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The Tuscan Trilogy #2
Viinamägi Toscanas
Me rändame koos Candace ja Ferenc Máté’ga mööda käänulisi küpressidest palistatud teid idüllilises Toscanas ja jõuame iidsesse Montalcino linna. Siin, ostnud 13. sajandist pärit mõisa, hakkavad nad looma oma kodu 800-aastasesse majja, ning rajavad 6 hektaril väikese viinamarjaistanduse, kus kasvatatakse imelisi viinamarju, et sünniks selline suurepärane punane vein nagu Brunello di Montalcino. Brunello tähendab kohalikus dialektis ilus tume ja seda veini tehakse Sangiovese Grosso viinamarjadest. Montalcino ümbruse kliima ning pinnas võimaldavad neist teha veini, mis on üks Itaalia kuulsamaid ja kallemaid. 1966. aastal oli Brunello di Montalcino esimese 8 veinpiirkonna seas, kellele omistati DOC staatus ja 1980. aastal esimene, kellele omistati juba kõrgem veinikvaliteet – tunnus DOCG. Pole vist vaja mainida, et Brunello on Itaalia kõige tuntum ja ka kalleim vein.
Kuid ühtlasi on see ka lihtsalt lugu Itaalia elust kõigi rõõmude ja kentsakustega.„Enamikus maades käib viinamarjaistanduse rajamine nagu käkitegu: lähed maja taha, torkad mõned viinapuuvõsud maasse ja ongi kõik. Aga Toscanas nii ei käi...“
Kuid ühtlasi on see ka lihtsalt lugu Itaalia elust kõigi rõõmude ja kentsakustega.„Enamikus maades käib viinamarjaistanduse rajamine nagu käkitegu: lähed maja taha, torkad mõned viinapuuvõsud maasse ja ongi kõik. Aga Toscanas nii ei käi...“
232 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
55 people are currently reading
538 people want to read
About the author
Ferenc Máté
66 books100 followersFerenc Máté has made a career of out documenting his own quests—whether it’s restoring a Tuscan ruin, building a vineyard from scratch, or sailing the seven seas.
Born in Transylvania, he escaped at age eleven when the Hungarian revolution was crushed by Soviet tanks. He grew up in Vancouver and has lived in California, Paris, Rome, the Bahamas and New York. He has worked on a railroad extra-gang and as a boat-builder, photographer, deckhand and book editor. He is the author of 16 books translated into 12 languages. His international best seller A Vineyard in Tuscany, was a New York Times Notable Book and short listed for Spain’s Camino del Cid literary award. His Dugger/Nello historical novel series have made him “the leading nautical writer of our time.” With his wife and son, he works the Máté vineyards surrounding the 13th century friary they restored in Montalcino, Italy. They have won global recognition for making one of the world’s best Brunellos.
Please visit:
http://www.ferencmate.com/
http://www.facebook.com/ferencmate
https://twitter.com/FerencMate
http://www.matewine.com/
Born in Transylvania, he escaped at age eleven when the Hungarian revolution was crushed by Soviet tanks. He grew up in Vancouver and has lived in California, Paris, Rome, the Bahamas and New York. He has worked on a railroad extra-gang and as a boat-builder, photographer, deckhand and book editor. He is the author of 16 books translated into 12 languages. His international best seller A Vineyard in Tuscany, was a New York Times Notable Book and short listed for Spain’s Camino del Cid literary award. His Dugger/Nello historical novel series have made him “the leading nautical writer of our time.” With his wife and son, he works the Máté vineyards surrounding the 13th century friary they restored in Montalcino, Italy. They have won global recognition for making one of the world’s best Brunellos.
Please visit:
http://www.ferencmate.com/
http://www.facebook.com/ferencmate
https://twitter.com/FerencMate
http://www.matewine.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews
June 16, 2010
This was a mildly entertaining account of how the Hungarian/Canadian author, who is a writer by profession, found and bought a crumbling ancient friary building in Tuscany, rebuilt it into a family home, and planted a vineyard with four different kinds of wine grapes. Pleasantly descriptive & humorous & evocative of living in Tuscany, yet it kind of lacked a soulful touch.
