Wineries to visit in Tuscany?

craig_v · February 11, 2017, 2:05pm

If you’re in deep on Montilcino you may want appointments at one or two small places. Big places like Carparzo and Barbi are just open. We had an appointment and very personal tour and tasting at Poggio Di Sotto, 1/2 hour south of the town and near Stella Di Campalto too. Biondi Santi is on the way but was recently sold. Still it was fun just to walk down its tree lined entrance road. BS is not far from Poggio Di Sotto, nor is Barbi. Both south of town and on the way to PdS. Poggio Di Sotto is one of my top 3 favorite BdM producers and a true traditionalist that lets the vineyard shine through. No inky black Brunello there. Also on my list would be… Canalicchio di Sopra, Le Ragnaie and Stella Di Campalto. Tried to arrange at Stella but couldn’t sinc up days. Give yourself plenty of time and not too many stops. It takes time to drive around in both Chianti and BdM. Chianti, in particular, seemed really big hills / almost Mts that require patience. I wish I had made it Felsina in Chianti which is open but has some pre planned stuff too I think. I’d love to visit Montevertine in Chianti but couldn’t reach them.

Jeff_Bloom · February 13, 2017, 4:40pm

Based on this and the timing/distance, I would recommend heading toward Chianti. I think it will give you more of what you’re looking for.

Chianti is very spread out and, as noted, there are a lot of hills and winding roads. Use a GPS but don’t count on it getting the addresses right (use coordinates). Strada 222 (Chiantigianna) winds through the various towns and is a nice route to use if you want to get a feel for the area.

Panzano is one town to consider. It’s the home of the world famous Dario butcher and restaurants. Too much shtick for me but people love it. Fontodi is along Strada 222. Consider an appointment but you can just stop in and taste - the tasting room is upstairs just off the office. They generally pour Flaccianello along with a couple of others, no fee for tasting. Il Molino di Grace is just down the road - not the best in Chianti but generally decent wines worth tasting. Not far away is Volpaia - La Bottega is a good choice for lunch and Castello di Volpaia has a tasting room across from La Bottega. Castello Monsanto is also nearby - appointment necessary but very pretty property and a nice tour.

Castellina in Chianti is another worth considering, a cute little hilltop town. La Chiantina Osteria and L’Osteria Pastececi da Sonia, just outside of town on Strada 222, are both good options for lunch. Castellare di Castellina has very good wines, nice tour by appointment but I think you can just stop in and taste at the sales room.

Felsina is in Castelnuovo Berardenga. There’s not really a lot to see there but you go for the wine - I don’t know that I’d recommend it for a first visit based on the criteria mentioned. Good wines across the board, though. I think you can do a walk in tasting in their sales room, but a tour is worthwhile.

Just some things to consider.

Marshall_Gelb · February 13, 2017, 7:10pm

Jeff Bloom:

N. Justl:

We want to see the country side, taste some great wine, and have a “Tuscan” experience – if that makes any sense.

Based on this and the timing/distance, I would recommend heading toward Chianti. I think it will give you more of what you’re looking for.

Chianti is very spread out and, as noted, there are a lot of hills and winding roads. Use a GPS but don’t count on it getting the addresses right (use coordinates). Strada 222 (Chiantigianna) winds through the various towns and is a nice route to use if you want to get a feel for the area.

Panzano is one town to consider. It’s the home of the world famous Dario butcher and restaurants. Too much shtick for me but people love it. Fontodi is along Strada 222. Consider an appointment but you can just stop in and taste - the tasting room is upstairs just off the office. They generally pour Flaccianello along with a couple of others, no fee for tasting. Il Molino di Grace is just down the road - not the best in Chianti but generally decent wines worth tasting. Not far away is Volpaia - La Bottega is a good choice for lunch and Castello di Volpaia has a tasting room across from La Bottega. Castello Monsanto is also nearby - appointment necessary but very pretty property and a nice tour.

Castellina in Chianti is another worth considering, a cute little hilltop town. La Chiantina Osteria and L’Osteria Pastececi da Sonia, just outside of town on Strada 222, are both good options for lunch. Castellare di Castellina has very good wines, nice tour by appointment but I think you can just stop in and taste at the sales room.

Felsina is in Castelnuovo Berardenga. There’s not really a lot to see there but you go for the wine - I don’t know that I’d recommend it for a first visit based on the criteria mentioned. Good wines across the board, though. I think you can do a walk in tasting in their sales room, but a tour is worthwhile.

Just some things to consider.

Those are good recommendations! We will be there in mid October and actually rented a villa (4 couples ) on the Fontodi property. Panzano has nice restaurants such as Oltre il Giardino Trattoria and Il Vescovino. Dario can be fun in small doses. In Castellina in Chianti, we like Osteria all Piazza and Trattoria La Torre. An interesting low key winery near Panzano is Fattoria Casaloste. Another town to consider is Greve…excellent outdoor markets, restaurants and a butcher shop called Macelleria Falorni that is just as good as Dario without the hype.

Enjoy!
Cheers!
Marshall

Julius_L · February 18, 2017, 4:51pm

A couple of our best (BdM) winery visits were at Stella di Campalto and Pian dell’Orino. The former was just my wife and I with Stella and the latter was my wife and I with Caroline and Jan. Not like the tours that are structured with a large group. We had such a good time with Stella that we scheduled another visit when we returned to Tuscany a few years later. We would probably try to do the same with Pian dell’Orino if and when we’re again in Tuscany. I would also recommend Valdicava, also a personal-type visit.