La Fortezza a Sorano: oltre l'Hotel un ottimo ristorante

The Hotel Della Fortezza, besides being a charming place to sleep in the Tuscan tuff villages, is an excellent place to go to eat in Sorano, to taste native wines and local products.

Dinner at the Hotel Della Fortezza in Sorano: an unforgettable food and wine experience

Dall our beautiful all-encompassing experience at theFortress Hotel in Sorano, today we will delve into the very interesting food and wine adventure which has nothing to envy to adventure in the strict sense in Etruscan Hollow Way of San Rocco, which we have already written about.

In Piazza Cairoli a Sorano, tavoli all'aperto del ristorante dell'Hotel della Fortezza

A food and wine project based on typical products from the Tuscan tuff area

After our powerful impact with the superb complex of the Orsini Fortress, the hour has come for us welcome cocktail which is served to us in the suggestive Cairoli square, the nerve center of castle life, now the Hotel.

It keeps us company Philip Martini, a young 28 year old winemaker, who started collaborating with Cristiano about ten years ago, but who nevertheless is still a member of theUniversity of Viterbo, in the master's degree course in biotechnology. His choice of study oenology is substantially linked to this territory which is based on the viticulture and on theagriculture of a certain type. Furthermore, it says clearly: “For me the grape harvest is like ChristmasIt is the memory, which is always renewed, of a beautiful, warm, family celebration, almost religious, which I carry imprinted in my heart..”

THE'fascinating food and wine project of the Hotel Della Fortezza in Sorano – he explains – consists in valorising in the best possible way the high-quality local productsThe characteristic of the area lies precisely in the fact that the volcanic soils, rich in potassium and micronutrients, they give any type of cultivation flavours, aromas, and in general particular organoleptic characteristics, very difficult to find in other parts of the world. It is true that the wine remains the most important vehicle to represent an area, but if combined with right products, such as spelt or chickpeas, for example, its potential as an ambassador increases enormously.

Sommelier versa il Saturnia Bianco de La Fattoria La Maliosa al ristorante dell'Hotel La Fortezza a Sorano

Wines from the Tufo Area for the Hotel Della Fortezza restaurant

A fundamental guideline of their food and wine project it is certainly the sustainability. For this reason, for example, collaboration with theSassotondo company, among the first to focus on the valorization of the territory, on concept of organic and on native wines, like the Ciliegiolo vinified in purity.

Among the wines selected in the restaurant of the Hotel Della Fortezza in Sorano, we find, for example, “Isolina”, a Pitigliano Superiore DOC White; “Number Six" And "Number Ten”, wines that undergo a complex maceration process; “Saint Lawrence”, a Ciliegiolo Maremma Toscana DOC; “Poggio Pinzo“, another cherry wine vinified in terracotta jars.

A further example of fruitful collaboration is represented by an old, always very welcome, acquaintance of ours: the La Maliosa Farm. Certified organic since 2010, the company is a original agricultural ecosystem of 165 hectares, closed-loop, based on quality, beauty and respect for the territory. The alternation of ancient vineyards, olive groves, arable and forest land, represents the ideal scenario for the artisanal production of natural wines, EVO oil And honeyThe patented Corino Method (unique in Italy), for the production of “natural” grapes and wine, also guarantees a rare wholesomeness of the product.

From the La Maliosa Farm we taste the Saturnia Bianco 2019, a macerated wine, obtained from Procanico And Trebbiano. But the relevant peculiarity is that, although the grape varieties are theoretically well defined, not infrequently, they confer a typicality not only of the territory, but also of the vineyard itself, there is in these wines a peculiar blend of native vines, irreproducible elsewhere, even a few meters away.
Of an intense yellow, the Saturnia Bianco 2019 It releases a hint of apricot and white fruit at the same time. On the palate, it is straightforward, fresh, and balanced. Truly remarkable.

THE'Fortress Hotel then collaborates with others wineries of various types, such as the Aldobrandesca Farm of the Marchesi Antinori, who with his vineyards positioned between Sorano And Sovana has invested heavily in quality, thanks also to interesting native vines, like theAleatico.

Brindisi al tramonto con vista sui tetti del paese all'Hotel della Fortezza a Sorano

Food and wine products from the Tuscan Tufo area

As for others gastronomic products, very important for the Hotel Della Fortezza are undoubtedly the products of the Tufo Area. Renai dairy, for example, produces top quality pecorino cheesesThe peculiarity is that the cheeses come from the milk of animals that graze at around 900 metres above sea level, in pre-Amiata territory; here they develop the 90% of Italian medicinal herbs, which logically generate a type highly selected power supply. The fact that the shepherds are Sardinians for three generations makes this company a precious unicum. Also very interesting are the yogurt he truffle products derived from all five edible species.

