We booked a Tuscany wine tour for today, with a focus on Brunellos. To give a bit of background, Brunello is a version of wine made from the Sangiovese grape. Sangiovese is the primary (or only) grape in many Italian wines, including Chianti, Super Tuscans, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, as well as the Brunello di Montalcino. Brunello specifically must be from specific vineyards, properly aged vines and specific aging (barrel and bottle). All of these requirements result in a wine that is superior in taste and durability than a “normal” Sangiovese (like Chianti).
Our tour was through “Wine Tours of Tuscany” and our guide, Donatella, was a native of Siena and very familiar with the area. We met her in Siena, just outside of town and she couldn’t have been nicer. Her English was excellent, and we and the two other couples on our tour had a great experience with her. Our first stop was at Santa Guilia, followed by Villa Le Prata and then Villa i Cipressi. After three tastings, we were ready for lunch and stopped in the town of Montalcino. We dined on some nice pasta and pizza at one of the many small restaurants in the area. Of course, we had some more Brunello with lunch…oh well! After lunch, we had one more stop at Fattoria del Pino.
Dinner back at the hotel was excellent. The chef, Guido Haverkock, has worked at several Michelin rated restaurants, and we thoroughly enjoyed a light a la carte meal after such a heavy day. Other diners opted for the multi-course prix fixe menu and seemed to have an amazing time. Off to bed and heading to Milan tomorrow…..
We will post more about the food, wines and sights of Tuscany in an upcoming “Three Days in Tuscany” article, including some top travel tips and ideas.