Montalcino, Tuscany-Castles and WINE!

Montalcino is a sleepy hill town that rises above a sea of green vineyards.  An impressive castle sits on one end of the village reminding you of Montalcino's alignment with Sienna during the Middle Ages.

Rolling Hills of Tuscany

There was an unfamiliar sound ringing in my ears as I lay in bed.  Not the rumble of a garbage truck nor the wailing of a siren;  both familiar to my city-dwelling ears.  No this was the sound of a morning in the Italian countryside, and it took me a minute to process the noise.    Church bells were chiming, Vespas buzzing down the lane and roosters were crowing from the nearby properties.  Ah yes, I remembered now; we were in Tuscany.  

On a pilgrimage of sorts for the most famous wine in the region, we ventured out to the Tuscan hill town of Montalcino which is set in the gently rolling hills of straw-coloured grass called the Val d'Orchia or Valley of Gold.  Green and fertile in the Spring, but by September the Val d"Orchia is a blanket of golden yellow grass.  

The Val d' Orchia

Montalcino is also the birthplace of a famous Tuscan wine; Brunello.  This was our first day trip out in Tuscany, and we brought our Garmin GPS with us from home. The GPS is nicknamed Sangeeta, and bringing Her was the best decision we made. Our Australian neighbours ended up lost and frustrated every day trying to navigate Tuscany by map and road signs (which are very confusing in rural Tuscany); they ended up just hanging out at the farmhouse in Cortona every day because they were tired of getting lost all the time. Luke had programmed Sangeeta from home, so all we had to do is press "GO", and we were set to drive through Tuscany's beautiful Val d'Orchia. 

La Fortezza Of Montalcino

The hill town of Montalcino can be seen from far across the valley floor due to its formidable castle on top of the village-The Fortezza.  This was our first hilltown in Tuscany and our first castle in Italy, and we were all very eager to explore it.  There is cheap parking in front of The Fortezza at Piazzale Fortezza, or there is a free parking lot just below the castle, which is where we parked our rental car.  Liam, as an 11-year-old boy loved climbing the old castle ramparts and explaining Medieval battle techniques to us.

Fun Climbing Up To The Ramparts

The Fortezza or La Rocca as its also called was built after the 1260 battle between Siena and Florence, wherein Siena won.  Switching their alliance from Florence to Sienna, Montalcino has been Sienna's biggest ally ever since and remain tight neighbours even to this day.   The castle is pretty much an empty shell, but it was fun to explore.  The views from the ramparts of the La Rocca show the almost lunar-like landscape with its undulating hills dotted with farms and vineyards.  The best part is that the Fortezza is also an "enoteca" - which is a wine bar where you can sample the local wines before you buy, or just purchase top-end wines by the glass along with light nibbles.  This was a win-win situation for Liam and for us, and YES kids are allowed to be in the wine bar!  It cost €4 to explore the Fortezza, and you just pay at the wine bar to enter.  For more information on the Enoteca la Fortezza click  enotecalafortezza.com.

View Of Montalcino From La Fortezza

Montalcino is famous for its dark red wine called Brunello (The brunette in Italian).  I didn't know very much about Italian wine, but the staff at the Enoteca la Fortezza were extremely knowledgeable and educated me on the history of Brunello.   The correct name for the wine is Brunello di Montalcino, and it is made of 100% Sangiovese Grosso grapes-a.k.a Brunello grapes.  The colour of the grapes at the time of harvest is brown, and that's where its name comes from.  The wine was created in the late 1800s by the Biondi Santi family and there are around 250 small and mostly upscale wineries around Montalcino producing Brunello.  Brunello by law must be aged in oak casks for a minimum of 2 years and then in the bottle for at least 4 months, and a Reserva must be aged for an additional year.  Traditionally, Brunello was aged in the cask for 2 years and in the bottle for another 3 years giving it a smooth, full-bodied taste.  With all the time and attention this wine gets during its vinting process, this wine stands up to the test of time and is meant to cellar for 10 years, but can be aged for 30 years and only get better.  But who can wait that long?!  There were some seriously expensive bottles of vintage Brunell for sale at the Enoteca.

Brunello

Now while I loved Brunello,  I found another wine I liked even better; the Rosso del Montalcino.  Rosso del Montalcino is a younger version of Brunello, still using 100% Sangiovese Grosso grapes but the wine is aged for in Oak for only 6 months and aged in the bottle for 1 year.  I found the Rosso del Montalcino was much more easy-drinking than Brunello and comes with a much cheaper price tag at around half the cost.  Rosso del Montalcino has been called "the poor man's Brunello." but I like to call it "Baby Brunello" and it is lighter, fruitier and much less tannic.   We tried many other types of wine that I had never heard of before, such as the Sant' Antimo Rosso which is a blend named after the 12th-century Abbey of Sant'Antimo that is located a few kilometres south of Montalcino.  This where we were heading to next.

Ancient Door

Our heads were feeling a buzz, and our bags were full of wine, so we wandered through the town along the main drag to the principal piazza called Piazza del Popolo.  There were some pretty shops and restaurants in Montalcino, and most of them sold wine.  Winding our way back downhill to the car, we noticed a group of hunters all wearing camouflage clothes and carrying large hunting rifles. September was hunting season in Tuscany, and I was told by the hunters that they were after the infamous cinghiale or wild boar that live in the oak forests in Tuscany and can literally decimate vineyards overnight.  The hunters told me that cinghiale was a seasonal Tuscan specialty and that I should look for it on the restaurant menus at this time of year, I would not be disappointed.  Ok then, I smiled and agreed.  I was not about to tell a man in head to toe camo gear with a gun that "sono vegetariano" or that "I am a vegetarian"!

We zoomed away from Montalcino, heading to the Benedictine Monastery of Sant'Antimo a short drive away for a picnic and some Gregorian chanting.  Hope to see you there!

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