You can’t beat Sunday lunch in Chianti. Rolling hills giving way to vineyard after vineyard as you drive to your destination, basking in the sun whilst enjoying quality cuisine with top notch wine, and wandering the streets of a medieval village always make for a memorable and relaxing afternoon.
Tiny central piazza of Volpaia.
Recently myself and a friend decided to escape into the Chianti countryside and we headed for the classically Tuscan village of Volpaia, mainly for its proximity to Florence taking only an hour in the car; half an hour of which was spent negotiating beautiful, winding, tree lined roads. Arriving we discovered a quaint village, pink and violet flowers adorning the quintessentially Tuscan stone houses, the tiny piazza home to the obligatory church as well as two restaurants with gorgeous outdoor terraces perfect for al fresco dining.
View from our terrace table.
We had booked a spot on the terrace of ‘Osteria Volpaia‘ (the restaurant is owned by the nearby vineyard ‘Castello di Volpaia’) the terrace overlooking the village shaded with bamboo overhead was a beautiful setting for our leisurely lunch, the restaurant on first impression immediately oozed style and elegance. We settled into our seats and decided to order a platter of cheese to start, it arrived on a beautiful marble slab accompanied by divine freshly baked bread and their own olive oil, produced down the road at their vineyard. Everything was served on beautiful modern but handcrafted crockery, creating an incredible style and sophistication to the experience.
Delicious cheese served with fresh bread and lemon scented olive oil.
We washed the cheeses down with their Franciacorta, a delicately yeasty example of this wine and of top quality. Following our free appetiser of fresh asparagus we tucked into our main meals. The menu incorporated Tuscan cuisine but was not traditional, taking flavours and inspiration from around the world resulting in a modern and interesting take on the traditions of the area. The pasta was all homemade and incredibly fresh, I chose a simple pici in tomato sauce, it was cooked perfectly with a hint of smoked garlic. My friend took tagliatelle with meat and mushroom, her pasta being the fattest tagliatelle I have seen! She chose a well-rounded but subtle Chianti Classico, a hint of oak and red cherry with a good acidity to help down that fat pasta. I chose their Supertuscan Cabernet Merlot blend, the dark wild berries and the soft acidity with balanced tannins was extremely quaffable. Despite us being there in 35 degree heat the red wines were served at the perfect temperature and tasted just as they should, again showing they knew what they were doing!
Incredible and inventive take on tiramisu.
Despite being full we couldn’t resist a dessert and opted for their tiramisu, which was quite unlike one I have ever tasted before. Arranged beautifully on the plate it was delicate layers of soft and crumbling biscuit sandwiched between it the creamy tiramisu filling, all topped with shavings of black truffle. I was reticent at first, I couldn’t imagine truffle in a sweet context but the resulting flavours blew our minds. The coffee of the dessert mixed with the subtle earthy truffle was incredible, my friend capable only of stating repeatedly ‘heaven on a plate’. My only regret being not trying one of their dessert wines to finish off the heavenly dining experience. The prices of the restaurant were mid to high but not unreasonable, the average pasta starting at about €15, but we both agreed for the quality on offer the prices were value for money
Flowers crawling up the Tuscan stone make a picture perfect image.
Unable to get straight back into the car due to being completely stuffed we went for a wander to wake ourselves up. There were some cute flower lined paths around the village as well as a path leading upwards from the village with views over Chianti. If it hadn’t been so hot it would have made a beautiful walk to explore, but I feel it won’t be long until I return. The restaurant also had an intimate indoor dining area with stone walls and crisp white tablecloths and so I imagine in winter it will be just as unique and wonderful an experience and I can’t wait to return.
www.osteriavolpaia.it lunch 12.30-15.00, dinner 19.30-21.30, tel +39 0577 738066 booking essential
