I throughly enjoy your post and wine insights. I will be traveling to Italy for 3 weeks in May 2004. I will be with my family ( wife, children 14, 12) and another couple with kids the same age. We will be spending a week in the Siena area and have been granted " a day, maybe two to taste, drink and buy wine". Given my limited time, what wineries would you visit if you could taste for one day ? What would you add if you had a second day ? What wines would you buy for each ?
Thank you in advance for your help and wisdom.
Waiting in Georgia,
Brad
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kim,
Posts: 33 | Location: Roswell, GA | Registered: 12 September 2003
With only one day, I would not put a lot of emphasis on visiting wineries. The experience is not very well organized and you will mostl likely see a small winery and not get much insight into the area you are visiting.
What I would do is spend the day in Montalcino. I would arrange a visit on the way into the town. COming from the Siena area, you will pass Val di Cava, Le Chiuse, Costanti, and Pertimali. See iof you local wine shop carries any of these wines and see if they can make an introduction for you. My name might do some good at Costanti. After a visit to a Brunello winery, then go into town. Get to the Enoteca before it closes for lunch at 1pm. Taste a little. The Enoteca Fortezza has an incedibly knowlegable staff and will be a good spot to get a start on developing the sense of context for Brunello. Lunch could be a taverna Grappolo Blu. Next up explore the town. Go to the Piazza del Popolo and see the placques commemorating the vintages of Brunello done by famous artists, Walk around a little and then go to Osticcio for a little more tasting and food. Have a plate of Cinta Sinese (misex salami, prosicutto, lardo, coppa from an heirloom variety of pork). Then go to Ciacci Piccolomoni in Casteluova dell'Abate. They will provide a tour and tasting that will astound you. Next tour Sant'Antimo and listen to the Gregorian chanting at 6:30pm. Back to Montalcino for more walking and dinner if you want to make it a long day.
WIth a second day, I would just spend more time wandering around in the MOntalcino area. I would add a trip to Abbadia d'Ardegna. To get there you drive out a white road and pass many great wineries. Again, you could try and get set up with an appointment along the way. FOr a second day, I would have lunch at Bocon di Vino.
As far as wineries in the various areas you mention:
Amarone- Dal Forno Romano- this is the single greatest winery I have ever been to. The most single minded dedication to perfection. Signor Romano dal Forno had been called "God" by one of my friends in the wine business and in his single mondedness, he is.
Viviani, Thomas Bussola, Raimondi, Quintarelli are all wonderful producers.
Barolo and Barbaresco- Ca Rome for their Maria di Brun and their various vineyard Barolo's; Marcarini for his Dolcetto Boschi di Berry, Barolo La Serra and Brunate; Einaudi for Dolcetto Vigna Tecc and I Filari, Barolo Canubi; and Podere Cola for Barolo Bussia, Barbaresco Roncaglia, and their Bricco del Drago Dolcetto Nebbiolo blend.
Brunello- Agostina Pieri, Costanti, Le Chiuse, Pertimali di Livio Sasetti, Ciacci Piccolomoni, Lisini and Argiano are among my favorites. All of these producers also make a rosso di Montalcino for a lot less money that will be an incredible buy for the 2001 vintage.
I have a similar question for Piemonte. My wife and I are going to somewhere in Liguria (exact location undecided) in March, and plan to drive to Alba and Asti for at least one day trip.
We're thinking of visiting Prunotto and Ceretto. Are they worth the trip? Are there others that might be a better visit?
We're going to a Ceretto tasting at Galileo next Wednesday night.
Posts: 291 | Location: Takoma Park, Maryland, USA | Registered: 09 October 2003
I have never been to Piemonte so I can only comment on the wineries and not the visits.
Ceretto is one of the big guys in Piemonte- Gaja and Giacosa are two others with big productions and big names and big prices. I personally am not a huge fan of their wines. They can be good, Ceretto's especially, but I just son't see justifying their lofty prices.
