Thank you to a guest blogger for this lovely account of the Pizza Cooking Class at Tenuta Torciano. Grazie!
The guest's story
The best pizza in the world
For some people, where the best pizza comes from is a controversial subject. Let me clear that up: the best pizza I have ever experienced — yes, experienced — comes from Italy. North, south, east or west, Italy simply does it best. So when I heard we would be taking a pizza-making class while wine tasting on our trip through Tuscany, I was more than a little excited.
The estate
Vineyards between Florence and Siena
Tenuta Torciano has vineyards scattered all through Tuscany and Italy, which is why they are able to consistently produce great wines and olive oils. The cooking class was held in San Gimignano, somewhere between Florence and Siena. The vineyards have been passed down through generations, and while it's not a small mom-and-pop winery, it is still family owned.
We were greeted by the owner, who showed us the vineyards and told us a little about the estate's history. Then we walked through the restaurant and straight into the kitchen, where we were instantly handed the largest wine glasses I have ever seen, generously filled with the most refreshing white wine I have ever had — and I say that as someone who favors reds. The ovens were on, and we were going through that wine like it was water.
Hands in the dough
Making our own pizza
Thankfully I came to my senses and switched to water after my third glass — we were, after all, about to go wine tasting. The class was taught by their master pizza maker, with his cousin interpreting for him. I won't give away his secrets, you'll have to take the class for those, but I was very surprised to learn they use wine in their pizza dough.
It was a fun, interactive class, and the seemingly never-ending wine being poured didn't hurt either. We each made our own pizza and topped it with whatever looked delicious among the endless ingredients laid out before us. Mine ended up with mozzarella, mushrooms, red bell pepper, ham and olives.
Tasting time
Learning to taste wine
Once everyone's pizza was in the oven, we left the kitchen and headed to the wine tasting room. The family takes pride in teaching guests how to taste wine properly. After learning the correct techniques and having our bad habits corrected, we began tasting.
If you would like to get in touch or learn more, look up Tenuta Torciano.
