FATTORIA LA VIALLA - Christmas Catalogue


The first 2014 Christmas food catalogue arrived over the weekend, but it is no ordinary brochure of seasonal food and drink. Beautifully produced and packed with gorgeous colour photographs of delicious Italian food (I know its delicious because I tasted most of it in August!), the Fattoria La Vialla publication is a catalogue to keep.#


'Christmas From Tuscany 2014' as it is entitled, has the snow decorated La Vialla farm and estate on its cover and is packed with delicacies, wines and hampers jumping out of the pages to catch your taste buds for a bit of Tuscan sun over the festive period. The book's introduction beautifully describes the preparation of food and the bottling of wine that is currently taking place in Castiglion Fibocchi near Arezzo, ''...in the kitchen the large pans are steaming, with round the clock baking in the oven resulting in vapours and odours oozing out of every nook and cranny; in the wine cellars they are transforming the wine into bottles and the aroma generated seems, more or less, the same as that of harvesting time; bottles, jars, bags are being stacked up in order, ready to be packaged up...''


 And so it continues with every page awash with descriptions of processes, products and ingredients used to create the many wines, sauces, pasta and olive oils that La Vialla will ship to you this Christmas (and throughout the year), for only a £7.25 delivery charge.''....it is as though La Vialla's little farm shop comes to your home'', the brochure boasts.  And IT IS a little farm shop. This summer we spent the day on the estate and although we did not take the farm tour this year, we popped into the shop and also enjoyed another wonderful La Vialla meal under the olive trees (see my blog 12 November 2013:-  http://therealfoodinspector.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/the-darling-buds-of-may-experience.html).     


There is so much food and wine that I can recommend to readers, that I don't know where to start. It's probably best for you to send for the brochure yourself and spend time lapping up the delightful colour photographs of the farm and all of the produce. However, some wines and delicacies are not to be missed.


Of the wines, I suggest the Torbolone 2013 - a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, this full bodied intense red wine is a great festive drink (£6.30), as is the Casa Conforto Chianti Superior with its ruby red colour and lively blackberry jam taste - ideal to drink with roasts and seasoned cheese (£6.30). If you prefer 'whites', then I love Torbolino, a robust blend of Sangiovese, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes, it has tastes of tropical fruits and tomatoes. It is an ideal accompaniment to that Boxing Day fish dish (£6.05). For the rose drinkers, La Vialla has NubeRosa, a perfect appetiser or with antipasti (£5.60). A new product this year is a Chiffon - a vino spumante, sparkling and floral in aroma. I tried it this summer and was very impressed with its freshness and the crisp taste in the mouth (£9.90).


Needless to say, La Vialla's olive oils, pasta and vinegars are award winning, as is there Pecorino cheese, matured for at least 9 months. However, their range of pasta sauces are 'to die for'. I try to keep a regular stock of their Bombolino, a sauce with tomato, garlic, chilli pepper and grape must (£3.30) and their Parmigianina, a sauce of aubergines, tomatoes and Parmesan cheese (£6.00) Delicious as a topping or as a pasta sauce. There are lots of other sauces, pesto, ketchups and toppings for toast or crostini. The new sweet chilli jam, Sweet Peperomata is delicious, another first tasting for me this summer. Even the range of locally grown olives are something to savour.


If you cannot decide what to get this Christmas, then a range of hampers gives you a chance to try some of the many estate's produce. They cost from £38 to £202, depending on the content. Or you can opt for a package of vino, olio and Pecorino. Packages of pasta and sauces are also available, and antipasti cheese, meat and wine combinations. Everything is there, mixed in lots of ways for a Christmas eat-in.

   
La Vialla Farm's produce cannot be found in any shop in the world, but it is delivered directly across Europe. Christmas deliveries will be made from 1 October to 19 December, with year wide deliveries recommencing on 5 January 2015. Their Christmas Gift Packages can also be ordered form their secure website:- www.orderform.lavialla.it  You can have gift packs delivered to friends and family at different addresses with guaranteed privacy for the recipients. A good suggestion to limit costs and avoid wastage is to group order with neighbours and friends, with delivery to one address. Finally, all La Vialla's farm produce comes from organic agriculture and is labelled with the EU logo and the ICEA marking, certifying organic farming methods. I also know from experience that if there is any problem with any product or with delivery, La Vialla will immediately rectify the situation. Last year, six bottles of wine shipped to me, failed to arrive, and very quickly following my e mail, the farm despatched a further six bottles at no cost.


If you want to get your own copy of Fattoria La Vialla's magnificent Christmas catalogue and every other catalogue that they produce throughout the calendar year then register at:-  http://www.lavialla.it/uk/ You can also watch a live webcam of what is going on in the little square outside the entrance to the farm shop! (Below)


Don't miss out on this opportunity to purchase a taste of Tuscany for Christmas!!

Comments

  1. Read about a Daily Mail reporter's experience of staying at Fattoria La Vialla.

    See:
    www.lavialla.it\dailymail

    ReplyDelete

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