I was conflicted about this book. On the one hand, I was interested in the details, such as the hunt for the perfect property through the hills and dales of rustic Tuscany, the find of the ruins of an Etruscan city in his 70 acre hilly woods, the pros and cons of the various grapes for the various growing conditions of his patchwork quilt of a 15-ish acre vineyard in the property, his whacky misadventures with construction equipment (though he's clearly very handy), the insane bureaucratic process of getting approval to have a vineyard and getting farm tax abatements, etc. Doesn't that sound like good armchair traveling?
On the other hand, I was annoyed by some things. His wife, a central character in the book, was depicted oddly shallowly which is too bad because she seemed like an interesting person, an artist and former competitive plane glider. And the author seemed to be conflicted himself about what to reveal with regards to the finances of doing what he did - he says he might not have enough money to buy & totally rebuild the friary, mentions specifics about the price of certain acreage from an unethical businessman neighbor who offers wildly varying prices, but draws a total veil over how he actually manages to afford to spend 18 months with loads of contractors rebuilding the place, then buy thousands of grape vines, vineyard machinery, custom made vats for the wine, spend 2 years in Rome while his wife goes to wine school & kid is in private school, etc etc. The book's a romp through the shallow bits of the house/vineyard purchase & creation process rather than a memoir with the kind of in-depth explorations I'd have preferred.
I was conflicted about this book. On the one hand, I was interested in the details, such as the hunt for the perfect property through the hills and dales of rustic Tuscany, the find of the ruins of an Etruscan city in his 70 acre hilly woods, the pros and cons of the various grapes for the various growing conditions of his patchwork quilt of a 15-ish acre vineyard in the property, his whacky misadventures with construction equipment (though he's clearly very handy), the insane bureaucratic process of getting approval to have a vineyard and getting farm tax abatements, etc. Doesn't that sound like good armchair traveling?
On the other hand, I was annoyed by some things. His wife, a central character in the book, was depicted oddly shallowly which is too bad because she seemed like an interesting person, an artist and former competitive plane glider. And the author seemed to be conflicted himself about what to reveal with regards to the finances of doing what he did - he says he might not have enough money to buy & totally rebuild the friary, mentions specifics about the price of certain acreage from an unethical businessman neighbor who offers wildly varying prices, but draws a total veil over how he actually manages to afford to spend 18 months with loads of contractors rebuilding the place, then buy thousands of grape vines, vineyard machinery, custom made vats for the wine, spend 2 years in Rome while his wife goes to wine school & kid is in private school, etc etc. The book's a romp through the shallow bits of the house/vineyard purchase & creation process rather than a memoir with the kind of in-depth explorations I'd have preferred.
Read
June 12, 2008A guy's version of *Under the Tuscan Sun* -- It made me hungry and thirsty, and I loved the insights into planting a vineyard and rebuilding a centuries-old house. Witty and intelligently written.
(Then the author bio says he left Tuscany to sail the South Pacific -- If I'd worked that hard on my home, you'd have to tear me away with a pliers!)
(Then the author bio says he left Tuscany to sail the South Pacific -- If I'd worked that hard on my home, you'd have to tear me away with a pliers!)
July 31, 2008
Mate, an affluent braggart camouflaging as a self-effacing working stiff who just happened to buy an estate next to Banfi, reminded me of one of our college mantras; "Don't be humble, you're not that great".
The dialogue is strained, every punch line involves the family’s incomparable brilliance, and the laughs are too few to justify this ode to self-aggrandizement. Mate is no Peter Mayle.
The dialogue is strained, every punch line involves the family’s incomparable brilliance, and the laughs are too few to justify this ode to self-aggrandizement. Mate is no Peter Mayle.
May 4, 2024
Starts out & ends a fairytale while the middle bogs down with tractor and renovation/wine making details that even I as a wine-connoisseur found mind-numbingly boring.
The editing is poor. Words are missing, and wrong/extra words & incorrect punctuation are added throughout (which disrupts the flow of reading).
Sometimes Máté’s metaphors are divine, sometimes a wonderful story or description pops up. But one has to wade through a LOT of unnecessary reading for those bright spots. This is no “Under The Tuscan Sun,” even though it desperately tries to be. I did, however, take advantage of screenshotting the delicious-looking recipes included at the end.
