Last week, our class took a day trip to a local vineyard, Cantina del Vesuvio. It's located at the bottom of Mount Vesuvius and produces some of the most prestigious wines in the region. It's so renowned that it's only sold at the vineyard.  The vineyard has been family owned since the 1950's. Previously, they'd focused on mass production of the wine. However, since the current generation has taken over, they've put an emphasis on quality over quantity.

   The soil that the vines grow in are rich in minerals from the volcano which adds a unique flavor to the wine. That, and the sea air from the Bay of Naples. The family grows both red and white grapes. The red grapes are grown in lines, whereas the white grapes are grown in a canopy fashion because they are more delicate and more susceptible to the sun. Harvesting season is during September and October, so right now the vines are cut back and bare.

    The family doesn't use any pesticides. The way they tell if the crop has been affected by anything is to plant rose bushes at the end of each row. If the roses have been affected, the vines have been affected.

   Next came a wine tasting at their restaurant. The first wine was an aperitif white wine. Apparently, an option during wine tastings is to spit out the wine after tasting it, but it was just too good to waste. We had the first wine with bruschetta, cheese, and bread with olive oil.

   We were next served a rose with our appetizers, which is pictured above. Our next course we were served a red wine and ate spaghetti. The picture below depicts a simple spaghetti and tomato sauce dish, but I have to say that it was the best spaghetti and tomato sauce meal I've ever eaten. I shouldn't be surprised it tasted so well, as the tomatoes and olives for the oil were grown on site and everything was fresh. We were also served a reserved red wine, stored since 2007.

   We finished our meal with dessert and a shot of peach liquor.