Hello Matthew, What you have here is the "A" list for every tour bus and first time visitors to Tuscany. Precisely the reason I would avoid them. I am sorry, but Chianti has just gotten too commercial. Send your readers further south for the best of Tuscany and try to get some input from Reid Bramblett.

Hi Bob --

Thanks for the reply. Seems like the crux of the issue is how much you want to avoid other tourists vs. what you're willing to miss in order to avoid them. I've had good-to-glorious experiences at these places, and traveling in May, I don't remember encountering any tour buses (though there were certainly were other tourists).

Have you really had bad experiences in Chianti? It's a obviously a popular destination, but I've always been pleasantly surprised by how little tourist congestion I've encountered -- never anything on a par with Siena or San Gimignano.

Certainly May is the best time to travel in Italy, but they still call it " Chiantishire" for a reason. I guess I am spoiled by the Val d' Orcia area an hour south of Chianti. Have you spent time there?

A must see is Rocca delle Macie, with perhaps lunch at Fizzano.
LisaS

We are spending a day in the Chianti region next May as part of a tour. Are there nice villages and towns and other sites to visit besides the wineries in the Chianti area?

Thanks, Lisa. Did you do a full tour there? If so, was there something that set it apart (other than good wine and a beautiful location)?

Bob -- I've skirted Val d'Orca -- stayed a couple of times at a wonderful place called Frateria di Padre Eligio, near Chiusi, spent an afternoon in Montepulciano, had lunch and a stroll through Pienza. But I've never made any winery visits in the area. Are there any particular ones you recommend? What I've read about Banfi leaves me wondering whether it's a good stop. Sounds visitor-friendly, but maybe too polished and corporate.

My husband and I visited Villa Vignamaggio on our honeymoon this past June. We had a tour and tasting with another couple (who we didn't know). It was very personal, the spread of food (breads, oils, cheeses, salamis, etc)was phenomenal, and the wine tastings of course were great, we tasted about 7 different kinds including dessert wine and grappa. Our guide was very knowledgeable. The place was of course beautiful and breathtaking. We learned a lot about wine making. I don't recall what we paid but it was reasonable and we made the reservation a few days in advance. I highly recommend it! We also stopped by Volpaia, they hadn't responded to my email asking for a tour, so when we got there of course we didn't get one. We had a really reasonable tasting though and bought a bottle. Would love to go back!!! hope this helps with your reviews

oh and about Banfi, we walked in to the "showroom" and immediately felt uncomfortable. It just seemed like a store - we walked out. Visited a beautiful newer vineyard/winery in Montalcino named Poggio Antico. Also a fantastic tour with a great guide and a nice tasting.

We had a tour of the winery in Volpaia a few weeks ago. It's a lovely little town that doesn't seem to be overrun by tourists.

The winery has been built into the buildings of the town and it was very interesting to hear how they took the roof off of one building to get the giant vats inside, and how they ran pipes under the town to link the various processes.

We really enjoyed it.

www.volpaia.it

Yes Matthew,
I prefer the Fattoria Barbi on the road between Montalcino and the Abbey at San Antimo. I also like Poggio Antico which is on the other road south from Montalcino--the same road the goes to Castello Banfi. I agree that the Banfi tour is a bit commmercial. The Ristorante at Poggio Antico is very good--gourmet. But, winery tours aside since this is not Napa, the overall ambiance and natural beauty in the Val d' Orcia is far superior to Chianti IMHO. Chianti merely has had the advantage of proximity to Florence. I will post my Tuscany photo gallery for you--most are taken in the Val d' Orcia.

Here we are Matthew. Some you may recognize:
http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/showgallery.php?cat=3827

Thanks, LizaMarie. that's just what I'm interested in hearing -- both the good (Vignamaggio) and the not so good (Banfi).

Gorgeous photos, Bob. Naturally, the one that shows the most skin has gotten the most views....

Hi Matthew,

My husband and I did a winery tour and tasting at Castello di Verrazzano in May 2004 on our first trip to Europe. We made advance reservarions. Below are my comments on it from my trip report.

This was one of our greatest highlights of our trips. Gino, the host of our tour, was so entertaining. We toured the cellars and learned how the wine was made. We decided to stay for the lunch and wine tasting (34 Euro per person). Our original plan was to stay for the tour and tasting at 17 Euro per person. But, we felt we should stay based on Gino's advice. And, we are so very glad we did. It ended up being a 5 hour experience. And let's talk "tasting!" This is no tasting; this is pure enjoyment of wine and food. We had a glass of 5 different wines and they left the bottles on the table of each wine so you could enjoy the rest. The food kept coming too! Definitely worth the money and so relaxing and fun! I think we had 20 people in the tour and tasting from all parts of the world. The winery is beautiful and the views were spectacular!

