MAPPING TUSCANY

America's Indian Summer is what we call Estate di San Martino in Italy. But not just surprisingly warm autumn temperatures are related to St. Martin's day on the 11th of November. This is also the time of the year the fermentation of new wines has come to an end, a process described by another Italian proverb related to St. Martin: A San Martino ogni mosto diventa vino (by St. Martin every must has turned into wine).  And with the beach and festival season long gone and the weather forecast for Sunday looking wet and unfriendly, what better time to visit some of Tuscany's finest wineries . San Martino in Cantina is one of five national winery visit days the Italian Wine Tourism Movement organizes every year. Three dozens of wineries in the provinces of Siena and Grosseto adhere to the initiative and welcome visitors for a free autumn tasting in their wine cellars. On my quest to discover Tuscany's  vineyards with a calling for architecture , I'll be tasting...

Southern Tuscany is home to a handful of wineries, which are often described as wine cathedrals.  The Petra vineyard near Suvereto (by architect Mario Botta) is an interesting example of this new approach in winery architecture. At Petra the world-class architect went beyond designing an impressive wine cellar, but also included the outlay of the vineyards in his aim to form a contemporary agricultural landscape.  Main building of the Petra Winery in Suvereto If it is true that the way to good wine starts in the he vineyard, it is also true that only the quality of the cork,  the design of the label,  and the beauty of the bottle shape will bring the consumer's experience to full circle.  Taking this thought further it's obvious that the birthplace of a good or even fantastic wine, is yes the vine and its grapes, but also the winery building in particular and the whole estate in general.  If you know any of Botta's works,  you'll recog...