We are spending a few nights in Montepulciano and would like to take a winery tour. We looked at a couple wineries - Brunello Winery tour and Castello di Brolio Winery. We are not huge wine drinkers, so just don't know where to start. Any other things that we should also see in this area?
Can anyone recommend a good winery tour?
Does anyone have any suggestions on wineries in this area at all??
Another poster recently posted about one in Montalcino, nearby if you have a car. Here is the title of his post -- Please let me share this great experience, Wine Tasting in Montalcino
Just scroll down the topic page and you will find it.
We did the "Chianti" trail passing numerous wineries while staying in Seina, however most were closed in early March and on a Sunday, so that was disappointing. We did spend the day in Montepulciano and went to Contucci wine tasting room. It was delicious and fun. We bought several bottles and had them shipped back to the US. There are quite a few tasting rooms open in town, so just roam around and be adventurous in trying them. Have fun!
Roberto Bechi, a tour guide well recommended by Rick Steves, does several tours that include wineries in the area. Check his website, www.toursbyroberto.com, for tours that include Brunello wines or Chianti. However, he gives you so much more than just a wine tour. He lives near Siena and wants people to appreciate the greater area. He's knowledgeable, fun, and his English is great. He takes you to out-of-the-way type places, not the regular tourist places. Check reviews on Trip Advisor. We did the Crete Senesi tour last year and thought is was amazing.
In Montelpuciano, I also visited and bought from Contucci. Their cantina is in the city, but not their vinyards. Their Reserva is great tho pricy. If you have a car, I suggest San Lorenzo south of Montalcino. The owner Luciano Colifi gives a tour of his small winery created by his grandfather (who is 100 and still alive, on site) and is charming, tho he is not fluent in English. I really enjoyed my hour and bought a case of his 2009 and a Roseto that I can't wait to arrive.
We've booked a tour and lunch with Avignonesi for September, based off reviews I read here.
https://www.avignonesi.it/
Their winery is located near Montepulciano.
Hi everyone,
Me and Isabel visited Montepulciano recently, Avignonesi is like Banfi in Montalcino big and commercial, however they provide a nice experience. If you are looking for boutique wineries I would recommend the followings: Dei, Boscarelli, I Quadri, Il Macchione and Sanguineto.
However not too far from Montepulciano you have Montalcino, the land of Brunello, where the best Price Value and high quality Brunello it has been "Capanna" a tiny family ran winery. Definately a must if your are visiting the area. :-)
Avignonesi was one of the high points of our 4 nights in Tuscany. With our hotel's advance booking, they even welcomed us with (another winery's) sparkling wine while waiting. It is a relatively expensive lunch, but worth it, for both the food quality and the generous pours. I didn't ask if you can BOOK a tour with no lunch, and pay for your tastings at the walk-in wine bar. Antinori was missable, despite their James Bond architecture. Cortona, nearby, is a nice town. Kids would enjoy Castiglione del Lago, not otherwise a must see.
We also liked Poggio Antico, but that's a longer distance from Montepulciano.
Salcheto is a great unique winery just outside Montepulciano with their sustainability operation. It was awesome to see how everything works "off the grid" there.
Since you mentioned you are not huge wine drinkers, I am going to suggest a farm tour that we did - it was wonderful, a real highlight of our trip, and it included wine and cheese and lots of other food - all made on the premises. It is called Podere Il Casile, and we drove from Montepulciano ( a very beautiful drive as well!). I recommend you take the tour with tasting of cheese and meats. It was incredible - including the view. Here is the website: http://podereilcasale.com/en/
They also have a listing on trip advisor:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g644280-d2344170-Reviews-Podere_Il_Casale-Pienza_Tuscany.html
Larry I was at that winery in April and go back in August. It is heaven!
Thanks everyone! I have some places to check out - they all look so good!
Joan - I really am leaning towards the one you suggested with the farm and lunch or dinner - I think that might be the one we go for!
Yes, Lv2Trvl, I think you will be very happy. One story of a happy coincidence: they offer the tour in several languages. On the day we arrived (a bit early) they told us they were waiting for a busload that god lost. Our faces fell - oh no this intimate tour was going to be about 50 people! Well the bus arrived and it turned out it was full of Italian speakers. We two were the only English speakers, so the farm owner, Sandra, came over and told us we were in luck - her associate would take the Italians, and she would take just us on her tour! We were also the only ones who purchased the additional tasting, so that at the end when we arrived back at the beautiful patio, there was a table for two set in the middle - just for us! Everyone else got a glass of wine and got back on the bus. We ended up staying on that patio an extra hour and chatting with the staff/owners by ourselves. Even helped the office lady word a facebook post in English! A great memory of some incredible people. And Thomas Keller (French Laundry) serves their goat cheese! So be sure to get the full tasting.
Joan,
The day we have planned for the wine tour will probably be busy in the morning with the LaFoce garden tour, etc so we may plan a dinner there. It's hard to tell by the website if they have a wine and supper (not lunch) tour. Do you remember anything about the suppers there opposed to the lunches?
Here is part of the brochure, copied from an old email they sent to me. Keep in mind things may have changed in two years, so email them to be sure offerings and prices are the same (can't imagine they haven't gone up!) However, it looks like the timing might work for you:
o We constantly strive to use exclusively certified organic products and/or those from the surrounding area
o In the restaurant, we present our products in beautiful arrangements with elements of classic Tuscany and modern elegance
o Menus:
! À la carte
! Tasting Menu: €35.- per person, €40.- with tour (VAT included)
• The Tasting Menu consists of various beautifully crafted dishes featuring an array vegetables in season, served family-style, punctuated with an assortment of our own organic pasta made from various artisanal flours, local legumes from our neighbors, and/or organic spelt from the region along with a sample of our cheeses, a homemade confection, and a tasting of two of our wines. It is possible to order additional dishes from the menu.
o Tour of the farm leaving at 12:00pm (lunch) or 6:30pm (dinner). Price: €5.- (VAT included)
In the grande plaza at the very top of Montepulciano, there is either a tourist center or a center for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG. It may or may not offer tastings, I just don't remember. It operates pretty much regular hours. We wandered in to get some info and discovered they run small mini-bus (maybe 6 people) half day tours of local vineyards. Since the vineyards we saw were about 20 minutes away, it was hard not to feel this was an incredibly local experience and also was a bargain. We did a couple, loved them both. We did feel like we needed to buy at least one bottle of wine at each vineyard because we wanted to support the local businesses.
