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suggestions and previous experiences of winery visits in Tuscany

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Greetings!

After spending 3 days in Rome, my wife and I will be visiting Tuscany this coming September, ( 9/12-16).
We are picking up a car and heading to Orvieto as first stop, perhaps Montepulciano as second stop on the way to
our base for the 5 days in San Gimignano. We plan to visit Volterra, Chianti, and Sienna but are open to touring these
towns and/or surrounding vineyards.
We love food & wine and are interested in any suggestions' of wineries where we can sample wine, meet vitners maybe have a picnic or a meal. We do enjoy Chianti and most Super Tuscans. This does not have to be large or small producer but looking for an enjoyable experience with locals sharing a passion for food, wine and people.
Many thanks in advance!

Fred

Posted by
2205 posts

In December 2015 we used Castello di Verrazzano as our home base for our trip to Tuscany. They offer a tour of the grounds and winery followed by an incredible food and wine tasting. It's a true Italian meal experience with several courses and their different wines. The wines and food were superb.

There are two things of which to be aware. When we were there, the tour started at 11:00 with lunch following at 1:00. Some folks did lunch in about 1 1/2 hours, but since we were guests there and had blocked out the day for the experience, it was nearly 4:00 when we finished! For the last hour we had the place to ourselves. The owner came over and visited and even asked us to sample and give opinions on the new vintage.

The second thing to keep in mind applies to all visits where you do a food and wine tasting, and that I wouldn't advise driving afterwards. Rick Steves has a Tuscany episode where he stays at an agriturismo like we did. He did and evening meal and Verrazzano offers evening dining as well. Check for seasonal availability. Staying where you experience a food and wine tasting is ideal, since you can then just walk back to your room.

Posted by
1685 posts

We tried a free sampling of five wines on the Piazza Grande in Montepulciano. The vintner was the same guy who is in the Rick Steves video of Montepulciano. I later stumbled upon him helping my landlord in his cellar at the agriturismo we stayed in.

There was quite a price range to the five wines we tasted, though to my limited taste buds none of them stood out. I don't spend too much on wine. Penny for penny I found the wines in Piedmont and Lombardy to be of a higher quality.

Osteria Acquacheta is a good spot for communal dining and decent tipple.

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