Gaiole in Chianti

Gaiole itself is a small market town in a valley, but the comune around it is castle country. Brolio, the Ricasoli family’s fortress, rises above its vineyards on the southern edge; it was Baron Bettino Ricasoli who, in the nineteenth century, set down the blend that became the model for Chianti. Meleto, Vertine, Spaltenna and Barbischio are all within a short drive, each a medieval stronghold now given over to wine, hospitality or simply village life. Several can be visited: Brolio’s gardens and cellars are open to the public, and many of the estates around Gaiole offer tastings and tours.

To the north, Badia a Coltibuono is an eleventh-century Vallombrosan abbey turned wine estate, with a restaurant and cellars set among the woods. To the south-west, Castello di Ama pairs its Chianti Classico with a collection of site-specific contemporary art, commissioned from international artists and placed across the estate.

The Gaiole UGA is one of the largest in the zone, with some 1,320 hectares of vines on varied ground — sandstone in the east, alberese limestone in the centre and west, sand in the south — so the wines range from lean and bright to fuller and fleshier.

In early October, L’Eroica brings thousands of riders on vintage bicycles to Gaiole for its rides over the white gravel roads of Chianti; the town is its home and its finishing line.