Where in the World are the Wendells: Montalcino

Montalcino sits on a hilltop, surrounded by some of the most valuable vineyards in the world. The Sangiovese Grosso grapes that made the Brunello di Montalcino can be seen in every direction. The Fortezza (fortress) sits at the top of the hill, and the town’s few streets cascade downhill from there. The small Piazza del Popolo (People’s Square) is the main meeting spot, with the venerable Caffe Fiaschetteria Italiana, which is a coffee shop, café, and wine bar from 1888. The City Hall looms over the square. Florence ruled Montalcino until Siena wrested control away in 1260, then Medici Florance recaptured it in 1555. A column in the main square displays the Siena she-wolf, showing the nostalgia Montalcino holds for the prosperous times under Siena rule.

City Hall

Piazza del Popolo,
column with Siena she-wolf

Fortress

There are lots of great shops along Via Mazzini and Via Ricasoli. My friend Michele Becci lives part-time in Montalcino, and publishes the outstanding Our Italian Table. If you love Italian food, I highly recommend you check it out. Michele suggested several places in Montalcino, in addition to the Caffe Fiaschetteia above. Great local honey at Vendita Diretta on Via Ricasoli. On the main square, fine linens at Montalcino 564 and a great selection of wines at Enoteca Pierangioli. And the Michelin star restaurant Taverna del Grappolo Blu.

Sant Agostino frescoes

Sant Agostino

Vendita Diretta (honey and more)

Something we noticed throughout Tuscany is that every restaurant also sells wine, and the wine lists in most restaurants are not sorted by varietal as they are in the US. Instead, the list is organized by winery, and lists the vintages of the wines they produce. Since different wineries follow different production and aging processes, it helps to know something about the wineries in order to select the right wine. For example, purchasing a Riserva guarantees that it was aged in oak barrels, but some wineries age in oak longer than required by Italian law. In retrospect, I should have visited my wine merchant before traveling to Italy, to identify a few Brunello di Montalcino and Nobile di Montepulciano wineries that we like. This would make it easier to select a wine for dinner, and also ensure that we can purchase the wine that we enjoy in Italy back home. To be more economical, you can pick a great vintage (e.g 2016 or 2019), but order the Rosso instead of Riserva, which is aged for fewer years but still excellent.

Visting the Capanna vineyard was a great experience. Just a mile down the mountain from Montalcino, you take a gravel road another mile into vineyards, on either side of the road you see entrances to the elite wineries of the region. We learned that of the 15 certified Brunello wineries, Capanna claims to be the only one founded by farmers (not local aristocrats). They also age their wine exclusively in large oak barrels (FYI, Montalcino means “mountain of oaks”), and age it longer than many of their competitors. For example, their 2019 Riserva will not be available until later this year, while many other wineries have already released their 2019 Riserva. We splurged on a 2016 Reserva, since 2016 was a “five star”, on of the best growing seasons in many years.