Italy's Wine Towns

It's no secret, I love red wine! While exploring Tuscany my wife and I discovered two great medieval hill towns near Siena that are well known for their red wines. We were delighted to taste several of the local favorites from both of these towns. The fantastic wines we tasted from Montalcino, the "Brunello di Montalcino" in particular, were very full bodied with a velvety flavor. We loved them! Sipping great wine inside a Medieval castle is must for any wine lover.

Just a short drive later through some of the most picturesque countryside in the world, we came to the hill town of Montepulciano. This town is also famous for its lovely red wine "Vino Nobile di Montepulciano". This was my favorite in all of Italy! A great full bodied bold and zippy wine. If you ever get the chance to go, be sure to go into the historic wine cellars beneath the city.

We couldn't help comparing these two regions of Italy to two wine regions near our home in California. The smooth complex Brunello di Montalcino is similar to the wine found in the Napa region while the bolder Vino Nobile di Montepulciano reminded us more of the great Zinfandels from the Amador and El Dorado foothills.