Actually we lunched at Enoteca Osticcio back in May of 2011 and found it quite nice. We found ourselves seated at a table next to Roberto Gianelli of San Filippo. While I was away from the table he nonchalantly asked my wife about the glass of rosato she was drinking and unable to answer his question told him he have to ask me, she didn’t know. When I returned he asked if the wine in question was (and he referred to it by it’s proprietary name which I can’t remember) and I said yes. He looked at me and said “That’s my wine”. After some quick introductions I told him that the store I worked carried his Brunellos and I sold them. He smiled, ordered a bottle of wine for his table (a Siro Pacenti Rosso) and asked the server for two more glasses for us.
Based on that, I would even recommend looking into a visit at San Filippo. We for our part went to see La Rosina and Marco Mantengoli. Seriously hands on operation and since my wife had only done wine visits in Napa, this was a bit of a revelation for her.
I would also recommend Rei de Macchia & Grappolo Blu. They were both good. We did eat at Poggio Antico as well, but my entree was not very good. The rest of the meal was fine, though.
We went on tours at Fuligni, Ciacci, Costanti, Soldera, Poggio Antico & Castelgiocondo. I think Costanti may have been my favorite overall, but think that Ciacci had the best tasting experience (i.e. more bottlings available to taste). I’d probably recommend Costanti, Fuligni & Ciacci.
As far as why I wouldn’t recommend it, I don’t know that there is anything specific. It just didn’t really resonate with my wife and I as much as Costanti or Fuligni. I considered those 3 of the ones I went to as the most intimate, while the other 3 seemed to be a bit of bigger scale. I think that you will have a great time no matter which wineries you choose…tough not to enjoy Montalcino.
Two years ago we stayed at Il Borgo Banfi for four nights. While not everyone’s choice of wine to taste or winery to visit, Il Borgo Banfi is a fantastic place to stay and convenient to many places where you would like to visit and taste.
Oh my goodness…brings back great memories of Montalcino and I want to go back ASAP. Was so relaxing and beautiful. I think I had a variation of Wild Boar with Pasta in every single restaurant I went to in Tuscany. So delicious and the olive oils taste so good too.
"Oh my goodness…brings back great memories of Montalcino and I want to go back ASAP. Was so relaxing and beautiful. I think I had a variation of Wild Boar with Pasta in every single restaurant I went to in Tuscany. So delicious and the olive oils taste so good too."
Absolutely! Me too! (And there was some good wine too!)
+2. I sense that Montalcino is a bit underrated to wine lovers as a place to visit, but it’s really terrific, and the dining is superb. Wine lists are great as well, with great bottles, mature vintages, and little if any markup.
And yes, you find yourself ordering (at least as one portion of your meal) some kind of boar or veal ragu over and over again, and it’s always so damn good.
Il Giglio is the best restaraunt i town, with a great wine list…I think it’s only open a few nights each week, though, and you definitely need a reservation.
Just got back from Umbria and highly recommend side trips from Perugia to both Gubbio and Assisi (each reachable within a very easy 20-30 minutes drive from Perugia). Both can be easily accomplished in an afternoon (lunch in Gubbio is fun), although you could easily spend a full day (or more) in Assisi. If you’re looking for a total bargain and gem of a place to stay, just outside Perugia (about a 12 minute drive to the city), is Relais San Clemente. Very peaceful, beautiful place (an old monastary, converted to hotel) with extraordinarily low price for the quality of accomodation (like 60 Euros per night, breakfast buffet included). Seems to be a kind of hidden, off-the-beaten path place that Italians travelling on holiday stay. The main town square in Perugia is very nice…
Unfortunately, my wife and I must have gone on an off-night for Il Giglio. We had a terrible experience, including some poultry (I can’t remember what kind of bird) that appeared to have been a bit rotten. It was a major disappointment, because the environment is great and it had come highly recommended to us. Its probably important to note that we went in mid-March, and it felt like we were the only tourists around. I’d second all of the other dining recommendations, particularly Grappolo Blu, which was fantastic.
Great to see this thread is still alive. Thanks a lot for so much great feedback. Toughest decision is which wineries to choose, with all the great suggetions, and great producers out there. Probably need to come back next year as well !
We also greatly enjoyed our meal at Grappolo Blu, but it is a much more simple, casual kind of place than Il Griglio. I still remember my Primi (pasta) dish there as being especially outstanding!
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