We will be spending four glorious days in Montalcino in late June. We spent a day there three years ago and have been longing to return. We love wine and want to know several great Brunello wineries to visit. I have their huge list, but which ones have you been to you might recommend? We probably prefer the smaller family-run ones to the huge producers. Any other suggestions regarding Montalcino also would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.
Montalcino and Brunello
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Good question. For sure they will be glorious days! I would start in town at Enoteca Pierangioli or Cafe Il Leccio. Here you can try some wines to decide which vintner you may want to visit.
Brunellos are determined by where grapes are grown (which zone), by whom it is grown by, and where it is bottled. There are a few types of Brunello growers: Cittadino, growers who live inside walls of Montalcino with plot of land outside, Contadino who are farmers who live in country around Montalcino, and Noble who live in villas and castles around Montalcino and families have been there for hundreds of years. The Brunello wine is influenced by which of four zones the grape is grown: eastern zone, southeastern zone, western zone which gets most sun, and finally south zone which gets most rain. These four zones provide alternative choices and many varieties in aroma, flavor, structure, elegance and complexity. Centi anni!
Montalcino is very close to the abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, whose cloisters contain very remarkable freschi depicting the life of St Benedict.
Hi Jim,
Just read on your itinerary comment from January that you love Isabella Dusi. She is a wonderful author. My original post was taken from her Montalcino video on http://WebVisionItaly.com - Montalcino:
http://www.webvisionitaly.com/category.php?id=288&ref_genre=&ref_item=424
Do not want to upset the Fodorites with these video links but seems fine here as clearly you will be interested in Isabella's video since you love her books. Not sure why so many take offense to the videos since they do not sell anything and only offer information given passion for Italy and years of travel there.
I see you are also heading to Parma. There is nice video about Parma by Isabella Dusi on the WebVisionItaly site as well:
http://www.webvisionitaly.com/category.php?id=27
Where did you decide to stay in CT - we stayed in Levanto last year which worked well and is good place to leave the car and then travel by water taxi to the CT. Stayed in Santa Margherita time before that which worked well also. Where will you stay in Parma? We stayed at Hotel Button last year, which is perfectly located and also stayed at Hotel Toscanini time before, which is also nicely located.
Love Parma - it's one of our all time favorites outside Rome. Buon appetito, happy anniversary, and buon viaggio!!
fairoaksjim,
The section on Montalcino may help you http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/tuscany/hs_planning.htm
Henry
If you want something interesting and new, set up a visit with my friend Anna Lisa at Fattoria Resta. She is making an incredible wine from her own small patch of grapes. I highly recommend it if you are in the area: http://www.fattoriaresta.blogspot.com
Resta is near Buonconvento, about 13 km from Montalcino.
Motorino,
We decided to cut back and just go to Parma are and wait for CT on another trip. I am very excited about also staying in Zibello. We are in love with Culatello so we want to stay at the source. Should be amazing. Thanks for the tips.
We really enjoyed our tastings at Fattoria dei Barbi in 2005. We arrived too late for a tour but returned for a delicious dinner at the restaurant.
Cutting CT probably good idea. If I may add some restaurant choices among plenty of delicious options in Parma - we always enjoy La Greppia as one of the best, which is saying something b/c they are so many great places. Perfect for an anniversary dinner. Another Parma restaurant we always love is Trattoria Corrieri.
Ooooh. We will be with friends in Parma at an anniversary day. Thanks for the tips.
Concerning your "Other" suggestions: may I suggest the following day trip: This can be done in five or so hours. Go south to the Abbaye Sant'Antimo(11th Century)Proceed further south, to Monte Amiata, crossing the Orcia River and train tracks. A few KM after that, turn left and go to Castiglione D'Orcia, clinbing the delightful 12th Century fortress there for a view you'll never forget. Proceed North to Bagno Vignoli, a small minral water pool for free is on the dirt road just south of the town, but the town itself is lovely to stroll around. Then proceed east through Spedaletto then take the left togo north to the small village of Montichiello. A lunch at La Porta is highly recommended, as it has good food and a great view, and if they are full, a few restaurants up the hill are equally good, but without the view. The little town itself is just too cute. And the terrain around this little town is gorgeous. Then follow signs for Montepulciano. As you get real close to the center of the city (Centrale) the road will fork right to the Centrale, left towards Pienza, and a smaller street is straight ahead to the Temple "Bigio di San Biagio" is a real treat. Exterior and interior are wonderful, and this is in many guide books as highly recommended. A stroll around the Centrale of Montepulciano is nice, but has some steep climbs, but right in the center Piazza are enotecas where you can try the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, similar to Brunella, but it is fun to try to taste the difference. Then proceed in the direction of Pienza, and just a few miles after leaving Montepulciano you'll notice yellow signs with a sheep symbol on it and the word "Cugusi" - this goes to a farm with a showroom with the famous Picorino cheese in it. If you like cheese - you'll love this stuff. Now just cruise leisurely past Pienza and San Quirico D'orcia back to Montalcino. Stopping in those lovely towns if you wish. You will now be tired enough to crash into your rooms for a siesta! This itinerary was recomemnded to me by an Italian-Canadian from Toronto and it was the highlight of a week visit to Tuscany. it is all easy to plan on viamichelin or google maps. In some of these towns, be wary that some of the parking is metered but it is a common meter for like twenty spots - the meter is easy to see - there are the ones with tourists staring at them scratching their heads. Just do what the locals do; pay the machine and sitck the reciept on your dash.