The editing is poor. Words are missing, and wrong/extra words & incorrect punctuation are added throughout (which disrupts the flow of reading).
Sometimes Máté’s metaphors are divine, sometimes a wonderful story or description pops up. But one has to wade through a LOT of unnecessary reading for those bright spots. This is no “Under The Tuscan Sun,” even though it desperately tries to be. I did, however, take advantage of screenshotting the delicious-looking recipes included at the end.
May 15, 2017
Very enjoyable recounting of the immense sacrifice and hard work of the author and his family in order to create their dream vineyard. Planting 42,000 vines by hand is an example. His book serves two purposes--1) as a marketing piece for the award winning wines created by the Mate Vineyard and 2) as a love letter to Montalcino and Tuscany.
September 9, 2019
Funny, informative romp in the vineyards of Tuscany by a well-heeled author who, with his wife, pursued his passion: locating, renovating and planning for the planting 15 acres of grapes on a Tuscan ruin. I enjoyed reading about his adventures and was pea green with envy when he discovered the ruins of an Etruscan village!
May 28, 2016
I enjoyed this book tremendously. It appealed to me on so many levels - from the home in Italy, with Italian friends, to the nitty=gritty of how to plant a vineyard on just the right soil to produce a great wine. Good wine surpasses any description. Mate is funny, self-deprecating and descriptive. Make no mistake, transforming a long-abandoned Italian monastery into a livable home and a great vineyard is very hard work, which Mate makes light of.
Readers gripe about the money the people who write memoirs of their Italian and French homes must have (Mayes, Mayle), which is ridiculous. Bitter envy? I am very grateful to be able to experience these places vicariously, through their trained writers' eyes, and descriptive pens, places which I will, probably, never be able to experience myself. That's what books are for. Not just to entertain us but to expand our horizons. No one complains about novelists who set their books in exotic and improbable places. Double standard?
I digress. I would love to hear the story from Mate's wife's point of view. Candace, who is an artist, flies gliders, and turns out to be the Great Nose and Sommelier, who makes the Mate vineyard and vintages what they are. I want to hear more about Candace, to misquote Frodo.
I also want to hear more about the Etruscan village they discovered. I must confess that my inner history major and inner wanna-be archaeologist cringed each time they went digging around in the dirt and brought artifacts home.
Readers gripe about the money the people who write memoirs of their Italian and French homes must have (Mayes, Mayle), which is ridiculous. Bitter envy? I am very grateful to be able to experience these places vicariously, through their trained writers' eyes, and descriptive pens, places which I will, probably, never be able to experience myself. That's what books are for. Not just to entertain us but to expand our horizons. No one complains about novelists who set their books in exotic and improbable places. Double standard?
I digress. I would love to hear the story from Mate's wife's point of view. Candace, who is an artist, flies gliders, and turns out to be the Great Nose and Sommelier, who makes the Mate vineyard and vintages what they are. I want to hear more about Candace, to misquote Frodo.
I also want to hear more about the Etruscan village they discovered. I must confess that my inner history major and inner wanna-be archaeologist cringed each time they went digging around in the dirt and brought artifacts home.
January 3, 2016
It's a joy to read a book written not only by someone who is obviously so in love with the subject matter but who can also tell a great story. I was immediately taken on the journey of building a house and winery in the hills of Brunello and I can't wait to taste the wines for myself someday. If even in a dark corner of your mind you've longed for that pastoral life among the vines, this book will both shock you into the harsh reality and have you wistfully aching for that life for yourself.
March 23, 2018
An entertaining, but not very in-depth tale of the creation of a vineyard in, well, Tuscany, obviously. Several years pass in this short book - it’s, in many ways, more a collection of scenes from those years, rather than a comprehensive narrative.
The tone is light and engaging. I enjoyed it.
The tone is light and engaging. I enjoyed it.
July 30, 2023
So many books about the same subject have been written in the last 20-30 years that it was hard to read this and not find it a total cliche studded with the arrogance of someone who complains throughout the book that he is on "the edge of financial ruin" while having a live in cook, an estate manager, hiring the best oenologues from France, buying the best custom made wine tanks, etc, etc.
