Late spring is the ideal season to visit Tuscany, 3 days are not sufficient to discover all this beautiful Italian region. During our last travel we decided to visit Val d’Orcia and Maremma, we want to find caratertic town and taste wine and food. We preferred to book only one hotel; our choice is placed in Maremma Fonteblanda: hotel Le Querciolaie.
First of all you need to know that: the distance between Siena and Montalcino is about 45km and it takes about 1 hour. The distance between Montalcino and Montepulciano is about 40 Km and from Montepulciano to Siena is about 70 km (half and a hour). In Italy the general legal limit of alcohol in the blood of drivers is 0.5 g/l (0.05%).
I would suggest that you leave the hotel early if you want to visit both the winery and the village. When you arrive from Siena you could visit San Quirico D’Orcia. There is a beautiful garden and it’s a typical Tuscan village, take a coffee (espresso) in one of the cafès and try to find some locals who could translate the local satirical newspaper: “Il Vernacoliere”. If you have just read my article, you will know that you could visit Bagno Vignoni that have a particular tank that contain thermal water. Other tourist attractions are Abbazia di Sant’Antimo, Castiglione d’Orcia and Monticchiello. You can visit all of this village or choose one or two of them.
When you decide to start your winery visit you could buy a guided tour or make your tour by your own. In the first case here is a link: Wine Tours Cortona. If you want to be independent I would suggest to visit a maximum of two wineries in the morning and two wineries in the afternoon. If you visit a small winery or if you decide to have lunch or dinner you have to book before.
You can try “Castello Banfi” http://castellobanfi.com/en/home/ target="_blank"> Where you can have lunch or dinner, Cantina di Montalcino , Col d’OrciaPoggio Rubino
One of my favorites is Ridolfi , try to call and ask for a visit.
If you want to try other wine check this link: Consorzio Brunello di Montalcino
If you want to visit Montepulciano you can contact the association “Strada del vino Nobile di Montapulciano” (tel. 0578 717484 booking@stradavinonobile.it) and book a “Tour of the cellars in the historical centre” (Duration 2 hours, time of departure 10:30 am & 04:00 pm) or a Wine Tour of two vineyards near Montapulciano (Duration about 3 hours Time of departure 10:00 am and 03:00 pm)