On a side note, I would love to see winery information included in travel books (specifically if they have tours and contact information).

Tweeter

I agree with tweeter...Castello di Verrazzano for sure! We also had Gino and we are from California, are wine knowledgeable but felt we expanded our knowledge, had a beautiful atmosphere, made new friends & had wonderful food.

I've just returned from a week with Tuscany and agree with two broad points bob made.

The Val d'Orca is more beautiful but less touristed and was a far better experience for me than Chianti.

I drove along the Chiantigiana the day after visiting Pienza and Montalcino and it left me underwhelmed.

It is always scary to see wonderful small beautiful places become too well known, which happens when Fodor's or Frommer's, etc., etc., publishes them in their travel guides. Or beautiful small villages (like Cortona) become too popular because of books like "Under the Tuscan Sun".

My husband and I have enjoyed our times at Banfi and Verrazzano (especially since we had their food/wine tasting session).

I will "reveal", however, that we enjoyed our winetasting at Uccelliera very much this summer. We also had a delicious lunch with our wine tasting at Le Presi. Both of these are Montalcino area wineries, which make Brunello.

We enjoyed a visit Castello di Brolio.

Dear Editor mlongbard,

I cannot say enough about Villa Vignamaggio! My husband and I just returned from Italy this past week and our favorite part of the trip was at the Villa Vignamaggio - hands down! (Sidenote: we were there during the harvest - how perfect is that?!)

We had not even planned on taking a wine tour; however, because we were staying there, it was offered at no extra charge. We learned a lot about the wine and the property and were entertained by a delightful guide. The wine tasting and food at the end of the tour were great...as already mentioned. They do sell their wines at the property, but the "store" was not part of the tour and we didn't feel like there was ANY "push" to buy anything.

During our stay, we did see a few tour buses, but NEVER seemed to encounter ANY type of crowds. I have to commend Vignamaggio for making our stay feel very relaxed and quiet, despite this. We wandered the grounds extensively and seldom ran in to many people at all. There are signs on the property that say "Privato," and only the guests are allowed to wander in these areas.

I DO hate to see it become a San Gimignano, but I also have to thank a Fodorite for suggesting it! For those interested in good wine, I think they would rather tour a winery that is recognized for their wine and save the less known places for other touring, etc. But, as you can see here, there are many opinions on this subject!

bookmarking

We enjoyed a visit to Isole e Olena, which is near Barbarino val d'Elsa.

It is a smaller vineyard and tours are only by appt, and I believe are also private. The owner's wife gave us a tour of the facilities and sat chatting with us for a while as we tasted their wines. Her husband popped in and out because he was busy harvesting the grapes on the first sunny day in a while.

The owner, Paolo de Marchi is quoted frequently in various wine publications.

http://www.seetuscany.com/food/isole.htm

All of their wine is available in the US through several importers. We actually arranged our visit through our favorite local store (Moore Brothers).

Rooca delle Macie is a reat location plus has some fun facts.
The winery is owned by the Italo Zingarelli family. Mr. Zingarelli is famous for the "Spaghetti Westerns" that gave Clint Eastwood his start. Also associated to Rocca and located near by is Fizzano Restaurant. When you hear the commercials for Olive Garden restaurants about how their recipes are created in Italy and that their chefs are sent there for training, thats Fizzano. The food is amazing, with a view high on a hill. Plus there is also rooms/studio apartments available for rent on that piece of property.
LisaS

bookmarking. planning to visit some of these places this spring.

bmking

My husband, 2 daughters,(age 27 and 24) will have a day to spend in Tuscany on June 18, 2012. Our cruise ship will dock at Livorno from 7AM until 8PM. We have already been to Pisa, Florence and Siena. We love Italian wines especially Chianti Classico and Brunellos. Should we go to the Chianti region or Montepulcino? We understand that it would be a 2 1/2 hr. drive to Montepulciano. We plan on hiring a driver.
Please help us with any recommendations!!!
Thank you, Joanne Daniel

Joanne, Both of then are too far from Livorno. I would have the driver take to me Volterra and san Gimignano and do some wine tasting at an enoteca in either.

Or, spend the day in Lucca---an easy train ride.

We really want to visit Chianti or Montepulcino. We have already been to San Gimignano. We love soo many chiantis like Isola, Gabbiano, Monte Maggio, Fabbiano. Our favorite brunellos are Altesino, and Poggione. We have 12 hrs and plan on hiring a driver.

Good luck---you will be 6 hours in a car.

You never really answered my question.
Thanks anyway.