Montalcino (Brunello)
Today we drove out to the Brunello wine region. Jut like the Nobile wine region centered on Montepulciano, Brunello is centered on Montalcino, about 15 miles away.
Montalcino
Montalcino is another hill town in Tuscany. The wines from this region are referred to as Brunellos. Two fo the wines we had at ou r first dinner in Sorrento came from this region. ,
Even though it was only 15 miles, it took about 40 minutes to drive there. The country drive was very beautiful. Even though the roads were winding, the drive was much easier than Sorrento or the Amalfi Coast. There was little to no traffic on the roads that made it even better.
We drove to the Banfi Winery. It is located about 7 miles out of town, which added another 20 minutes to the drive. The weather was sunny and I did not mind the drive.
Banfi Winery
Banfi was founded in 1978 thanks to the will of the Italian-American brothers, John and Harry Mariani. They are known for their Brunellos as well as a few Chiantis.
We did not have a reservation, but we went early anyway hoping to get in for a tasting. We were lucky, there was nobody there and we got in!
The tasting is a bit expensive ($30 & $60) per person, but well worth it. We got both tastings so we could share and taste more.
Sandy got the $30 tasting that included: Fontanelle Chardonnay, Poggio Alle Mura Rosso, Brunello Di Montalcino, and the Summus Super Tuscan.
I got the $60 tasting that included: Brunello Di Montalcino (same as Sandy’s), Poggio Alle Mura, Poggio Alle Mura Reserva, and the Poggio All’ Oro’
All were very good and Sandy enjoyed having the Chardonnay. However, the bottles are very pricey. We did get a coupon code to get a discount for shipping. I bought a few bottles to take with us to enjoy during our trip.
Banfi Tasting room.
After tasting, we walked around the property. It is a beautify castle. They have a history of glass museum as it relates to wine. They had Roman glass, Venetian glass and wine related items like carafes and goblets. It was an interesting walk through.
On the way back to Montepulacino, we tried to stop by a cheese place, but it was closed and did not open until later. Hopefully we can stop by later tomorrow before we leave town.
