Looking for wineries near Montalcino that are good for larger group (8-12). The group likes wine but aren’t wine enthusiasts. Price is some concern. Not looking for free but I just got a response from one winery that interested me and the cheapest option was 60 euros/person. If it was me and my wife, not a problem but this won’t fly for my group. We have drivers so not looking for a tour. Just want to find 2-3 places that are decent and reasonable so they can say they tasted in Tuscany.
We could do Banfi and Col d’Orcia (need to verify group size isn’t an issue) but would like a third option in that area. I haven’t received a response yet from Il Poggione. Was looking at Poggio Antico or Camigliano but I am not familiar with either of those wineries. Is there another option in this area?
This area is closest to where we are staying but willing to look closer to Montalcino if the options are better there.
Le Ragnaie was a great visit for us a couple years back. Beautiful property. Friendly, unpretentious hosts. Free (not sure if $ for a big group)
Easy 5 min drive up the mountain from Montalcino proper.
It seems like the Apple Maps has a problem and it shows Fattoria dei Barbi much farther from Montalcino than the Google map, which is why I hadn’t checked it. This is a different area for sure but one that can work. Fattoria dei Barbi Seems like it should fit and Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona looks to be near by. Thanks
I haven’t been to Montalcino for a few years but Biondi Santi was pretty well set up for visits. I’ve also quite enjoyed visiting Uccelliera and Tenuta Fanti and both should be visit-able without paying a king’s ransom.
And if you’re up for a bit of a drive the Antinori facility is very cool and will appeal non-winos.
Thanks Aaron. If I can trust the website Biondi Santi isn’t an option. It states “ Kindly note that we do not offer tours and tastings at the estate.”. However Uccelliera is an interesting options that I am going to pursue.
Fattoria barbi , historic winery with wine museum and excellent on site restaurant for
Relaxing
lunch after rigors of tasting.just south of montalchino . Their single vineyard fiore excellent brunello
It sounds like a place like Enoteca La Fortezza might be just the right thing. It’s a beautiful large enoteca (wine bar and shop, basically, but not like you’d think of one in the US) with many wines from the area and the facilities to service your group with a selected tasting. A huge historic fortress right inside Montalcino.
Also an excellent choice in an enoteca is Enoteca di Piazza with its tasting room location being self-serve with machines so there’s no pressure for any particular person and the my have full control over what they taste and how much. And, very good food.
Enotecs and wine shops in montalchino of more interest to those experienced in the wines of the region. For those new to the region I’d suggest a winery based experience . Can easily arrange a private tasting with barbi or piccolomini with presentation of each wine plus some appetizers. Both can easily handle 12 people. Poccolomini is near abbey San antimo a must see in the area. Serviceable trattoria nearby y: piccolomino has abeautifulview over southerbrunlo and can easily arrange private tasting for a group. Also a fascinatingly story of the origin of the estate. For my money I favor barbi.Antonio
Or more
I know nothing about Poggio alle Monache, but they are just 500 meters from a working monastery called Monte Olivetto. I was fortunate enough to tour the monastery then attend the evening vespers service; it was a very memorable human experience. I’d recommend it to anyone, regardless of their belief/non-belief.
Had an appointment-tour and tasting in January, just my wife and I, and it was a genuinely enjoyable experience. Our tour was a fun mix of wine-geeky stuff (that’s just me with my questions and comments) and jaw-dropping tour of the museum-ambiance of the villas/chapel from the 1500s and the rest of the beautiful property.
Oh, the wines tasted were excellent and were generously poured. Even opened a couple of extra bottles that, I suspect, were not part of their regular tastings.
Thanks for pointing out the abbey. This is now a must stop. Looks like Barbi, Piccolomini, and a third plus the abbey would be great for this group. I sent an email to Uccelliera as the possible third.
This looks beautiful. A little bit farther from what is firming up as an itinerary but close enough that it could be the third winery if Uccelliera isn’t an option.
We had a nice group when we visited a couple years back (8ppl), we visited Constanti, Ciacci, and Casanouva de neri. We had a blast and each place were very gracious in welcoming us. Good luck.
We ended up not going to Montalcino, which is what I was pushing. Travel time was 90 minutes each way from where we were staying and for a group of non-enthusiasts I thought wineries closer would still be fine. With the help of our drivers, we set up visits at three places that provided a nice perspective.
First place was an Antinori property, which they said was the smallest of all of their properties. Everything was nice but the group felt it was just a bit too commercial. The rose was nice but expensive at 35 euros. Interesting to note taste a Tuscan Malbec and to note that they don’t produce a Sangiovese here. But this was a great contrast to the second visit.
Second place was villa corano, a much smaller place where the owner/winemaker met our group and led the tasting. He needed an interpreter but nothing seemed lost in translation. The wines were a bit more varied in my opinion. I felt one to be flawed but others were very good. Antinori seemed a bit too clean where these were more rustic but reflected the owner. I don’t like to use the term but one in our group said these wines had soul and I think it fits.
Third place was Terenzi. For lack of a better explanation, it split the difference between the first two. More polished than villa corano in both the wine and presentation yet somehow lacked the same commercial feel & too clean wines of Antinori. The group liked most of the wines preferring the white and Sangiovese wines.
All three tastings were with food. I would recommend any of them if in the area.
Thanks for the recap, @Brian_Gilp! I wondered how everything had gone with your trip. It sounds like a wonderful time and nice intro to wine tasting for non-enthusiasts.
