Vineyards, wineries and enotecas


 On my first trip to Europe– the bike trip in Provence–we were constantly stopping at small vineyards and caves which was my first real introduction to wine; and as an aside biking and wine tasting can be challenging. There were several people on the trip who were quite knowledgeable about wine and treated us novices to wines such as Chateau Neuf du Pape. I didn’t keep track of the names of the vineyards (something I always do now) so when I got back to Dallas and attempted to buy some wine from a vineyard near  Gigondas, it was a disaster. 

2022 update: I visited some new vineyards and enotecas in fall 2021.  You can read about them at my More vineyards and enotecas  post, plus read an update on Tenuta Torciano where we had another fun wine tasting.

Badia a Coltibuono

My second bike trip was in Chianti–Florence to Siena to San Gimignano and back with lots of towns in between. We, of course, had good wine with every meal but my favorite experience was at Badia a Coltibuono.  Once a monastery, this beautiful winery located between Radda and Gaiole is, as I understand it, owned by Lorenza de’ Medici.  There are a cooking school, restaurant and accommodations on the site. (website http://en.coltibuono.com/)

Badia a Coltibuono
Badia a Coltibuono

Like many vineyards throughout Tuscany, it produces both excellent wines and olive oil.  Our trip leaders arranged for us to have an olive oil tasting after a tour of the grounds where we saw what may have been the original press.  The guide for our visit described how the oil is made and the difference between the various pressings.  Then we went inside and were given bread and several types of oil to taste.

In 2010 I brought my sister to Badia and then in 2014 I brought my sister, her daughter and her daughter’s friends there.  On the 2014 trip we were all hung over from a major indulgence in wine the night before so we walked up the road from the shop to the main buildings enjoying the beautiful scenery and the cool  air.

 My sister and I visited Badia again in October 2018 and you can see more pictures in my Sempre Chianti post.  We walked from the shop to the winery and took some beautiful photos on a spectacular fall day.

Badia a Coltibuono

 

Banfi

On my second bike trip in Italy we rode through southern Tuscany from Siena to Montalcino and the surrounding towns.  On our way to Montalcino most of the group stopped at an enoteca between Buonconvento and Montalcino.  Several people ordered wine to be shipped to the U.S.; a new concept to me, one that I’ve embraced over the years.

It seems like we did a lot of wine tasting in a short time in Montalcino which is easy to do with the number of enotecas in the town (more about those later) and the number of great vineyards in the area.  That was my first introduction to the big Brunellos of the region which are still some of my favorite reds.

Our first tasting was at the Banfi wineries (and the pictures here are from later trips since the photos from my first trip didn’t do the winery justice.)

Banfi wineries

We had just checked into our hotel when we found out we were riding our bikes to Banfi which is no easy task especially having ridden up to Montalcino on the switchbacks earlier in the day.  But at least it was mostly downhill until we hit the gravel road to the winery.  Most everyone got off their bikes at that point and climbed in the van.

I also remember being totally agog over the grounds and the beautiful facility where they sell their products.  There is also a lovely area for tastings.  We were no slouches in the wine tasting department at that point but I’ve always found the Banfi staff to be highly professional yet friendly and they didn’t seem put off by the crowd of sweaty bikers.

I brought my sister to Montalcino and Banfi in 2010 and here’s my journal entry (and some pictures) from that visit.

At breakfast I told Roberto I wanted to take Sue to Pienza, San Antimo and then to Banfi wineries.  He gave us a map of the surrounding areas and we headed off to the car park.

Despite the maps I still got us lost and almost took the car over a cliff.  I kept getting us on the road to Banfi instead of San Antimo and thought I could cut over to the right road through a little hill top village.  Wrong!  I tried to turn around on a steep street and couldn’t get us in to reverse; instead we kept inching toward the wall–the only thing between us and the valley below.  I finally got out and flagged down a local who got us turned around with just a small boo boo on the bumper.

