SANGIOVESE CU copyIt’s that time of the year again! Like every winter, this has been a busy one at Petraia. People are often surprised to learn most of the work on our farm is done in the winter. We have about 40,000 grape vines to prune by hand before bud break in early spring. A couple of hundred fruit and olive trees need our attention, and in the vegetable garden it’s time to lay down manure and compost and turn the soil, giving it a brief rest before spring planting starts. Then there is wine to bottle, labels to design and wine fairs to attend. Inside annual touch ups and repairs ensure Petraia is shipshape to welcome guests back. Once again we will be open from April 15 to November 15 for wine-tastings (which include a light lunch) weekdays by advance reservation. I am also offering bespoke cooking classes for groups of 4 or more.

We have just finished updating our website where you can find details about 2015 offerings and news about our soon to be released 2014 wines. We will be bottling them in a couple of weeks. These new wines are available for pre-order now, exclusively through our mailing list and the website

This year we have named our popular white “PERSUE”. It’s the same blend of Viognier, Incrocio Manzoni and Traminer we have sold out every year. It is lovely with cheese, eggs, foie gras, poultry in creamy sauces, fish and it also goes with Asian and tropical spiced cuisine.

While most of our 2014 red is still in the barrel and won’t be released for a couple more years, “ETERE” (Italian for “ether”) is our new 2014 limited edition red wine (80% Sangiovese, 20% Rebo). ETERE has no added sulphites and is a delicious, easy drinking, inexpensive red wine with a freshness that recalls the day of harvest. It’s made to be enjoyed young and will go well with vegetarian main courses, rich creamy sauces, grilled meat or fish, and salumi or charcuterie …… A great summer red.

We have just 600 very special (500 ml) bottles of 2014 SEGRETO, a Sauternes style white wine, which I personally am super-excited about. The moist conditions late last fall inspired us to wait for botrytis cinerea or “noble rot” to appear on a small selection of our grapes. This wine is not overly sweet and will be lovely to serve with savory dishes containing cheese, eggs or foie gras. It will go well with dessert too. I can’t wait to pair it on our menus.

Finally we are continuing to release a limited number of our Super Tuscans, 2011 UNO and DUE, which will be available while supplies last. We sold out our pre-release allotment last year so we’re down to a few hundred bottles of each. These wines should only improve for many years to come.

Wine prices will depend on the exchange rate at the time of shipping. The good news for those of you outside the Eurozone is that the euro has been plunging. As I write the Canadian dollar has gained almost 8% against the euro since this time last year and the U.S. more than 20%.

For our Canadian clients we will again be sending a spring shipment to Ontario through an agent. If you’re in the EU or the U.S. (or have a U.S. address) as always, we can ship the wine directly to you. If you are in the UK, we will be attending RAW, the Artsian Wine Fair, in London May 17th and 18th. We’d love to see you there.

To order our wine or book a tasting or class you can email us here.

Thank you for your time and I hope we have the pleasure of welcoming you to Petraia this season.

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