Prunotto is a winery I have lost touch with. When it was run by the Cola brothers, it was fabulous. But they engineered buying some great vineyards from the Prunotto holdings and founding Podere Cola. My allegiance switched to that winery.
If I was going to go to Piemonte, my three wineries on my must see list would be Macarini, Einaudi and Ca Rome. These are producers who still produce in a tradition based style with modern elements. That is their winemaking results in soundness and richness that would not be possible with totally traditional methods, but doesn't run roughshod over the traditional flavors and characteristics of the place.
The other night I had a 98 Parusso Barolo Bussia, one of the Marc di Grazia "Barolo Boys". The wine showed huge amounts of French oak and a tighness that comes from over oaking. The wine had been open 24 hours. To me it screamed of the international style, not of Piemonte.
I'm back as of saturday night, with dean's suggestion we agganged visits with Macarini and Ca Rome, this was done by e-mail and confirmed by fax,we called macarini at the last minute as the other couple with us arrived a tad late,we had a nice short visit at macarini,I bought a magnum of the 99 Brunante Borolo for 60 euro!We then had lunch at Belvedere(see my upcoming review)highly recommended for the location, view of the surrounding vinyards, and excellent service and food,we then drove to Barbaresco for a visit at Ca Rome.Both visits were conducted in english.I recommend that you copy our itinerary.11am Macarini,12:00 lunch(less than 500 meter walk between-in downtown La Morra) then afternoon say 4pm at ca rome,if you have extra time in between you can visit the enotecaat grinzane cavor(sp?).It wasn't necessary to have any special connection to arrange these visits but if you like the wine It is sort of expected that you pick up a bottle or two.RR
Posts: 6525 | Location: Culver City, CA, USA | Registered: 08 November 2002
I thought I would give a better itinerary for two day trips into Montalcino.
Day 1:
Start early at monte Oliveto Maggiore and check out the Il Sodoma and Signorelli Fresco cycle. Then wander the wonderful setting. Next up is a visit to Val di Cava, Le Chiuse or Pertimali. Go onto the The Consorzio del Vino di Brunello di Montalcino Website for fax and phone numbers. Some of the wineries ahve web sites and the links are on the Consorzio site.
After the winery visit, go to lunch at Boccon di Vino just outside the town of Brunello. After lunch go into Montalcino for sightseeing and tasting at the Enoteca Fortezza.
Day 2:
Start out with a morning visit to Costanti. Andrea Costanti is one of the great producers in Brunello. Costanti winery is one of the founders of the modern Brunello movement. There were only a handful of wineries back in the 60's when Costanti started out. Costanti moved to a less tannic style of winemaking than that of Biondi Santi, one that emphasized the fruit of the Brunello grape. Then lunch at Osticcio if you are in the mood for a snack or at Grappolo Blu for a more substantial meal. In any case, taste some brunello at Osticcio. Then go for an afternoon appointment at Ciacci Piccolomoni, a visit to St. Antimo. FOr dinner, stop off in Buonconvento at Da Duccio, Mario or Il Poggiolo (I have eaten at the first two, the latter comes highly recommended by Jena of Ciacci Piccolomoni and Zak of Tuscan House.
Dean, Ceretto Borolo is available here in LA for about $30, that is their regular Borolo perhaps they have single vineyard wines which are more expensive? RR
Posts: 6525 | Location: Culver City, CA, USA | Registered: 08 November 2002
WHen you can pick up Marcarini Barolo or Ca Rome for just a few dollars more, go for those. The ceretto straight Barolo or even the zonchera are just not really exciting wines.
Mike... I have not been in the wine business since I have been an east coaster. I do my shopping at a combination of Macarthurs and Circle. I usualy wait for the sales at Macarthurs and Kumar at Circle can easily be talked into a 20% discount.
Occasionally I will shop at Whole Foods where I get a discount but they don't usually carry my favorite wineries. Since I don't buy anything for immediate consumption and they are not into a lot of for the cellar wines... my 20% discount goes to waste.
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