So I went back in to Montalcino, took the main road to Siena and then found the turn to San Quirico, then back tracked to Bagno Vignoni, Castiglione and San Antimo, ending at the Banfi wineries.’

I still smile thinking about what a great time we had there and the laughs we had when I got Sue to try grappa; I thought she was going to have a heart attack.

In 2014 we brought my niece and her two friends to Banfi and had another great experience.

Banfi wineries

After my niece went home, my daughter arrived and we gave her the same tour.  This time we ordered a case of wine which was fairly expensive since my daughter mainly wanted the  Brunellos but we also included some whites which were not only very reasonable but quite tasty. In fact we had a sparkling white from Banfi at  our 2016 Thanksgiving dinner and it was wonderful.

Find them at: http://castellobanfi.com/en/hospitality/winery-visits.php

2021 Update:  I’m saddened to say that Banfi as I’ve known it no longer exists.  My sister and I visited Montalcino for the first time in 5 years in October 2021 and on our first full day decided to stop at Banfi.  We saw a sign for Banfi Cantina but as we drove up the road, we found a sprawling industrial building blocking the way to the Castello seen in the pictures above.  We couldn’t find any information online as to what had happened to the Castello tasting room but our best guess is that it’s been turned into a hotel. 

Fonterutoli Vineyards

Before our 2014 trip to Italy my niece asked me to find a new vineyard to visit near our hotel in the Chianti area (Belvedere di San Leonino which I’ve written about in my Where to stay post). The hotel had several recommendations on its website but I found a website for Fonterutoli Vineyards and thought it looked beautiful.  I made reservations for the full tour and wine tasting (which I think was about 25 euros at the time) and we spent nearly two hours there.  I thought it was fascinating that the Mazzei family has owned the vineyards since 1435 and their recent renovations have focused on making the facility environmentally friendly, especially with respect to water and energy use. To find them go to their web site at: http://www.mazzei.it/en/Castello-di-Fonterutoli/The-vineyards/

Here are some pictures of the cellars and wine vats along with the very modern and sleek wine tasting rooms.

We later had a delicious dinner at their Osteria di Fonterutoli (which I’ve written about in my  Places to Eat post) located in the eponymous village. 

On that same trip in 2014, my sister, daughter and I decided to go to their enoteca in the village on our last full day at Belvedere.  It was  a gorgeous day and we thought we could hang out and do tastings until our dinner reservation at the Osteria but things didn’t go too smoothly.  We each paid 5 euros and had two or three of their wines.  My daughter, Laura, also tasted some of their olive oil and decided to buy a case of wine and olive oil to be shipped home. The cost of the tasting was supposed to be refunded if we bought wine.  Since Laura had spent over $200 she asked for our refund.  The staff person got pretty snippy with us and so we did not linger and went back to the hotel to wait for our dinner reservation.

Dinner that night which I’ve also written about in my restaurant post was memorable more for the fact that we got to laughing so hard I thought we would be thrown out.

2018: My sister and I visited Fonterutoli again in the fall of 2018 plus ate at the Osteria.

I’ve written about it in my  Sempre Chianti  post and here are some pictures from our visit.

You can find them at https://www.mazzei.it/it/Tenute/Castello-di-Fonterutoli/La-tenuta/

Tenuta Torciano 

As I was planning our 2016 trip my niece asked me to find some new vineyards that would fit into our itinerary.  I did a little internet research and found  the website for Tenuta Torciano.  Their wine tasting and lunch appeared to be just what we were looking for plus its location near San Gimignano made it perfect for the day we planned to spend seeing Colle di Val d’Elsa and San Gimignano. I showed the site to my niece and sister and they were both keen to go so I made reservations.

After visiting Colle di Val d’Elsa we got back on the Firenze-Siena highway, getting back off at Poggibonsi.  We followed the vineyard’s online directions and had no trouble finding the winery in the small village of Ulignano.

Before going into the restaurant we wandered for awhile taking pictures and admiring the grounds.  We, then, were introduced to the owner, Pier Luigi, who was charming and funny, telling us he had a special room for us.  Before seating us, he took us back to the entrance of the winery where he pointed out his vineyards and gave us a history of Tenuta Torciano.

Our tasting room was nice; private and already set up with a plate of cheese, salami and a salad plus a bowl of ribollita.  The assistant poured one white and 6 reds ranging from the lightest to the super Tuscans and Luigi instructed us to taste each food with each wine going left to right, noting what food we liked best with each wine.

Luigi left for a bit them came back in with lasagna and gave us a wine glass protocol lesson.  About halfway through he had to leave for a meeting and his sister (I think) took over.  She was a bit more high pressure sales which was unnecessary because the wines and food were amazing and we already planned to buy.  After we finished our reds, they brought us biscotti and an incredible dessert wine.  The tasting and lunch were 30 euros each and worth every penny.

Afterwards we spent close to an hour in their gardens taking more pictures, (so many I’ve made a collage below) relaxing and, in my case, sobering up so I could drive.

I get their e-mail newsletter and just before Christmas 2016 I received a recipe for their lasagna.  My daughter and I made it for Christmas Eve dinner. Yum! Their web site is: https://www.torciano.com/en/

 Tenuta Casanova

Tenuta Casanova is another vineyard I found during my internet research that fit with our 2016 itinerary. We arrived a little early for our reservation, having driven over from Radda, which is just a few kilometers away.  We weren’t sure how long it would take,  but it was easy to find on the road between Castellina and Poggibonsi.

We first had a tour of the cellars during which the owner, Silvano, gave us a history of the farm and his passion for organic farming that led him to change careers from veterinarian to farmer.  He also mentioned that a percent of their profits go to an orphanage in Kenya which he operates with Jack Nicklaus (I think).

We started in a room with casks of vinegar, then moved to a room where Silvano discussed the various types of wines made at Casanova with special emphasis on their new sparkling white.  We finished in the room for balsamic vinegar where he described how they make their balsamic,  strictly from vinegar and wine as is true of all good balsamics.

Lunch was in an arbor, set among flowering shrubs, olive trees, cypress and vineyards although somewhat incongruously with free range chicken ducks and peacocks wandering around.

Our table was initially set with a plate of cheese, bruschetta with an arabiatta salsa, bread with Casanova’s organic olive oil, caprese salad and a bowl of chickpea salad.  Then our server put the vineyard’s  balsamic on the caprese and a bit of ricotta.  All of it delicious!!

We began our meal with their new sparkling white then moved fairly quickly to their Chianti Casanova. The second course was scrambled eggs  from their free range chickens and then slices of pork slow cooked with garlic and wine. The scrambled eggs had truffle sauce which was delicious. We were also served roasted red peppers that were amazing.  During the second course we received a second glass of the Chianti.

The third course was a very rich lasagna using a béchamel sauce with pecorino only and a meat sauce using pork from their free range  pigs. During that course we had a glass of their super Tuscan wine.  The final course was gelato with balsamic.  Amazing!

Initially I was annoyed that we weren’t told ahead of time that the lunch cost 50 euros, cash only, but then I might have missed an incredibly lovely experience.  You can find them at https://www.tenutacasanova.com/.

Tenuta del Palagio

In 2016  my sister and I did a walking tour of Tuscany with GoAhead Tours (see Thoughts on choosing a tour group, airline or place to stay)  Our walking group stopped at Tenuta del Palagio at the end of a 2 mile walk in the countryside near Greve. (And I wish I could give better directions but I have not been able to find the vineyard on a map.)  It’s a lovely location with beautiful views over the vineyards.  One of the owners took us on a cellar tour, discussing Chianti classico as well as their rosé and pinot grigio.

Vineyards near Tenuta del Palagio

We sat outside on the terrace at three big tables and were given a small glass of their pinot grigio which was excellent then a bottle of rosè with the salad.   The salad was wonderful, every type of vegetable plus capers and cheese.  We, then, had a cheese tray -one type of cheese was paired with a pepper jelly that was superb; another type of cheese was paired with a very good balsamic. We had a Chianti classico with this course.

We had their Chianti reserve with a rigatoni in one of the best pesto sauces I’d ever had, light and buttery.  The wine was excellent too.  We finished with a vin santo which wasn’t as smooth as some I’ve had.  All in all a delicious lunch and a great experience.

Almost everyone, including my sister and I, bought a bottle of the pinot grigio along with a jar of the pepper jelly.  We enjoyed our wine on the patio at Villa Cheli near Lucca.

Villa Geggiano

Sunset at Villa Geggiano

On the same walking tour,  I signed us up for two wine tastings and dinners; and was super glad I did, in part because the meals included in the tour ranged from mediocre to awful.

But mostly because both dinners and wine tastings were phenomenal, albeit in totally different ways.

This beautiful villa is about 15 minutes outside Siena (see map on their website www.villadigeggiano.com/)   and has been in the same family since the 1500’s.  One of the brothers who lives there (Andrea Bandinelli) gave us almost an hour tour of the grounds and the villa.

He and his brother Alessandro, their mother and Andrea’s son run the vineyards and live at the villa full time.  He explained how the villa was expanded and restored in the late 1700’s and several of the rooms have been left exactly as they were after the restoration.

We were served dinner in a lovely formal dining room and started with one of their IGT Toscana wines, Bandinello, along with cheeses and salami.  We moved on to a Chianti classico—Villa di Geggiano—along with a wonderful vegetarian lasagna, then very thin slices of pork or veal and sautéed carrots.

Agriturismo Nibbiano

Our second dinner and wine tasting was at this small agriturismo on a winding road outside of Montepulciano.  I’m not sure how we got in with our coach much less back out again since our driver joined us in several glasses of wine but here’s the web site if you’re interested in finding it. http://www.agriturismo.it/en/farmhouse/tuscany/siena/Nibbiano-1280809/index.html

While the exterior was unprepossessing the dining room was charming, with lights shaped like stars hanging from the exposed beams.  We sat at tables for four, starting with prosecco and an antipasto tray of several types of salami, grilled eggplant, bread salad, etc.

Our first course was an excellent tagliatelle with mushrooms and truffles along with a rosso di montepulciano.  Our hostess said her mother had made the pasta just a few hours before dinner.

Our second course was thinly sliced steak with arugula and tomatoes, also excellent. 

Dessert was a pannacotta with berries.

Our hostess was also charming and we clapped for her and her mother at the end of the meal.

Find them at http://www.nibbiano.net/en/the-restaurant.php

Molino di Grace and Santa Margherita

My sister and I took a wine tour of Chianti from Firenze which I’ve written about in my Sempre Chianti  post. We went to Il Molino di Grace and Santa Margherita both of which I liked.  I’ve included the gallery of Il Molino di Grace here that I used in my Sempre Chianti post because I thought it was an exceptionally beautiful vineyard.

Villa Le Piazzole

Villa le Piazzole

The ‘Villa’ is more of a hotel and destination wedding site but I wanted to include it here because my sister and I had a lovely dinner and wine tasting here in October 2019.  We booked the dinner through City Wonders whom we’ve used for three previous tours in Rome and Venice (two great and one not so much.)  We met our group in central Florence and were surprised that there were only three others–young women from Nashville on their first European trip.  We took a rather frightening drive in our van through the centro, into the Oltrarno and through Porta Romana, up via Senese to where it dead ends near a former Medici villa.  We then drove through some narrow winding streets in the hills south of Florence to the Villa.  There’s a long drive from the gate through a park like setting.

When we arrived at the Villa, our guide, Anna Maria Carbone met us and took us on a walk through the grounds and vineyards and then through the wine cellar.  The grounds were beautiful and our guide exceptionally nice and knowledgeable.  According to Anna the villa had been built by wealthy friends of the Medicis but had been abandoned for many years.  A couple from Milan bought the villa, restoring both the villa and the vineyards. It was right around sunset and we took several pictures of the sunset as well as the grounds and main house.

The six of us had a table in the dining room where we had a delicious three course meal, of a meat and cheese tray, pesto pasta, and roast pork and potatoes.  We had a white wine and two reds with our meal followed by a dessert wine with biscotti; all very good and made on the grounds. Unlike most vineyard tours and dinners, however, we never met the owners.

Our guide even drove my sister and me back to our hotel in the Oltrarno.

Find them at https://www.lepiazzole.com/?lang=en.

Buonamico

2015

Prior to our first trip to Lucca and the Garfagnana in 2015 (see Lucca and the Garfagnana post) I researched vineyards in the area and found that there were a number of well rated wineries in the area between Lucca and Montecarlo.  At the same time I ran across an article about the Devil’s Bridge and Bagni di Lucca.

So I put together a day trip to the Devil’s Bridge, Bagni di Lucca and Montecarlo.  We made it to Bagni di Lucca on our second day in the area and after strolling around the town taking pictures we stopped at a small café for cappuccino. I asked the café owner  for directions south to Pescia and Montecarlo.  When we got on this crazy mountain road, I thought she’d sent us the wrong way but we stayed the course and eventually made it to Pescia, Collodi and points south.

We first stopped at Fattoria di Poggio just before Montecarlo because I’d read about it on Tripadvisor but it was just a huge restaurant. So we went on to Montecarlo where we had lunch at a restaurant on the main street.  We sat outside and had some laughs watching a group of German bikers pound down the beers then hop on their bikes.

After lunch we headed towards Lucca and spotted another vineyard that I’d read about online; Buonamico.  It was terrific.  We tasted several wines, ordered a case and bought a bottle of sparkling rosè to take with us to  Florence.  The rosè was wonderful and one of my best memories is drinking it in the garden of Villa Betania.

2016

We did the same route to Bagni di Lucca and then to Montecarlo in 2016.  I didn’t write much in my journal although I do remember that I thought I had us on the wrong road again.  We ate at the same little restaurant in Montecarlo but my sister was upset that she’d forgotten her credit card.

I kept trying to cajole her saying, ‘It’s no big deal.  We all make mistakes.  Look at all the ones I’ve made on this trip…..’  I finally said I’d pay and we headed to Buonamico.  As seemed to be the case on this trip, the nice woman from the previous year was gone and the new woman was curt and cold.  But she did let us taste several new wines and in the process we got to talking and laughing with a nice group of Brits.  I ended up paying 212 euros ($238) to have a case shipped home.  [Post trip comment:  And I had a huge fist fight with Buonamico after the trip ‘cause they lost our order and we didn’t get it for nearly 6 weeks.]

2019

It was a drop dead gorgeous day and we left Villa Cheli around 11:00 am for Buonamico (having found out earlier that there were no available times that day or the next for their formal winery tour and tasting which includes an antipasto tray). 

We drove directly to Buonamico using Google map directions which took us east and north from Villa Cheli around the east edge of Lucca.  I had to backtrack a couple of times but we made it around 12:10 pm I think.  We mentioned having bought wine there before so the staff gave us nice pours of 2 rosès, 2 whites and 2 reds.  We bought 24 bottles to ship and she gave us more than a 40% discount.  But the shipping was crazy expensive.

We were flat out drunk by then and sat outside to sober up and take a few pictures.  I managed to get us into Montecarlo and the walk up the hill and around the town helped sober us up as did a lunch of meats, cheeses, and acqua  at la Buca.         

La Buca, Montecarlo
La Buca, Montecarlo

You can find the vineyard at: https://www.buonamico.it/en/  

 

 

France

Mas de la Dame

When my sis and I visited Provence in 2015, I put together a list of vineyards that I wanted to visit but since I had us lost half the time, we didn’t get to the ones on my list.  But we happened upon a lovely organic vineyard between Les Baux and St. Remy, Mas de la Dame or Farm of the Women.  According to a brochure I picked up, it is owned by two sisters and has been in their family since their grandfather purchased it in 1903.  Also Van Gogh painted Mas de la Dame in 1889 which is not surprising since the grounds are beautifully landscaped and we strolled around for awhile taking pictures.

Mas de la Dame
Mas de la Dame

I can’t recall now if we tasted both white and rosé but I know we really liked the rosé and bought a demi bottle that we enjoyed in St. Raphael.

Wine from Mas de la Dame

The only negative was that when we asked about ordering and shipping, the individual working in the tasting room gave us a card with a U.S. number and said they shipped from their U.S. locations.  Despite numerous e-mails to them I was never able to find a location that would ship to us.

 

Enotecas

Montalcino

Enoteca di Piazza

My experience with enotecas began in Montalcino.  As I wrote earlier, my bike group did a wine tasting in Montalcino that I’m fairly sure was at the Enoteca Fortezza di Montalcino, one of the best known in the area.  As I recall, they seated us in a separate room which I think was downstairs and gave us a very generous tasting.

When my sister and I came back to Montalcino in 2010, we stayed in a lovely B&B, Palazzina Cesira, (more about that in my Where to stay post) and our wonderful host Roberto recommended the Enoteca di Piazza across from the B&B. Again here is an excerpt from my journal plus one of my favorite pictures:

‘During our wine tasting which I thought was pretty cool; i.e.  purchasing a 5 euro ‘ticket’ then trying the wines that interest you, there was a storm and as we sat at a table by the window we saw a gorgeous rainbow out over the plains.’

After the storm

We went back to the enoteca before moving on to the Chianti area and had a case of wine and olive oil shipped back to the states for a very reasonable amount.  I still have a Chianti classico and a Brunello from that case that I’ve been saving for an occasion that has yet to happen.  And as I understand it, I should probably have them re-corked.

In 2014 my niece and her friends shipped home a case of wine and olive oil from the Enoteca di Piazza.  And in September 2016 my sister and I had a quick lunch at a little trattoria that shares space with the enoteca while on our walking tour.  My sister ran in and bought some olive oil for her daughter, but we didn’t have time to order a case.

Florence

Alla Sosta dei Papi

For several years we’ve been stopping at Fuori Porta for vino, crostini and people watching after our first day hike to Piazzale Michelangelo.  But in 2017 I wrote, Fuori Porta was disappointing; the crostini weren’t good and by the time I ate what I could, the place was empty.

view from Fuori Porta
view from Fuori Porta

Still I got a nice picture of the area near the bar.

Given my disappointment over Fuori Porta, I felt fortunate to have found Alla Sosta dei Papi.  I stumbled on it first through Tripadvisor and then looked up its web site:  http://www.sostadeipapi.it/.

I was thrilled when I found it would be close to both my apartment and the school, although it took me several tries before I found it on Borgo al Croce.  I went there my first Saturday in Florence and here’s what I wrote: 5:55pm: @ Sosta with a huge glass of chianti.  Tried to order a panino but got crostini.  May have to get another order.  At least the crostini are better than Fuori Porta.  In any event I finally feel like I’m where I want to be.  This place is great. 8:55pm:  Holy shit!!  I’m drunk.  But got to talking to two nice women from New Zealand and had a prosecco and another order of crostini. 

And when I say ‘huge glass’ I mean filled to the brim all for 3€ along with three fresh, good crostini.  They have a huge selection of bottled wines as well as big vats of house wine for just over 4€.  I bought a bottle one evening, going back at least 4 times over the next two weeks. Then I brought my sister here the Friday night before we left for Verona and parts east and again our last night in Florence.  She loved it too and we took lots of pictures you can see below.

