Tuscany in Autumn:The Vendemmia Grape Harvest 2005 in Chianti Pisa Siena

Loli de Concini's Traditional Tuscany - Holiday Accommodation in Tuscany

	La Vendemmia - The Grape Harvest - 2005 Some say that autumn is the best time to visit Tuscany, when the school holiday tourists have gone home, and the searing hot days become milder. As the weather cools off, the colours of autumn warm up, the grape leaves turn gold, then russet and the countryside becomes a photographer's dream.
	Autumn also heralds the grape harvest - the Vendemmia. More than just grape picking, the Vendemmia in Tuscany is a tradition, a cultural event that is celebrated with great gusto by the Tuscan winegrowers, an excuse to meet, eat and taste the wines, and bet on who has made the best wine. But most of all it's a time to celebrate the hard work that has gone into the crop - an unofficial Thanksgiving.
	There is no specific date for the start of the Vendemmia - it depends on the climate and varies from province to province, but generally it starts in September when the winegrowers start to think about their annual harvest. For a closer look at the Vendemmia you can always take up a pair of clippers and join the grape pickers for a day, and the Unione Italiana Vini is predicting a bumper crop for 2005.
	The harvest starts early in the morning when the valleys are wreathed with fingers of mist until the sun gets high enough to burn it off. The tools of the trade are a pair of clippers, and a tub. Lunch is a serious affair when the hard work is rewarded by a generous lunch of the very best of the year's produce; prosciutto ham, cheeses and of course the wine!
	Where to stay - Tuscany Farmhouses You can experience the Vendemmia at the following agriturismo's all of which are wine growers in the respective areas of Chianti, Arezzo, Pisa and Pistoia. Roberto & Mavi Organic Agriturismo - Chianti Angela's Agriturismo - Chianti Irene's Farmhouse near Florence - Pistoia Farmhouse Margherita - Cortona Fattoria di Pisa - Farmhouse in the hills of Pisa
	Wine Festival Calender Tuscany If your interest in the wine harvest is more academic you can go to any one of the many sagre or festivals that celebrate the new harvest with tasting, entertainment, demonstrations by all the artisans involved in the various phrases of wine making here in Tuscany. Sept: 1/9 Montecarlo Lucca Wine festival Sept: 09-11: Chianti Classico Fair - Greve in Chianti Sept 16-18: Vino al Vino - Panzano in Chianti Sept: 25: Festa dell'uva - Grape Festival - Impruneta (Florence) Sept: 3-4 , 17-18 , 24-25: Festa dell'uva Morellino di Scanscano Maremma Sept: 16/18 :Terricciola (Pisa) - Grape & Wine Festival Sept. 22/25: Rufina Chianti Festival Sept last Sunday :Impruneta - Chianti Grape Harvest Festival Sept. 30/10-1/11: Sinalunga (Arezzo) - Gastronomic Festival Nov. 5/6 Pelago Olive oil and wine festival Nov 12, 13: Figline Valdarno (Florence) - Autumn Festival Links Wine Country Wine Tourism Tuscany - in Italian Festa del Vino - in Italian


	Recipe: Schiacciata con l'uva - Fresh Grape Loaf And for those of you that aren't coming this year try this recipe at home to get a taste of Loli de Concini's Traditional Tuscany in autumn. 2 pounds grapes removed from stems 1 pound flour 1 package dry yeast 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup olive oil 1 sprig of rosemary Heat the rosemary sprig in olive oil and then cool. Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of warm water. Place the flour in a large bowl and pour the yeast into the centre and mix. Remove the rosemary from the oil and add the cool oil to the mixture. Add 4 tablespoons sugar and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth. Place in a greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth leave in a warm place until it doubles in size. Remove from bowl, punch down the dough and divide in two. Roll out half of the dough to fit in a round or rectangular pan. Cover with half the grapes. Sprinkle with half the remaining sugar and drizzle with olive oil. Roll out the other half of the dough to cover the grapes. Drape over the grapes and seal the edges over with the bottom layer of dough. Squash the "sandwich" with the flats of your palms, crushing the grapes. Cover top layer of dough with remaining grapes, sprinkle with sugar, drizzle with olive oil, and crush the grapes into the dough.