Also, for me the pact of trust between reader and author was broken when I looked at Mate's biographical info: he was born in 1945 in what he claims what Hungarian Transylvania. Wrong country, Signore Mate! Transylvania was part of Romania ever since Romania was formed as a country in 1918. However, for 4 years during WWII ( Aug 1940-Sept 1944 ), Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy gave a portion of Transylvania to Hungary. In 1945 when Mate was born Transylvania was back to belonging to Romania where it belongs and where it stayed to this day. So when he claims in the book that:
"I was born in the most mountainous and romantic part of Hungary: Transylvania. After the war, we lost the mountains to Romania."
he is historically and intentionally wrong. Why then trust an entrepreneur ( which he seems to be, by the kinds of books that he has written his entire life ) to tell you a non fiction book about how he bought and renovated his Tuscan wine estate?
Also, for me the pact of trust between reader and author was broken when I looked at Mate's biographical info: he was born in 1945 in what he claims what Hungarian Transylvania. Wrong country, Signore Mate! Transylvania was part of Romania ever since Romania was formed as a country in 1918. However, for 4 years during WWII ( Aug 1940-Sept 1944 ), Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy gave a portion of Transylvania to Hungary. In 1945 when Mate was born Transylvania was back to belonging to Romania where it belongs and where it stayed to this day. So when he claims in the book that:
"I was born in the most mountainous and romantic part of Hungary: Transylvania. After the war, we lost the mountains to Romania."
he is historically and intentionally wrong. Why then trust an entrepreneur ( which he seems to be, by the kinds of books that he has written his entire life ) to tell you a non fiction book about how he bought and renovated his Tuscan wine estate?
August 21, 2017
Myamm...this book is like a mini holiday...mini, because it takes about two hours to read - holiday, because it makes you sit back, sip a glass of something you enjoy and dream of the day when your dreams will, inevitably, come true.
Maté's tales of tuscany made me feel the sunshine in my face and brought the smell of lavender and dry grass, dust and warm rocks right into my living room...and sometimes that is all you need.
Yes, he leads a life different to that of many of us. And why not? I don't mind his wealth and the way he talks about himself. On the contrary. He sounds throughly happy and content with his life, his career and the choices he makes - wow! How much more happiness can one have in life than to be absolutely satisfied with who they are, completely without fear of failure and always ready for a new adventure?! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and will keep it handy for the times when the rain beats against the window and the world feels dark and dreary. This book will make it alright again.
Maté's tales of tuscany made me feel the sunshine in my face and brought the smell of lavender and dry grass, dust and warm rocks right into my living room...and sometimes that is all you need.
Yes, he leads a life different to that of many of us. And why not? I don't mind his wealth and the way he talks about himself. On the contrary. He sounds throughly happy and content with his life, his career and the choices he makes - wow! How much more happiness can one have in life than to be absolutely satisfied with who they are, completely without fear of failure and always ready for a new adventure?! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and will keep it handy for the times when the rain beats against the window and the world feels dark and dreary. This book will make it alright again.
September 15, 2018
After weeks of delay, knowing if I start this book it will end, I finally picked it up and began. I sipped the words slowly extracting flavors of excitement, frustration, diligence and joy and enjoyed every drop.
I recommend it highly and that it should be read after reading "The Hills of Tuscany". The author's earlier book sets up the romance for the second. This author has captured everything I love about reading. It is interesting, entertaining and moves the heart. It covers everything from the first shovel of dirt to picking a single grape and measuring its sweetness each day until the moment comes that the vineyard must be harvested. Rebuilding of the ancient ruin into a home was amusing and enjoyable. You will be transfixed with interest, you'll laugh quite often and you will likely discover a tear of happiness now and then. Allow yourself to be pulled into Máté's picture of a wonderful life.
I recommend it highly and that it should be read after reading "The Hills of Tuscany". The author's earlier book sets up the romance for the second. This author has captured everything I love about reading. It is interesting, entertaining and moves the heart. It covers everything from the first shovel of dirt to picking a single grape and measuring its sweetness each day until the moment comes that the vineyard must be harvested. Rebuilding of the ancient ruin into a home was amusing and enjoyable. You will be transfixed with interest, you'll laugh quite often and you will likely discover a tear of happiness now and then. Allow yourself to be pulled into Máté's picture of a wonderful life.
