And after seeing where they sell Chianti in Chianti, we drove in the dark through fog and rain up a steep winding potholed narrow muddy country road to a farm where they make Chianti in Chianti.  It's called Fattoria di Montagliari.

Here's the front door to the farmhouse.  Or maybe it isn't.  It sure looks like it, though.  OK, it was dark when we drove up and Cindy took this picture somewhere, I'm just not sure where exactly and I only think it's the farmhouse front door.  If it's not, well, for purposes of this website it'll just have to do. If you want more authentic pictures, you can get to the winery's website by clicking here.

These are authentic vats of aging wine, though.  Well, no, actually they're not completely authentic.   See, when the European Union came to town they made the winery line these wonderful old vats with stainless steel for no better reason than to be hygienic, doncha know.  So while they still use the vats to age wine, the grape juice never actually touches the wood.

Here's a wonderful old machine for filling authentic Chianti bottles.  The European Union won't let them use the machine anymore, though.  The bottles either.

Lotsa vino.

Even more lotsa vino.  Bill is listening to a spiel he's heard a few times before in the Napa Valley.

Here are some special wines from a special vintage that they plan to keep a while. 

And here's where they put a cork in it.

One rather disconcerting part of being the only two tourists on a special cooking school tour is that often the visitors were outnumbered by the staff.  Here one of the nice hosts is offering to let Bill taste, let's see, looks like about five wines and a bottle of the farm's olive oil.

Yep, here were Cindy and Bill and a host ready to sit down at a table for 20 to have a wine tasting complete with bruschetta and cheese for two.

Well, OK, why not.  Bill doesn't have much choice; he's outnumbered.

Cindy admires the artwork in the grand wine tasting hall.

And then ... and THEN ... they took us to town and fed us.  All the way to the restaurant Cindy kept protesting: "But I'm not hungry, really, I ate earlier, really, I don't need anything at all.  No, really, don't put any food in front of me.

Bill, on the other hand, had never passed up a meal in his life, and he wasn't about to begin tonight.  Mmmm just look at all that pigmeat.  Stay away from the brown stuff on the bread, though.

Wait a minute ... maybe Cindy could have a little bite of that wood-fire oven pizza.  Yum.

Once again, Bill is satisfied with the way the day has gone.