Ron

We will be in Tuscany during the first 2 weeks of May: <BR>What wineries are good to visit in Chianti, Montalcino, and Montepulciano? <BR>Should we typically expect to spend 2 to 3 hours at each, or more time?

Denise

Hi Ron, <BR>We were in Tuscany in October, but only visited two wineries, one was closed, the other wasn't staff all that well, and we had to hunt out the guy. <BR>Great wine. Have your been to www.chiantinews.it - they will post you a map of the Black Rooster Route - the Tuscan Classic wineries. It was most useful just as a general map of the area. Denise <BR>

RJD

There's a good book by Oz Clarke "Wine Companion-Tuscany" that provides all the information you want on Tuscan wineries as well as a good map of each major touring area including the ones you mention. Its also a very pretty book filled with great photos. Enjoy.

Sharon

Hi ROn-We were in Tuscany last May and visited some of the wineries. The informatio is available vis the internet as someone else mentioned, and thereare numerous books, however, when we arrived we found several maps and publications there that listed the locations. We too found that some were open, others closed, some open to the public only on certain days, others were open Sundays! There was no apparent general rule for visiting times. Some of them also produce great balsamic vinegar and olive oi. I would suggest either checking at your hotel, or stop at one of the local stores that might sell the map or the newspaper (about the size of USA today) that gives alot of info. By the way, it is a gorgeous area but beware, the Italians drive pretty fast on the narrow winding road-but is is spectacular-wish I were goingwith you! If you have any other questions-email me. Sharon <BR>

Nettie

Though they're are many "little guys" that are treasures to visit, i'd really recommend visiting Banfi in Montalcino (outside, actually). They are one of Italy's largest producers, but the range of their production is a learning experience in itself. When we were last there, the two women who staffed the tasting room spoke English (one was actually American), and that helps a lot if you want to ask in-depth questions and your vintner-Italian proficiency isn't that great. We spent about 2.5 hours there, but most of our stops, in Montepulciano and Montalcino, were about 45 minutes to an hour. <BR> <BR>In general, we didn't find as much to "tour" in visiting an Italian winery as we do here. By comparison, we usually spend the whole day visiting 2 wineries in CA.