October 22, 2025
On one of our many frequents to our library’s bookstore I stumbled upon this interesting book and thought, “Why not?”
Having come off a recent Tucci indulgence, between his Italian documentaries and book, I was itching for Tucci’s other books but wanted to shop my shelves and grabbed this Tuscan influence.
Máté is an unknown writer to me, but he’s piqued my interests with his very witty banter and ability to deeply see his surroundings, situations, and people. Exploring a life that is wildly beyond my experience (how many of us have the funds to not only, on a whim, buy a castle like monastery but also totally historically renovate it … in Italy?!), I also felt a little empathy since in recent years our family endeavored into small scale micro homesteading. A life entirely different to what my husband and I grew up with.
This was a simple book, but a beautiful and funny glimpse into their renovating a now highly rated winery in Tuscany. Familial, communal, restorative.
Having come off a recent Tucci indulgence, between his Italian documentaries and book, I was itching for Tucci’s other books but wanted to shop my shelves and grabbed this Tuscan influence.
Máté is an unknown writer to me, but he’s piqued my interests with his very witty banter and ability to deeply see his surroundings, situations, and people. Exploring a life that is wildly beyond my experience (how many of us have the funds to not only, on a whim, buy a castle like monastery but also totally historically renovate it … in Italy?!), I also felt a little empathy since in recent years our family endeavored into small scale micro homesteading. A life entirely different to what my husband and I grew up with.
This was a simple book, but a beautiful and funny glimpse into their renovating a now highly rated winery in Tuscany. Familial, communal, restorative.
September 12, 2020
Initially, I got a real "humble-brag" feel from this story because, let's face it, most of us could not afford to buy the friary, never mind RESTORE it. And then make a vineyard and travel about to go to our rental in the Dolomites and to go sailing in BC [Bring Cash!] for three months.
However, as I continued to read and the level of vision and commitment became apparent, I was hoping for the fairy tale ending, which did come, but not before a lot of people worked very hard to bring the dream to reality. And the author was definitely not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get busy and dirty! Kudos to him, and to his wife who was not just a cheerleader on the sidelines.
I learned a lot about restoration and wine-making/growing in the process.
A delightful, easy read.
However, as I continued to read and the level of vision and commitment became apparent, I was hoping for the fairy tale ending, which did come, but not before a lot of people worked very hard to bring the dream to reality. And the author was definitely not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get busy and dirty! Kudos to him, and to his wife who was not just a cheerleader on the sidelines.
I learned a lot about restoration and wine-making/growing in the process.
A delightful, easy read.
July 13, 2017
If you are wondering what purchasing an old villa in Tuscany to refurbish as your new home, Mr. Mate's descriptions of the process were both informative and described vividly. Oh, and, if you want to learn how grapes are made into wine, from the clearing of overgrown land, planting, harvesting and winemaking, you will like this book. I felt as if I was there beside the familigia while reading this book. Mr. Mate's vineyard is now producing wonderful wines from Tuscany $39 to $695 per bottle. I may have to see about getting some of his Merlot!
February 18, 2025
A Vineyard in Tuscany is an excellent follow-up to Ferenc Mate's The Hills of Tuscany. In a nutshell they have moved to a former Castle to renovate and have planted vines to start a vineyard. THEY MAKE AWARD-WINNING BRUNELLO MONTALCINO!!
I stand in awe of all the things that this couple achieves.... She is a painter, a sommelier, airplane pilot and he is a writer, a vintner and a jack of all trades around the house.
I intend to read the third book in the series and will cross my fingers that there will be a fourth in the near future. If you've been to Tuscany this is a must read.
I stand in awe of all the things that this couple achieves.... She is a painter, a sommelier, airplane pilot and he is a writer, a vintner and a jack of all trades around the house.
I intend to read the third book in the series and will cross my fingers that there will be a fourth in the near future. If you've been to Tuscany this is a must read.
July 1, 2025
A tediously-detailed narrative about a couple's renovating a centuries-old home while developing an award-winning vineyard in Italy. The book contains digressions of varying levels of interest, such as hiking in the Dolomites and taking flying lessons, with frequent forays into cooking and eating. The cast includes numerous personable Italian friends. In my view, there is simply too much technical detail of how windows were restored, fields plowed, forests pruned, etc. The end of the book contains several recipes of food described in the tome.
