Castello della Paneretta - winery in Barberino Val d'Elsa

This castle is really a fairy tale castle to look at, with a rich history of noble families and power strides between Florence & Siena. The last succession from the Strozzi family to the Albisetti happened in 1984 after which the wine production was taken up again and the current labels have formed.  The family remains traditionalist in their approach to winemaking: organic and strict use of native grape varieties only. A visit to the castle comes with an explanation of the winemaking process from start to finish passing through the historical ageing cellars under the caste and finally into one of the castle rooms for a sit-down tasting of 3-4 different wines, often of a little older vintages.