Gaiole in Chianti

Gaiole in Chianti is a land filled with Romanesque churches and castles. Historically a Fiorentine border-territory, it developed from ancient trading activity along the Massellane stream, still overlooked by the village. The area is crossed by a real “Castle Trail”: from that of Cacchiano, built in the 13th century by the Ricasoli family, to the Brolio, of Lombard origin and which in the nineteenth century became a neo-Gothic villa belonging to the same noble family. It is in the vineyards set in these hills that one of the most famous and esteemed wines in the world, Classic Chianti, is produced. What distinguishes Classic Chianti from other Chianti wines is its unmistakable red label, with the symbol of the Black Cock on a gold background, representing the Consortium established in 1924 to safeguard this wine and its denomination. To better understand how great the winegrowing art is in these valleys, it is enchanting and fantastic to visit the old wine cellars, where every cask is the guardian of countless secrets, where every bottle has its own incredible history, where fragrances and flavours blend in wine goblets.