Patrons may taste one of the hundred wines available through the Enomatic system in the spaces designed by Archivio Personale and TBF Limited
© Enoteca Falorni
In the heart of Chianti, we are welcomed at the Enoteca Falorni, a special place in which one’s stay becomes an experience rich in emotions and surprises at every level. This is not just a pleasant venue where one can taste excellent Tuscan sausage and drink the finest regional wines, it’s much more. The space is so welcoming that it makes you feel at home; the atmosphere is ideal for reading a book or listening to music, often good jazz. It is in fact a living room, but with an edge. For the story behind this magic, we spoke to Caterina Bencistà Falorni, the daughter of one of the owners, Stefano, whose partner is his brother Lorenzo. Caterinais the female soul of the company. Sophisticated and casual at the same time, she is responsible for the communication and public relations of the family businesses, after graduating in Political Sciences and later in Strategic Communication.
During our tour of the wine bar, she tells us that it is located in a vineyard built by noble landowners and for years has represented the economic heart of Greve in Chianti. The ancient structure with large brick-vaulted spaces, corridors and small rooms (once used to store the grapes after the harvest) dates back to 1893 and was converted into a wine cellar by the Unione Produttori Vino Chianti in 1906. It was later purchased in 1913 by Count Emanuele Mirafiori d’Alba, who then sold it to F.lli Gancia di Canelli in 1932. Between the 1960s and 1970s it belonged to the Italian-American family Paterno, and was finally abandoned in 1975. In 1999, the Bencistà Falorni family bought the building and transformed its spaces into the Enoteca Falorni, with the purpose of advancing and promoting Chianti Classico wines.
Today the wine bar, while maintaining its relationship with history, has gone through an elegant restyling that has turned it into an ideal location for anyone looking for an atmosphere permeated in memory yet capable of conveying a contemporary imaginary
© Enoteca Falorni
The renovation project was a product of the collaboration between TBF Limited owned by Tommaso Bencistà Falorni (trained as a psychologist, and an excellent graphic designer with a marked sense of aesthetics and creator of a fashion line) and Archivio Personale owned by Francesca Pazzagli (an architect).
While the strong point of the menu is the platter of sausages and cheeses (truly delicious!) produced by the Antica Macelleria Falorni (Rose di Prosciutto Falorni, Il Salame Toscano, Finocchiona IGP, La Finocchiata, wild-boar sausage, fresh pecorino cheese, seasoned pecorino cheese, honey, toasted bread oil and spices), there are other gourmet delights that the young team of chefs offers in addition to the more traditional choices, such as for example the Crostone Brie, honey and nuts, the Pastrami chiantigiano, the Maki di prosciutto.These dishes were conceived by Tommaso Bencistà Falorni with the initial support of the chef and food designer Giancarlo Nastasia.
And, as for the drinking experience, the Enoteca offers something quite amusing. You can choose to have a glass of wine or a bottle, or – and we suggest this option – you can decide to try out the innovative Enomatic system that dispenses a glass of wine in three doses (small, medium and large) with the prices shown on the screen above each tasting, based on the price of the bottle. This system allows the customer to effectively decide how much he wants to spend, choosing two different methods: a prepaid card, that lets you choose how much you want to spend; and the card that tallies what you drink, so that you can taste wines with no limits and pay when you are done. And if the tour of the Enoteca is not sufficient, the Falorni family has also founded and organized the Wine Museum, which may be visited with free guided tours that begin at the Enoteca.
Ingredients
130 grams of meat with extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, paté of olives, dried tomatoes, pine nuts, salad, toasted bread, spices, mustard
Process
Take the 130 grams of meat and dice it finely with a knife, put it in a container with extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and a few drops of lemon juice. Mix it all up with a spoon. Give it the desired form, put the olive paté in the centre and surround it with the dried tomatoes, previously cut into small pieces, adding the pine nuts on top. The dish is completed with fresh salad, half a slice of toasted bread with the Falorni spices, a bit of mustard, and a splash of extra-virgin olive oil to conclude.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
translation by Olga Barmine
