While there are many excellent tasting rooms and wine cellars in the historic town of Montepulciano itself, I wanted to experience an “authentic wine cellar tour” in the heartland of the famed Vino Nobile wine growing region.

As there are over 72 bottlers in the Montepulciano wine consortium,  who better to ask for a winery recommendation than the hostess at The Consorzio del Vino Montepulciano?  As hoped, the hostess was more than happy to arrange a same day, private cellar tour and wine tasting at a boutique winery called Tenuta Valdipiatta, just outside the medieval walled town.

 

Roughly translated, Tenuta Valdipiatta means Estate in the Flat Valley….in other words, miles of wide-open rows of gorgeous Sangiovese grapes!   Several winding roads later, our GPS led us down a long dusty dirt road toward Tenuta Valdipiatta in the wine-growing area known as Gracciano. [Read more…]