Montalcino

Today’s plan was for Mike & Dianne, Judy & Craig and us to try three wine tastings in the heart of the Brunello area at three different wineries with a meal included in the first tasting.  But we lingered so long over the meal that one of the tastings had to be cancelled.

Our day started at Tenuta Fanti in Montalcino, an estate that is owned by the Fanti family since the beginning of the 1800’s. They own 300 acres of land but only 55 are planted with grapes and 60 acres have olive trees. Their grapes are hand picked with the best set aside for the premium vintage.

Every course of the meal was taken with a different wine so we tasted a white, a rose’ and five Brunello’s.

To work off all that food and wine we stopped in the hill city of Montalcino.  The Chiesa (church) di San Agostino dominates the hill top but on the inside it is very plain with frescos decorating the walls and nave. It is one of the younger churches we have visited having been built in 1832.  Another church, Santa Catarina, was more elaborately adorned.

Late in the afternoon we tasted wine at Altesino.  We had a nice tour, tasted four of their wines and headed home, hot and tired.  

Dinner was all the left over food from the night before.