagination of those who have believed and continue to believe in this story.
