What wineries do you like the best in Montepulciano and Montalcino? Also if driving in from Rome and out through Florence so already seeing the countryside would you still recommend the Heart of Tuscany drive or would you rather spend that time on a wine tour ? Please share any great wine and/or food experience you had here. Thanks !
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11835 posts
Self-guided wine tours are challenging in Italy. Best done with a guide/driver so you can enjoy the wine. The guide will also make appointments at the wineries. You cannot just drop in on most of them. I've been to several where no English was spoken, so unless you speak Italian, you will have a hard time getting appointments and communicating on site.
Posted by
OP
154 posts
Good point. I didn't think of the communication.. I like the idea of a driver so we can drink! Any favorite ones or restaurants? I am leaning toward skipping the heart of tuscany ride for more boots on the ground experience since we will already be driving the countryside but don't want to if it is a don't miss
Posted by
OP
154 posts
Bumping thread
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11835 posts
I have been to two: Ventolaio and Le Ragnaie.
Despite the English website, at Ventolaio we found Maria Assunta spoke no English and her son, Baldassarre, spoke very little. Still, wine is wine. I see they now allow you to reserve by email, which has not always been the case, so that makes it easier. They are at the end of a 3km dirt road outside of Montalcino. Great wines!
Le Ragnaie is right on the main road, not far from Ventolaio. They do speak English. Not as family-oriented, warm-and-friendly as Ventolaio, but worthwhile.
There are many more, of course. We just have not been to them. We do like the enoteca in Montalcino where they have 100 wines to taste. We've done some damage in that place. (If you buy wine they forgive the tasting fees.)
Posted by
Seattle, WA & Bordeaux, France
346 posts
We did our own self-guided wine tour and it was easy. We only picked two as we knew we didn't want to rush and had just one day. Altesino, which is a larger winery, has a great tour and tasting. They do speak English AND you can sometimes buy their wine in the states, which is a plus if you love it. We also went to a smaller winery, Santa Giulia. The grandmother speaks no English but is CHARMING and lovely. The wife is Japanese and speaks some English as well as Italian. The husband (and wine maker) does speak English but is often busy (but he's super friendly when available.) We scheduled a tour and tasing with them as well. And the bonus is that it's not just a working vineyard but a working farm so we were able to sample some of their own prosciutto and other foods. Delicious!
Finally, I'll second the Enoteca in Montalcino. It was great!