I’m not a huge drinker, all those additives give me a headache!…. but 20 years in Italy certainly awarded me an appreciation for a good drop! To this day, I love that glass of ‘special’ wine to accompany an excellent meal….and the Italian wines appear to have a lot less additives than many others around the world, so if the wine is a decent quality, we are safe!
When I arrived in Positano I had come from living three years in Milano and Firenze and had become great mates with Marco de Grazia who is an exceptional wine broker, grower, exporter, producer & motivator, Marco has assisted greatly in bringing the Italian wine industry to where it is today. He has had a phenomenal influence on us all!
my darling Marco doing what he does best!
Where it all starts…..
My then partner Sergio was a passionate wine lover too so while living in Positano all those years I tried everything from our family’s home grown brew, a little rustic… to some of the great Barolo wines from the north. All delicious in their own right and not a headache in sight!
So our Amalfi Coast ‘Nectar of the Gods’ tours will enchant you! This region is not well known for its wine growing like Tuscany, Alto Algide or Sicily, but the few wineries in this area do offer some extraordinary ‘vini estremi’ which I discuss in my book My Amalfi Coast.
Vini Estremi (Extreme Wines) These heroic wines are the fruits of sweat & tears by hard working passionate men and women in certain unknown areas of Italy, geographically arduous, and sometime impossible handkerchief size pieces of terrain hanging from a rocky outcrop or slipping into the sea. These special wines are renowned all over Italy where Mother Nature and her ardent helper have managed to coax some exceptional and unique grapes from the ground. Places like Trentino-Alto Adige, Cinque Terre, Pantelleria, Mount Etna in Sicily and the Amalfi Coast all share their ability to produce exceptional extreme wines. Marisa Cuomo perched on the hilltop village of Furore on the Amalfi Coast definitely creates an outstanding extreme wine! Her Fior d’Uva white has won awards world wide and a visit to her coastal cellars is a must if in this area!
Wine growers are not always available to talk us through their wonderful products sipping wine and enjoying the specular views with good food. In my experience they are more often than not; checking their vineyards, have their heads inside vats, are in the fields or arguing on the phone with a transporter…..so a well versed and excited ‘sommelier’ is a treat and that is exactly what we can offer.
Cristian is a local sommelier with knowledge in wines from all over the world, but just happens to be born on the Amalfi Coast so has strong ties in this region. He will delight you with an easy but exciting day on the coast OR beyond the coastal area and into other close by wine regions if you have time to experience these provocative flavours. He can offer some straight wine tasting for the die-hards or an excellent wine tasting accompanied by a delicious meal.
All your transport is included in the price to get you to the wineries which can vary from a 40 mins drive to a 2 -3 hr drive from Positano.
Here are two of my favourite Amalfi Coastal tours:
Amalfi Coast Tour “Tramonti” includes:
Transfer from Positano to Tramonti, average journey time about 60 mins.
Visit the “Tenuta San Francesco” winery, a small family run estate set on an 18th century farm-located in the regional park of the “Monti Lattari”. The tour includes the visit of the winery plus a tasting of the “DOC classification” wines produced.
Enjoy the full experience including tour of the winery, the wine tasting and a lunch with matched wines by “Tenuta San Francesco”
package price start €180 per person
Cristian, Sommelier & passionate wine lover!
A wine tasting under the vines? makes sense!
Gaetano, owner of S.Francesco winery in Tramonti…with Cristian
Some delicious local dishes to accompany some wonderful wines.
Amalfi Coast Tour “Furore” includes:
Transfer from Positano to Furore, average journey time about 45 mins.
“Marisa Cuomo” estate is located in Furore a small town on the hillside behind Amalfi.
Marisa makes outstanding wines, better known worldwide for their white wine called Fior D’Uva which was awarded as the best Italian white in 2003. Marisa and her husband Andrea will offer a tour of the winery and samples of their outstanding wines.
Enjoy the full experience with lunch provided by a traditional Osteria just a few minutes away called Bacco which is part of the Cuomo’s family, here you can choose from a La Carte menu’ and wines will be paired to the food. The chef Ermina is Marisa’s older sister and one of my special chefs featuring in my cookbook, Amalfi Coast Recipes. This is a special day out.
package price starts at €200 per person
Slightly further afield is the following winery and a wonderful experience:
Avellino Tour Taurasi:
Transfer from Positano to Taurasi, average journey time 1.55 minutes.
Visit the Antonio Caggiano winery, a pretty small estate right in the heart of the DOCG Taurasi appellation. The Taurasi is the only red wine that hold the DOCG appellation in the Campania region. Antonio Caggiano was awarded by the famous Italian wine guide “Gambero Rosso” with the highest degustation rate.
Enjoy the full experience of the tasting, tour and lunch (with 4 course home cooked meal with matching wines)
package price startsat €215 per person
The love Marisa in her cellars.
And for those who don’t have a lot of travel time to visit these exceptional wineries, Cristian our Sommelier can offer come exceptional wine tasting journeys right in Positano:
Wine Tasting.
“Campania Journey” tasting at €70 per person including three wines of Campania region, well selected small boutique wineries of the area.
“Dream of Italy” tasting at €80 per person including three classic and traditional wines,
from Piedmont, Tuscany and other winemaker areas of Italy;
“Grand Cru” tasting at €95 per person including wines among Italy and other country of Europe, such as: grand Cru from Champagne, Burgundy, Mosel etc.;
Every tasting will be paired with a nice selection of cold starters.
Tasting can be customised on request and can also be offered privately in your villa/apt on the Amalfi Coast.
All the tours/wine tastings will be attended by Cristian our Sommelier personally and will offer an excellent Q & A for those seeking extra knowledge !
This is a journey not to miss when you visit the Amalfi Coast, so just drop me a line at [email protected] and I will book you in ASAP!…..as you can imagine, Cristian’s 2016 calendar is filling up fast….you won’t be disappointed.
Baci Baci e buona degustazione!
