February is an especially inspiring month to enjoy beautiful things. A lit fireplace; the silence of homely warmth; a book to read and a glass of wine to savour slowly. Sipping in the aromas and flavours that gradually open up in the glass to invade our senses with pure joy. Yes, February is the month of love: Valentine's Day is there to remind us of this. Love is, however, also love for oneself: after all, the following day, St Faustinus - patron saint of singles - is there to remind us of the importance of loving ourselves. Dedicating ourselves to the things that are most important to us. Let us pause for a second. Let us lock away the cares of the daily routine somewhere in the back of our minds. There is a great bottle of wine waiting for us. A wine "saintly" in name and legend: Carpineto Vinsanto del Chianti.

Vinsanto and Tuscany are linked by an inseparable love affair that has its roots in the history of our viticulture. And, as we were saying, many legends surround its name, as there are for every self- respecting product born of popular wisdom. So: why Vinsanto? A legend from the province of Siena tells us that, in the 14 th century, a monk distributed a wine so good that it had miraculous properties. So much so that it cured even plague victims, bringing them back to full strength. Another explanation, less evocative and more rooted in the use that wine has always had in daily life in Tuscany, derives the "santo" from the fact that this wine may have been used for a long time during masses.

Be that as it may, Vinsanto is a true institution. A product to be treated with care and respect, capable of giving unrepeatable sensations to those who - like us wine lovers - enjoy tasting it. Both in company and - as we said - in splendid solitude, as a fine meditation wine. Carpineto Vinsanto del Chianti, in particular, is made from Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia grapes, for a minimum of 70 per cent. The grapes, dried in special rooms at a controlled temperature so that they reach the right level of dehydration, yield the must, which is then fermented in small wooden barrels during the winter. Ageing takes place partly in traditional chestnut caratelli (small barrels specially designed for the preparation of Vinsanto) and partly in small oak casks and barrels. Everything is then brought together before bottling.

A complex process that yields an equally complex wine. Elegant, fine and refined. Let us begin, in our meditation process comfortably seated in an armchair, with a visual examination: golden yellow colour, brilliant, vivid. With orange reflections that are enhanced while swirling the wine inside the goblet. Now it is time to enjoy the aromas. The intensity jumps immediately to the nose; the persistence unravels little by little, opening up in all the complex bouquet that characterises our Vinsanto del Chianti. Apricot and peach jam strike us with their freshness, accompanied by hints of walnut husk, white flowers, dried fruit and balsamic sensations that envelop the nose until returning us to a dense sensation of pleasure.

Now we come to the tasting. The sip reveals all the complexity of this great wine. On the palate, Carpineto Vinsanto del Chianti presents itself in all its warmth, softness, balance and immense elegance. The balsamic sensations perceived on the nose are confirmed both on the palate and retronasally. The taste-olfactory subtlety is confirmed by flavours of jam, yellow fruit, fragrant aromatic hints that blend perfectly with the complexity of the bouquet. Celebrating self-love, the pleasure of loving oneself and doing oneself good with wines of the highest quality: this is the best way for us to offer you an evening of relaxation and pleasure.