It's almost required to visit some wineries while traveling in Tuscany. With that in mind, we chose to spend Wednesday on a full-day wine tour that started bright and early at 8:15AM.
We piled into a 12-passenger van while our tour guide took us on a two-hour ride, ending at a small estate on a hill that produced a wine branded as "Il Macchione". Before going inside the estate, we listened to the winemaker speak a bit about the grapes that surrounded us and some history about his family business.
After a few generous pours, we were all enjoying ourselves without even pretending to savor the overtones, undertones, or any other tones. I don't actually remember what we drank. Everything tasted good but nothing was particularly memorable. A few of my friends ordered bottles to ship home (I may have bought some as well if I had a home). With a gracious Italian farewell, we were off to our next destination.
A few people in the group expressed interest in seeing Montepulciano, which is a hill town made famous by the "Twilight" movies. Our tour guide agreed to take us on a driving tour through the town but we weren't able to stop. Montepulciano reminded me of San Gimignano and was, perhaps, even a little more beautiful. Definitely worth a stop if you're not on a strict wine-tasting schedule.
We then went to lunch at a restaurant that didn't even look open until we awkwardly peered into the windows and were about to drive away. We each ordered a pasta dish and a glass of wine (of course). My black truffle raviolis had so much truffle that it crunched as I bit into it. The flavor of the truffle was more muted than I am used to, but the volume made up for it.
After lunch we stopped in Pienza for the obligatory "shopping stop" at a pottery shop that was embarrassingly amateur in quality (why do tours always make people stop at horrible touristy shops?). Most of us just stood outside rather than pretending that we had any interest in the merchandise. The only cool part of the shop was the entrance to an old tunnel system that connects the city as an evacuation route. The tunnel was blocked many years ago when people realized they could break into each other's homes, but it's a cool idea otherwise.
We walked through Pienza a bit, stopping at the duomo and enjoying the views of the surrounding countryside from the perimeter walls. Pienza is the birthplace of Pope Pius II and it benefitted from significant investment when he was pontiff because he wanted everything to be rebuilt as the ideal renaissance town. Although Pienza is one of the first examples of urban planning, it didn't seem all that much different than the other two hill towns we had seen.
We piled into a 12-passenger van while our tour guide took us on a two-hour ride, ending at a small estate on a hill that produced a wine branded as "Il Macchione". Before going inside the estate, we listened to the winemaker speak a bit about the grapes that surrounded us and some history about his family business.
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| Il Macchiato estate near Montepulciano |
I was a little surprised when we entered the estate because it was actually the home of the winemaker. Yup, we were tasting wine at his dining room table, while bottles were aging in the basement. Personally, I prefer a more commercial atmosphere but it did feel good to know that we were supporting a small family business.
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| Wine tasting #1 in the dining room of the winemaker |
After a few generous pours, we were all enjoying ourselves without even pretending to savor the overtones, undertones, or any other tones. I don't actually remember what we drank. Everything tasted good but nothing was particularly memorable. A few of my friends ordered bottles to ship home (I may have bought some as well if I had a home). With a gracious Italian farewell, we were off to our next destination.
A few people in the group expressed interest in seeing Montepulciano, which is a hill town made famous by the "Twilight" movies. Our tour guide agreed to take us on a driving tour through the town but we weren't able to stop. Montepulciano reminded me of San Gimignano and was, perhaps, even a little more beautiful. Definitely worth a stop if you're not on a strict wine-tasting schedule.
We then went to lunch at a restaurant that didn't even look open until we awkwardly peered into the windows and were about to drive away. We each ordered a pasta dish and a glass of wine (of course). My black truffle raviolis had so much truffle that it crunched as I bit into it. The flavor of the truffle was more muted than I am used to, but the volume made up for it.
After lunch we stopped in Pienza for the obligatory "shopping stop" at a pottery shop that was embarrassingly amateur in quality (why do tours always make people stop at horrible touristy shops?). Most of us just stood outside rather than pretending that we had any interest in the merchandise. The only cool part of the shop was the entrance to an old tunnel system that connects the city as an evacuation route. The tunnel was blocked many years ago when people realized they could break into each other's homes, but it's a cool idea otherwise.
We walked through Pienza a bit, stopping at the duomo and enjoying the views of the surrounding countryside from the perimeter walls. Pienza is the birthplace of Pope Pius II and it benefitted from significant investment when he was pontiff because he wanted everything to be rebuilt as the ideal renaissance town. Although Pienza is one of the first examples of urban planning, it didn't seem all that much different than the other two hill towns we had seen.
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| The (tiny) piazza in front of the church in Pienza |
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| This statue looked sad, so I decided to keep her company. |
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| The perimeter walls of the town had fantastic views of the countryside. |
Before our visit was complete, the tour guide took us to a cheese shop for some tasting (and buying). The cheese piqued our interest a lot more than hand-painted pottery.
Our final stop was to another winery for some Brunello tasting. I had never heard of Brunello before this trip but it is essentially just a fancy name for Sangiovese with a very specific aging period. (Wine enthusiasts are probably cringing right now). This tasting was also in the home of the winemaker but at least we stayed in the front room, which was designated specifically for tastings.
I really enjoyed this wine and would have definitely bought some bottles if I had anywhere to ship them. Fortunately, my friends more-than made up for my purchasing deficiencies and sent several cases back to the US.
The ride back to our villa was very quiet, as most of the group slept in the van. I'm not sure if returning home sober would constitute a successful wine tasting trip but I certainly enjoyed the day.
Our final stop was to another winery for some Brunello tasting. I had never heard of Brunello before this trip but it is essentially just a fancy name for Sangiovese with a very specific aging period. (Wine enthusiasts are probably cringing right now). This tasting was also in the home of the winemaker but at least we stayed in the front room, which was designated specifically for tastings.
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| Wine tasting #2 - Brunello! |
I really enjoyed this wine and would have definitely bought some bottles if I had anywhere to ship them. Fortunately, my friends more-than made up for my purchasing deficiencies and sent several cases back to the US.
The ride back to our villa was very quiet, as most of the group slept in the van. I'm not sure if returning home sober would constitute a successful wine tasting trip but I certainly enjoyed the day.
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