Wine, Women and the Open Road

As with any trip to Tuscany, our days were spent admiring the countryside and drinking a glass of wine or two along the way.  The itinerary for one day in particular was specifically devoted to wine drinking.  We got up that morning and set out for Montepulciano.  Wikipedia notes that Montepulciano "is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and comune in the province of Siena in southern Tuscany."  It also states that Montepulciano is known worldwide for its wine, and I think we can agree now that it produces some of the finest wine in Italy. 

There are signs all over Tuscany for the "Strada del Vino" which we intended to follow throughout the day.  We plugged an address into our GPS, but ended up pulling off our path to stop first at the Poliziano vineyard.  We thought the place to be closed, but I rang the bell politely asking "Parla Inglese?" and getting the quick response which allowed us to enter.  Two men walked to the door and gave one look at the three girls then very obviously let us know they were pleased to see us.  It was a nice greeting!  It was then just the girls and one very nice Italian man who allowed us to taste 4 wines from their collection.  It was a unanimous vote for the Asinone, although they were all quite nice.  We each bought a bottle and then were given a brief tour of the premises.

After leaving the vineyard we had lunch at a cute little place our host suggested and then did a few more tastings at shops before heading to our next vineyard.  We came upon a place called Il Greppo.  Upon arriving here we found a tour bus full of Italians tasting wine and then drinking espresso trying to get ready for the road!  We waited for them to leave and then once again the three of us had the full attention of the owners' son who shared a few of their wines.  We of course bought a bottle and then walked the grounds of the beautifully organic farm and vineyards.  The day was a perfect one weather wise and we enjoyed our purchases later that evening rounding out a perfect afternoon. 

If visiting Tuscany, the wine road is an absolute must do.  I would suggest trying to choose a few vineyards before setting out though as you might cover more ground (and taste more wine) with an established plan! Salute!