August 4, 2017
Po lekturze książki zdecydowanie chciałabym spróbować wina z winnicy autora:) W książce opisuje on perypetie jakie towarzyszyły mu podczas odnawiania swojej wymarzonej posiadłości oraz sadzenia winogron by później móc produkować z nich wino. Pięknie zarysowany klimat Toskanii - zarówno jeśli chodzi o krajobrazy jak i ludzi. Świetnie się czyta, jest dużo śmiechu i człowiek sam z siebie zaczyna trzymać kciuki za pierwsze winobranie:)
July 15, 2018
I lived this man’s story, right along beside him. I felt the blisters on my hands, tasted the grappa ( it’s terrible, by the way) and smelled the fermenting wine in the oak barrels. I almost learned too, to curse la Madonna.
If you’re remotely passionate about wine, Italy or romantic notions of living abroad , this memoir will hook you.
If you’re remotely passionate about wine, Italy or romantic notions of living abroad , this memoir will hook you.
September 5, 2019
This is a book for wine lovers. It is about the dream of owning a Tuscan countryside vineyard,and making a world class wine. It uses the location as a character, because as plot,the location could have been in California. The author does a good job of letting the reader share and experience the dream.
September 6, 2019
I picked up this book from my pretty book pile because I went to Italy in September years ago and wanted to relive the early fall countryside a bit. Mission accomplished. It made moving to the Tuscan countryside seem idyllic and funny and always cooperative so if you need a brief, light Tuscan escape, this is your book. Excuse me now while I go pack.
May 22, 2023
We just visited Mate Vineyard and it was just as beautiful as described in the book. The wine was spectacular and the case that we bought will arrive this week. The book was full of humor, passion for the land, wine, and people of Tuscany and we fell in love with life in Tuscany. An amazing book for wine lovers and those with a love of the Italian people, food, wine, and the spectacular countryside.
June 14, 2024
Ferenc Mate tells the story of how he bought his Tuscany estate and winery. It was a run down house that needed renovation. The vineyard itself needed to be torn out and replanted. His money came from writing so of course it is well written. Just ended up being not interesting enough for me. Lots of details on renovations.
January 9, 2026
Muszę przyznać, że mam bardzo miłe wspomnienia z tą książką. Choć też czasem mam wrażenie, że autor zbyt przerysowuje walory Toskanii i swojego życia tam. Ale samą książkę czytało się przyjemnie, trochę się wręcz tęskniło za takim życiem, którego się przecież nigdy nie miało. Oddany klimat życia w toskańskim miasteczku. Przyjemna lektura.
April 26, 2019
I liked this book, it was funny and interesting. If I ever make it to Tuscany I would love to try to see this winery/house. And of course now I am on the hunt to find the wine in my area and try it.
Good book for wine lovers!
Good book for wine lovers!
June 27, 2019
The story of renovating a house and establishing a vineyard in Tuscany. It is written in a humorous, entertaining style . Reading this book made me want to pack my bags and go to Tuscany soon( as soon as the heat wave is over)
February 27, 2021
In this year of Pandemic, I can’t visit Italy in real life but I can read and dream.
This is a lovely book.
Author Ferenc Mate buy land in Montalcino, Tuscany and restore a 13 th century friary and plant a vineyard.
I enjoyed every page!
This is a lovely book.
Author Ferenc Mate buy land in Montalcino, Tuscany and restore a 13 th century friary and plant a vineyard.
I enjoyed every page!
October 16, 2022
Beautiful writing and quite funny. A very romantic telling of buying and rebuilding a vineyard. The chapter about Christmas in the Dolomites should be read every Christmas, so magical and picturesque and cozy.
July 8, 2025
An idyllic insight into Tuscany and reconstructing an old vineyard! This book follows the journey of buying property, restoring and planting. It has very good vibes, romantic and funny. A comfy read, especially for wine lovers!
September 27, 2018
Wonderful stories make up this book, but it jumps around too much and some of the tales seemed unfinished to me. A cast of characters would have helped keep everything straight. Still a good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews