Our second full day in Tuscany took us to this ancient village. Some have dated it back to the 2 century BC. In America we can’t fathom this kind of history.

Montepulciano is known for its wine. In fact they have some of the oldest vineyards in all of Italy. Walking through the narrow cobblestoned streets we were offered wine tastings from many different vineyards.

Vineyards aren’t opened to the public as they are here in the states. I had dreamed of visiting a Tuscan vineyard overlooking rolling hills of ancient vines. But we soon learned that you must stay at the vineyard in order to experience it up close. All others must visit the many tasting rooms in villages such as Montepulciano.

The wine rooms are quaint and run by enthusiastic hosts. Tastings are free, plentiful and come with lots of cheeses, meats and breads to pair with each sip.

Our first tasting was in a small, narrow room lined with bricks, barrels and bottles of wine. It was quaint, but not what we were hoping for. Our host was gracious even when we left without purchasing any of her wine.

The next street we were welcomed by a sweet woman, Sarah was her name. She enticed us with a free tour of the underground tunnels. How could we resist?

Down the steep, brick steps we learned of the many uses these hidden tunnels had in centuries past: Refuge from invaders, stables for livestock including horses, a place to make wheels of cheese, a hospital, and a torture chamber. Sarah even had a display of devices used to torture their prisoners—horrific!

But my favorite was the story of the families who shared this underground real estate. When all was well between the families, this iron gate was open and the families shared the space as needed. The underground well located behind the brick wall was shared by both families. (Notice the small windows on both sides of the wall? The well is inside this space).

When the families were feuding, this gate was closed and locked.

We could imagine a “Romeo and Juliet” story of a young couple meeting at the well to talk secretly and hold hands through these windows to the well. Sarah invited us to give it a try.

I am grateful this isn’t part of our dating story.

She took us further into the tunnels to show us its current use—wine aging. There were huge barrels down to small barrels. All were aged according to the quality of the wine desired.

These glass ornaments on top have a practical purpose. Air contaminates the wine. This device is used to fill the barrel until the wine is seen in the glass. This lets them know all the air is removed from the barrel. We were told Leonardo de Vinci invented these—amazing. The barrel above is actually on display because it is special; The first one used by this vintner thus the No. 1.

At the end of this tour we were led to the tasting room where we tried so many varieties of wine. Sarah was engaging and knowledgeable. She welcomed our questions.

We loved the food pairing at this tasting most. Each cheese, meat or bread with various spreads, were selected to go with specific wines in order to enhance the wines’ flavor. It really made a difference.

When it was over we were led through the gift shop. Our favorite wine was from 2019 made from 100% Sangiovese grapes. The first time this had ever happened solely from their estate grown grapes. We bought a case to have shipped home to enjoy in the years to come. She recommended letting it age for 5-10 years. We’ll see about that!

Although we missed sipping wine al fresco at a vineyard, Sarah took us there with her expertise and hospitality.

Next time I’ll share how we recreated the vineyard experience we were missing. It was one of my favorite days!

Until then,

Ciao