Lunch in Borgo followed by wine tasting in Dicomano

One day this week after the gym we headed into Borgo to try another restaurant and it did not disappoint. Passaguai – Cibo E Vino (translated means food and wine) has the business and kitchen area on one side and the dining and seating area on the other side in between the two areas is an old building with beautiful wood doors and decorative ironwork. Out front, there are plenty of chairs and tables under the biggest umbrella I have ever seen making for a cool lunch even when the temps are nearing 90 degrees.

 

They have a short daily menu which I love because it often means fresh ingredients and confirmed happiness even before you place the order. We each ordered a glass of wine and I had the gnocchi with walnuts and Fritz had lamb skewers over a bed of potatoes that weren’t quite mashed nor quite potato salad. Over that was a light salad of greens and tomatoes accompanied by a tzatziki sauce which complimented all the ingredients nicely. After our meal, we enjoyed creamy desserts mine with meringue and bitter chocolate chips and Fritz’s with shortbread and berries with coffees. All week it had been in the 90’s and I was dying for an iced-coffee which is a rarity in Europe. I asked our server if he could bring a cold coffee instead and he presented me with a cold espresso that was made using a cocktail shaker and some ice. It was presented in a martini glass and it tasted awesome.

 

After lunch we headed to Dicomano is a commune or town in the Florence province only about 15 minutes away from Borgo. We had made reservations at a local vineyard, Frascole, for some wine tasting. Enrico Lippi, the vintner, who had bought the farm, built in the Middle Ages, in 1992 shortly after he married, and has been expanding his wine offerings ever since. His wine production has been certified organic since 1999. We tasted 2 white wines (a Sauvignon Blanc and a Traminette) and 4 reds wines many of them using a large percentage of the Sangiovese grape, except for Limine which is 100% Merlot. Lastly, he also had us taste a very pricey but delicious dessert wine that is aged a minimum of 9 years before sold to the public. I later learned through readings about wine tastings that Enrico’s dessert wine has won the prestigious Best of Italy Vin Santo award a number of times. Glad we got a bottle for later.