To Steven, Kim and Mitch read it an weep. This is the wine tour not to miss when in Tuscany.

Day 6,  Shirley, Balty, Karen And I are off on a wine tour of the famous wine  Brunello region Montalcino. We are picked up by Silvio who just happen to be part of cooking class we went to on Tuesday . 

The first winery we visit is called La Fornace, set high the hills, the view alone is spectular. There 12 acres under vines, they yield approximately 60 thousand liters of Sangiovese  grose wine, this is a grape with a thicker skin, but a lot of grape are left on the ground as they do not meet the quality required.

This tour is not just about tasting  wine it is also about meeting the people whose passion for wine making is shown with every word they speak every hand jester the use and every expression on their face as they explain the beauty of the wine. 

LaFornace has only three wine to taste , a Rosso, Brunella which is the left over wine that is not allow to be used as they have made their quotes of the major wine. This now allows for the blending of other grapes thus we get the above. The major one is the reserve Brunello.

The difference between these wines is about complexities, but you need to try them so you taste buds make the decision. The Rosso is your ready to drink , the Brunella is our 20 to 30 dollar bottle and the reserve is the one you keep. No Brunella of the high quality are allowed to be sold before they have sat in the barrel for five years.

We were to go to a further 3 wineries which cover the same types of wine but have slightly different styles. 

At every winery the owners and their families made us truly welcome in such a way that I felt like I was home with you all. They had prepared for us a small  antipasti plate, spoke to us if we had known them forever.

The other wineries we visited  were Bellaria, worked by grandparent, parents and grand children

Fattoi  is nested in the hills of Montalcino,run by father ,mother and daughter. Their wines have been place third in the world of Brunella for the last 2year.

Lazzeretti  The wine maker here is a young man, his name is Marco,his wines for last six years have between 90 and 95 points. The 90 was his first year a making Brunello.

As you possible can tell  I have totally enjoyed my adventure and have learnt a lot more about the world of wines.

Still having problems with wi-fi, hope you are well, that includes our friends from Canada, U.S.A.

Ciao.