On Thursday 24 September 2026, members of our Food & Beverage team spent the afternoon at the Villa Saletta Wine Masterclass, a two-hour session led by Villa Saletta's Estate Director, Roberto Ruscito, and presented with Blackbird and Sipping Tiger here in Phuket.
A Tuscan Estate With a Thousand Years of Story
Villa Saletta sits in the hills of Tuscany, and its history goes back a long way: the first written record of winemaking on the estate dates to 980 AD. The session opened with the estate itself — its historic villa, vineyards and cellars — before moving on to how the wines are made, including a look at why the team chooses different vessels, from oak barrels to egg-shaped tanks, to bring out the character of each wine.
Four Wines, Four Personalities
Villa Saletta describes its range as “five distinct personalities.” Four of them were poured for the tasting, laid out on a mat so everyone could follow along glass by glass:
- Luna – Chianti Superiore DOCG, described by the estate as “Chianti, reimagined”
- Chiave – IGT Toscana, “the key to our estate”
- Giulia – IGT Toscana, “the owner's gem”
- Saletta Riccardi – an “ethereal Sangiovese”
Tasting them side by side made the differences easy to see and taste — exactly the kind of hands-on comparison that helps a server describe a wine with confidence rather than reading from a list.
Learning Alongside Phuket's Hospitality Community
Our team shared the long table with F&B professionals from other hotels and restaurants around Phuket. Between pours there was plenty of time for questions, notes in the Villa Saletta booklet, and conversation about how these wines work on a menu — useful perspective from people facing the same guest questions every day.
Food and Wine, Together
No Tuscan tasting is complete without something to eat. Generous charcuterie boards of cured meats, soft and hard cheeses, olives, caper berries, honey and toasted bread sat alongside canapés of seared salmon nigiri, truffle tartlets and crispy rolls — a practical lesson in how fat, salt and acidity change the way a glass of Sangiovese tastes.
What We're Bringing Back to Sapphire
For our team at Sapphire Creative Cuisine, the afternoon was about more than tasting good wine. Understanding where a wine comes from, how it's made and what it pairs with is what turns a simple recommendation into part of a guest's dining experience. Our thanks to Villa Saletta, Blackbird and Sipping Tiger for an informative and generous session.
Book your stay at Glam Habitat and let our team pour you something special at dinner.
