Vino Al Vino… Fall Festival Time in Panzano

Each fall weekend a village in Chianti hosts a wine festival. The second weekend in September is Panzano’s designated time. The transformation of the Piazza, “Wine Festival Central”, began Monday morning with the delivery of wooden hut like structures, some dropped down by a huge crane that blocked traffic coming into this little village!

Tasting booths 

By Friday afternoon when the festival opened, each of the two dozen or so Panzano wineries had its own little booth. For E30 you bought a wine glass in a handy pouch to hang around your neck. Glass in hand you could sample wine all weekend long. Thanks to a few food vendors selling popular street food (like fried dough, prosciutto sandwiches and torte topped with cooked grapes and nuts) there were good things to soak up the wine!

When Saturday dawned, a clear, crisp autumn day, visitors poured into Panzano. Every street was clogged with cars, tour vans, bikes and motorcycles. There wasn’t an open spot anywhere for one more car to park. The Piazza overflowed with wine lovers, crowded shoulder to shoulder. Every restaurant in town was booked to capacity. People spilled out of doorways onto the street. It was hard to find someone not holding a wine glass. An electric buzz of energy, excitement and celebration filled the air! What a fun time to be a Panzanese!

In just a few weeks, there will be the vendiamo (harvest) and the whole life cycle of wine will begin again here in Chianti, the heart of wine country!