From the historical center of Pistoia it is possible to drive just few kilometers towards the north-eastern outskirts of the city before finding oneself in a hilly area of great charm, surrounded by villas and farmhouses.
Right here, on one of these hills is being made the IGT wine of Pistoia: “Fuorcivitas“, produced by Fattoria Casalbosco, which boasts an estate of 150 hectares and a large cellar with steel casks and oak barriques.
It has even been rebuilt a small medieval village, called Borgo Antico, a structure used for enogastronomical tourism with stone walls and with a view on the beautiful green hills of Tuscany.
The winery is run by Becagli brothers, who are deeply committed in the production of a quality wine and that is connected to the territory of Pistoia. In fact, on the label of their most famous product there is a stylized bicolor drawing which refers to the Romanesque church Fuorcivitas, which in Latin means “outside the city”, when at that time it was located beyond the city walls.
It is produced with 100% Cabernet grapes, resulting in a wine with a refined and elegant taste in the mouth.
We visited the cellar, where there are terracotta amphorae used for aging, just like Romans used to do in ancient times. The great advantage of terracotta amphora lies in the fact it is a natural material: as opposed to wood, it does not release aromas and does not change the organoleptic properties of wine.
It is perfect in case one wants to keep the identity of the wine as much as possible, also because the wine is subjected to natural micro-oxygenation, therefore without any direct human intervention.
The vines on the hills around the estate have been carefully selected and grafted in recent times, with orientation on the south side. Such a positioning ensures a perfect maturation which is decisive for a high quality wine making.
Pistoia’s IGT wine “Fuorcivitas“, by combining quality and connection with the territory, has already become a mainstay among the best enogastronomical products of the city.