And here, in fact, to support the words, we are served a real gem, a amuse-bouche unpublished (at least for us): Farro with grated pecorino cheese, dried fruit and creamed truffle, seasoned with orange vinaigrette and Leccino oil from Pitigliano. Delicious delicacy.

Also worth mentioning are the excellent Cinta Senese cured meats of companies Boggi And Stones.

Aperitif time

After the visit to the fortress and its underground areas, the time comes for usaperitif time, always served in the splendid Cairoli square.

Let's taste the excellent pure Ciliegiolo of the company Antonio Camillo, 2018 vintage. This company, born in 2006 from the great passion of the owner of the same name, produces single-cultivar wines (Ciliegiolo, Vermentino, Procanico), exclusively from native grapes and from old vineyards aged between 40 and 50 years. The vines are cultivated according to traditional methods, while the evolution of the wine is accompanied in the cellar without forcing.

Afterwards we taste a Morellino di Scansano, 2017 vintage, from the company Celestina Fe: soft, round, smooth tannins, beautiful texture. Excellent choice.

Piatto di tagliatelle al ristorante dell'Hotel della Fortezza a Sorano

Dinner in Sorano at the Hotel della Fortezza: tasting menu and barbecue

After the suggestive night adventure at the Etruscan hollow road of San Rocco, We return to the hotel around 10.45pm, where a regenerating dinner based on Marango cut – Maremma Angus obtained by crossing the Maremma breed (cow) with the American Black Angus -, grilled vegetables And Morellino di Scansano.

In the meantime we have a pleasant chat with the young man Chef Alessio Marini, which tells us about the flagship dishes of the Hotel Della Fortezza restaurant in Sorano and the reason for certain gastronomic choices.

Alessio Marini was born in Soriano nel Cimino, in the province of Viterbo, where there is another Orsini Castle. Incredible. He's 34 years old, he's been doing this job since he was 20. He joined the Hotel Della Fortezza after closing his restaurant. He defines his “classic” cuisine (he doesn't like gourmet: there are too many of them, he says), but from what we can taste, very interesting and advanced.

Until this year, the Hotel Della Fortezza offered only one type of 11-course tasting menu to enhance the typical products of the area; from summer 2021 the meat barbecue, vegetables And fish.

Among the courses of the tasting menu we find: a ricotta mousse with basil and wild fennel; a pecorino cheese wafer baked in the oven with some confit Pachino tomatoes; local cured meats of Cinta Senese; pecorino cheese from the Renai company with organic jams; three types of soups which change according to the season; always according to the season, chickpeas and chestnuts; finally, creamy potato soup with baked rigatino.

On request you can have first courses such as baked lasagna with crunchy bread and pine nuts, pici with pesto of local basil, or pasta with confit Pachino tomatoes.

We close our dinner at the Hotel Della Fortezza in Sorano with two absolute gems: sheep ricotta mousse with old women (chestnuts with must), and a taste of deconstructed millefeuille (finely chopped pasta placed in the cream). They are both delicious, but the ricotta mousse is really mystical ecstasy. A must absolutely, leaving without having tried it would be a huge mistake.

Antipasto al ristorante dell'Hotel della Fortezza a Sorano

Breakfast at the Sorano Fortress: a mini-tasting of local products

In the morning we have breakfast in the company of Lili who takes care of breakfast And lunch, as well as helping the chef in the evening. He has been working in local restaurants since he was 19 and explains the hotel's choice not to offer a classic breakfast, but a mini-tasting of local productsA choice, moreover, which coherently follows that for dinner.

We opt for one sweet breakfast, a tray in which there is a jar of ricotta from the dairy Sorano, one of yogurt, one of fruit salad of San Quirico, a taste oforange flavored cake, croissants, rusks, as well as some Chantilly cream with ladyfingers. Really everything very tasty and aesthetically attractive.

But for guests there is also the possibility of having a mixed breakfast where they are located Sorano Cinta Senese ham, fresh cherry tomatoes with organic oil, in addition to cheeses of the Sorano dairy.

Well, ours A gastronomic adventure at the Hotel Della Fortezza in Sorano it ends here, but our articles on this do not end here extraordinary place which has now captured our attention. We'll be back to talk about it soon, so stay tuned.

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