Did we pass each other?... & Tuscany Wine Tour

Rick, did we just pass each other? We are on an extended trip to Europe---10 months---and currently in a little rented Tuscan villa in the hills near Cortona. We have been here for a month and have May still to go, as we leisurely explore the surrounding Tuscan hill towns. Cortona is steep and historic, Castiliano del Lago is a small jewel above Lake Tiresimento, Multepulciano is wonderful, and has great local wines and good food. Are you moving on or are you going to be in Multepulciano for this weekend's annual local Agricultural Show? Here's a wine tour tip: Visit Badia a Coltibuono, set in an old monestary in the Tuscan hill country. The family has been making wine there since 1846, and they produce great vintages using only ecologically-friendly viticulture. Roberto, the current CEO, studied at UC Davis and worked in Napa Valley for a couple of years, speaks perfect English, and is a gracious and knowlegeable host. The wines are impressive, the venue is gorgeous, they run a B&B with lovely rooms and views, and the on-site restaurant, with a trellised patio overlooking the Arno Valley, is world-class. We are also world travellers and we had one of the best meals of our lives there, accompanied, course by course, by the local wines.