With one exception, I was always treated pleasantly when I came in alone. I felt I could sit as long as I wanted, writing in my journal or studying Italian. The second time I came in I wrote,  I embarrassed myself  by saying ‘bottella’ not bottiglia, but it still feels nice to be part of the ‘scene.’   When I happened to mention Sosta in my Italian class, my teacher seemed surprised that I had found it and agreed it was the best value in Florence.

The one exception was the evening I stopped after going to Il Museo dell’Opera dell Duomo.  I asked for a prosecco and unlike my first time, the woman working the ‘bar’ gave me a tiny glass and was border line rude to me.  Weirdly enough the first time I brought my sister, we  were sitting at a table made from a wine barrel, and the same woman came out of the back room and started shoving our table, almost spilling our wine.

Still it is our new favorite and I can’t wait to go back.

2019: We had a very disappointing experience here in 2018 (see my Firenze, old and new post) but I returned in 2019 while attending Istituto Michelangelo and then when my sister and I returned to Firenze at the end of our trip.  I brought some of my class mates here as well as my sister and we didn’t have any weird experiences.

Pozzo Divino

My language school in Firenze, Istituto di Michelangelo, arranged for a group of us to have a wine tasting at Pozzo Divino.  The owner (I believe) who also owns an excellent sandwich shop, Pino’s, guided us to the cellar where we were seated at three tables.  He began with a discussion about balsamic vinegar, in particular how to know you’re buying the best.  He placed a basket of bread on each table, then gave us a bottle of balsamic to try.  It was amazing.

We continued with a similar discussion and tasting of an excellent olive oil.

We, then, moved on to a white wine, a Chianti Classico and a Super Tuscan, trying them with both cheese and prosciutto.  Before tasting each wine we discussed, the best years in which to buy them, the bouquet  the legs and so forth.  Our host, who was extremely knowledgeable and pleasant asked us to guess the major aroma in each wine. I was pleased to guess ‘pear’ correctly with the white wine.

As you can see in the gallery the pours were very generous and we were having a great time by the end of the evening.

Enoteca Alessi

In 2019 our last full day in Firenze was chilly and rainy.  After visiting Il Museo dell’Opera del Duomo (see Museums, monuments and interesting sights  post) I drug my sister up past Santa Maria Novella to a street where I was hoping to find a book store that had journals.  We did find it but it was closed.

So we schlepped through the rain all the way back to Piazza del Duomo, with a brief stop at Farmacia Santa Maria Novella.  I remembered seeing an enoteca online that was supposed to be just south of the Duomo.  Unlike my other excursions we found it right away.  We sat down at a table in the small room just inside the entrance.  Behind it is a large wine store with a wine cellar beneath it.

We ordered glasses of red wine and a meat and cheese tray.  While the pours and food could have been more generous, they were both quite good.  It was a welcome respite from the rain and cold and I would definitely go back.  Next time though, I think I would buy a bottle and have a wine tasting in the store.

South of France

I also have to give a shout out for the little enoteca we visited in Les Arcs sur Argens which I also mention in my The Riviera for the Uncool post.  Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find the name of it; the owners of Hotel du Soleil in St. Raphael gave us the name and we found the location through the local tourist office.  I believe we came in to Les Arcs from the northeast and the enoteca is on the south edge of the town near the road that we then took back to the coast and through Frejus to St. Raphael.

Les Arcs sur Argens

[From my map of Les Arcs I thought the enoteca was perhaps Maisons les Vins but from its website,  it appears to be a much larger facility than the one we visited.]

In any event we had a lovely winetasting there.  Several good wines plus a variety of meats and cheeses.  If you look up the town online you will see a long list of vineyards in the area (several of which have accommodations) but I believe we tasted wines from Chateau des Demoiselles.  It’s definitely an area I would like to return to and visit some of the vineyards which look beautiful.

To travel is to live, especially when it means finding new vineyards.

© All rights reserved

 

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2017-2022

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *