Travel to Tuscany

<p>It all began when Josh Hanson and his wife, Tiea, were strolling along a cobblestone street among the ancient walls and medieval towers of the hill town&nbsp;Radda&nbsp;in Chianti Classico. Passing by an old tavern, they noticed a hand-written sign in the window that read, &ldquo;Wine Tours.&rdquo;</p> <p>Curious, the Hansons stepped inside. Located in a small office above the tavern sat Lorenzo Gatteschi of Podere Ciona winery. Lorenzo was offering tours of the local wine estates in Chianti, yet unlike most tourist excursions along the grapevines of Tuscany, Lorenzo concentrated on introducing his customers to small, local producers that were primarily sold in Chianti.&nbsp;</p> <p>After a day of wine-tasting through the village, Gatteschi escorted the Hansons to his own wine estate in Giaole, located high on a hill that overlooked the old castles in the vast Tuscan countryside. His mother, renowned cooking instructor of &ldquo;Tutti a Tavola,&rdquo; prepared a classic Toscana dinner and, in typical Italian fashion, they ate and drank long into the night.</p> <p>Impressed by the quality, price and seductive appeal of the wine he had encountered that day, Josh asked Lorenzo two questions: &ldquo;Why are these wines so good?&rdquo; and &ldquo;Why can&rsquo;t I get them in the States?&rdquo; To which Gatteschi replied, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s simple; we are too small.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p> <p>That night, over a bottle of Gatteschi&rsquo;s Chianti Classico Riserva, the idea for Small Vineyards was born. Partnering with Lorenzo&rsquo;s contacts of small Italian producers, Josh arranged direct importing of these tiny estate wines. Six months later a palatte of wine arrived on his doorstep.</p> <p>Today Small Vineyards is one of the fastest-growing importers of Italian wines in the country. And the goal of the company has remained the same since day one: import the best, artesian, family-owned, micro-producers available and show America what Italian passion for regional style is all about.&nbsp;</p> <p>Small Vineyards maintains tough rating criteria that each producer must adhere to before a wine is considered for their portfolio. First, the estate must be in the smallest 10% of their region (though many of the producers are even smaller). Second, every grape must be hand-picked to ensure no overripe or green grapes fall into the mix and upset the balance.</p> <p>Without exception, the wines must be single-estate; many are crafted from single vineyards. In simple terms, this means that no fruit is purchased, but comes directly from the producer&rsquo;s own estate. Third, each estate must use earth-friendly, sustainable farming techniques. No pesticides, fertilizers or irrigation are allowed. And, most importantly, Small Vineyards looks for producers who are true artists and have no desire to trade their authentic lifestyle for mechanical, corporate industry.&nbsp;</p> <p>Most of these standards are nothing new to Italians. Generally speaking, Italian pride for regional expression and authenticity, whether through food, art or wine, is an essential ingredient in all of their productions. In fact, when Italian winemakers hear Americans raving about new &ldquo;sustainable&rdquo; farming techniques that exclude the use of pesticides, they simple chuckle and say, &ldquo;What you call organic, we call &lsquo;two thousand years of common sense&rsquo;.&rdquo;</p> <p>Small Vineyards understands that part of the magic of good wine is the story behind the artists who created it. To bridge the gap between winemaker and buyer, each bottle of wine that Small Vineyards imports includes a picture of the winemaker, along with a brief history of the estate or fun facts about the winemaker.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>&ldquo;The producers range from simple, salt-of-the-earth farmers to castle-dwelling aristocrats, but the quality and standards remain the same for everyone,&rdquo; says Tom Kelly, partner and wine educator at Small Vineyards. Naturally, the company understands that creating a sense of place is important to fully appreciate these hand-crafted gems.</p> <p>The wines at Small Vineyards have one of two classifications indicated on each bottle: Grande Estate or Discovery. Grande Estate means wine from a larger estate. The quality standards remain the same for all wines, but Grande Estate wines allow the company to import innovative, high-quality wines at slightly higher quantities. Discovery wines are smaller, less-known Italian wines.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Why Italy? Although Small Vineyards has recently opened up territory in both Portugal and Spain, their primary focus has always been Italy. The wines are unique for many reasons: Italy boasts close to 130 family clones of grapes and over 2000 different grape varietals. The entire country is so well suited for growing grapes that virtually every corner of Italy hosts a wine region.</p> <p>The weather from the top of the boot to the bottom is forever shifting, making for a multitude of micro-climates unlike any other country. But, most importantly, Italians are devoted to their region. This means that the winemakers Small Vineyards works with take tremendous pride in not only showcasing their best wines, but also in expressing their unique wine region.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>The company has several key players who help maintain dedication to quality. Antonio Sanquineti has been with Small Vineyards since its origins. Tom Kelly refers to him as &ldquo;the heartbeat of the company.&rdquo; In addition to his contribution as a winemaker in the Small Vineyards&rsquo; portfolio, Antonio, along with Josh Hanson, helps maintain relationships with other producers and is a co-detective with Josh on the continual hunt for new wines.</p> <p>Co-founders, Doug Fugate and Kay Syrrist head-up the national sales team and remain the company&rsquo;s CFOs while, locally in Portland, Tom Kelly, another founder and long-time friend of Hanson, focuses his energy on wine education, both at a national and street level. He pours the wine at local shops and is pleased to share the stories behind each bottle.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Small Vineyards is involved with every aspect of the importing process, ensuring the quality every consumer receives for their money. In order to manage the quality of every bottle of wine, Small Vineyards created a system of insurance called &ldquo;Tappo a Tappo,&rdquo; which means &ldquo;Cork to Cork.&rdquo; This quality-control system ensures that, from the moment the producers put a cork in a bottle until the time a consumer buys it, every aspect of the process is carefully managed to guarantee quality and satisfaction. The process ranges from making sure the wine is stored and shipped in temperature-controlled units to encouraging the winemakers to use user-friendly labels that are understandable in the U.S. market.</p> <p>With dedication to small, artesian, hand-crafted wines, Small Vineyards is becoming a driving force in the ever-changing industry. The standards of Small Vineyards have raised the bar for other companies to import quality over quantity and keep the art and pleasure of well-crafted vino alive.</p>

My guests say:

"Doumina gives you an up-close insiders view of the treasures surrounding the enchanted hill town of Cortona. You like olive oil? Meet a farmer who picks his olives, and the man who presses them. Art your thing? Listen to the passionate sermons of her guide, and real-life descendant of Cortona's own Luca Signorelli. Want to eat the way the heartiest Tuscans do? For breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you will. Guaranteed."

Tim Stark
Organic farmer/Writer

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