Changing Gear in Tuscany: From a Mountain of Waste to Our Own Wine
Moving to Italy means constantly changing gear. Read about farm life in Tuscany, a mountain of waste and the making of our own wine.
9/20/20265 min read
We started receiving the same questions from several people: has something happened? I miss the blog. Are you all doing okay?
To put your minds at ease: yes, everything is going well here. Farm life in Tuscany, family life and office life simply demanded all our time for a while.
That does not mean we have been sitting still.
I previously wrote about the mountain of waste left behind by the former owner. It was all supposed to be collected. The previous owner had paid for it and all the transport company had to do was come and take it away.
The problem was that we had no name, no company details and no firm appointment. All we could do was trust the people telling us what was supposedly happening.
At some point, however, you begin to realise that the story does not add up and that the various versions contradict one another. We were patient for a long time — fortunately, the property is large enough that we do not have to look at the pile constantly — but eventually, enough is enough. The seller did not respond at all, while the estate agent kept giving us different information.
That leaves only one option: take action ourselves. We are sorting through everything until we are blue in the face and, little by little, the mountain of waste left behind by the former owner is finally getting smaller.
Moving to Italy means making choices and having faith, but above all it means taking control and holding on to it.
Speaking of taking control: behind our house in Tuscany lies our own vineyard. We had decided to sell the red grapes. The reason was simple: we did not want to take on too much at once. Settling into our new home seemed more important than tackling all the work waiting for us.
Or so we thought.
From our conversations, we learned that we would receive around thirty euros for every hundred kilos of grapes. This year’s harvest has been good and, as a result, grape prices are extremely low. That creates a dilemma: having the grapes picked costs almost more than the grapes themselves are worth.
You think you have made a decision, only to be overtaken by reality. Apparently, the course “Changing Gear for Beginners” comes free with our move to Italy.
We therefore discussed the possibilities with our agricultural contractor. After weighing everything up, we decided not to sell the grapes. Instead, we found a small family-run winery that will make the wine for us under our own label.
And in Italy, things work a little differently from the Netherlands. Roughly once a month, we will be able to visit the winery and taste our wine. Together with the master winemaker, we will decide when it is time to take the next steps in the winemaking process.
But it is now official — and this really is big news: from May or June next year, our own red wine will be available by the bottle.
It will be an organic Sangiovese with five per cent Ciliegiolo. A fruity red wine to be enjoyed slightly chilled, making it ideal as an aperitif as well as a lovely match for both fish and meat.
So we can finally announce it: our own wine is on its way!
We did decide to process the white grapes ourselves. The day before the harvest, we had set up a kind of production line. First came a table where we could sort the grapes. Behind it stood the crusher, which would crush the grapes before they went into the wine press and finally into the tank.
We had tested everything, so we were completely prepared. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?
At half past five in the morning, we were ready with our pruning shears, plenty of crates and help from the entire family, including my father. Naturally, you want to keep the time between picking and processing the grapes as short as possible.
So: full speed ahead!
Within three hours, all the grapes had been picked. They were so ripe that absolutely everything stuck together.
Then the sorting began, because naturally, you only want the best grapes going into your wine. We therefore went through all thirty crates again: good grapes on one side, not-so-good grapes on the other.
Looking back, it was complete madness to do it that way. The Italians simply throw the grapes into the crusher. Once everything comes out the other end, nobody can tell what each individual grape looked like beforehand anyway. But we diligently sorted them almost one by one.
We then connected the crusher to the tractor and started filling it. At first, everything worked perfectly. Then, quite suddenly, we noticed the unmistakable smell of burning rubber.
You guessed it: the crusher had jammed because of all the stems.
There is a first time for everything. We dismantled the machine, cleaned it and then tested it again. Did I mention that everything was sticky? After that test, it certainly was not any less so.
While Hanneke started the tractor, I was still sitting near the machine’s outlet. The crusher suddenly spluttered back to life, spitting grape pulp in every direction. And, of course, I happened to be sitting cross-legged directly in front of the opening.
I was literally covered in grape pulp from head to toe.
Did I mention that it was sticky?
Let’s call it a minor setback. It was time for the next stage: the wine press.
Vermentino grapes should not be pressed too hard if you want to preserve their character. I had therefore carefully adjusted and tested the press. While filling it, however, it became clear that the press was in no mood to cooperate. We could not get it to move at all.
Meanwhile, you are working with a food product. You cannot simply open the press and calmly start checking the hydraulic oil. Besides, the grape pulp had already begun to flow.
In the end, we chose an alternative method. We placed a pressing lid on top of the grapes and let the girls stand on it. Their weight was exactly what we needed to press the grapes after all.
The yield was slightly lower, but sometimes you have to be inventive.
Making our own wine in Tuscany was on our wish list. To many people, it probably sounds incredibly romantic. I can assure you that by the end of the day, I mostly felt like a walking, talking sugar cube.
Next year, the white grapes will also be going straight to the family-run winery.
Alongside all the work with the grapes, we have expanded our collection of machinery with a ride-on mower. It is ideal for our land. When we bought it, we thought: great, the children will probably enjoy cutting the grass.
And they certainly do. There is only one problem: they are too light for the seat. The safety systems activate immediately, preventing them from cutting even a single millimetre of grass. In short, I am the one who has gained a new toy to keep our lawn Dutch-style short.
And then there are the girls. After two and a half months in Italy, they started school and made it through their first week very well. They attend classes from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, and from October, Saturday will be added as well.
Of course, that takes some getting used to, but I am incredibly proud of them. They also seem to be starting to find their place. The various boys who have recently begun dropping by our property completely “spontaneously” would certainly suggest so.
The mountain of waste is getting smaller, the wine is maturing, the grass is staying Dutch-style short and the girls are gradually finding their place. Perhaps that is what moving abroad is really about: not having everything under control, but becoming better at changing gear, accepting things and enjoying what is already there.