From 21 – 24 June, Christal Lalla performed one of her famous individual wine tours in and around Montalcino with accommodation for the participants at a beautiful rustic winery in the middle of vineyards and pine forests.
On the first evening, the tour started with a welcome dinner in a new restaurant near the Fortezza di Montalcino in the heart of the medieval city.
In the morning of the first full day the participants got a first taste of Montalcino incl. the famous Fiaschetteria Italiana listes in several guides) before they enjoyed a light lunch with tasting of the excellent pecorino cheeses from Southern Tuscany. In the afternoon a detailed tour through the Il Cocco winery (vineyards, cellars), detailed meeting with the winemaker and afterwards Wine Enthusiast Seminar and dinner at the winery’s small restaurant in a picturesque dining hall followed. The wine seminar included wine tasting education, introduction in wine rating, Sangiovese Grosso and Brunello knowledge, blind tasting (e.g., Brunello across several vintages and wineries).

In the morning of the second full day, the participants had the chance to enjoy the weekly market in the streets of Montalcino before they visited another winery (Cava d’Onice) where the owner and his niece explained their philosophy of wine making and presented their highly decorated products under a beautiful tree with a scenic view over the Crete valley. In the afternoon the participants had a scenic drive through the production area including San Angelo in Colle and San Antimo before they reached the famous winery Paradiso di Frassina where the winemaker plays Mozart to his vineyards.

At the end of the second day they enjoyed a dinner at the famous Bocon DiVino restaurant with a breath-taking scenic view.

On the next morning after breakfast the tour was officially finished and the experiences and perceptions exchanged. The participants enjoyed the tour a lot:

“I want to say a very warm thank you for organizing this event and make it something so special and rememberable. I red before in your flyer already that the tours will be unique and tailor-made, but it definitely overgrew my expectations. Not only the wine, but also the warm company and the good conversations and explanations to the wine. I felt very welcome.

I am very happy that we were such a nice, small group. And I enjoyed that the tour was so tailor-made, so that everyone could pick the pieces  for himself that he feels comfortable with.”