Short Review: Absolutely fantastic stop during your…read moreMontepulciano visit. Toward the bottom of the hill and great wines and food pairing. High recommend. Long Review: When you visit Montepulciano, you start on the top of the mountain and work your way down through the city. Ancient city with lots of shops and wineries and quaint restaurants like this one. We each got a wine tasting flight to accompany our sandwiches and charcuterie, and boy did it hit the spot! The server was great in explaining all the local wines and which meats and cheeses to pair with each. He even gave us an extra tasting of a wine we wanted to try. I'd recommend stopping here before you head out of the city center!

A great little tapas bar that fills up quickly. We were lucky to get a seat and started off with…read moresome great wine. We ordered all sorts of tasty bites and were surrounded by a bunch of happy divers. A must go while in Montepulciano. Different than all the rest.

The absolute best crostini with pecorino, honey and walnuts I've ever had. Pasta with large garlic…read moreand tomato sauce warmed me and my heart on this cool day. Prices are so reasonable and the service was exceptional. Many many vegetarian dishes, pizza, meats, bread, cheese and meat boards. Small seating area outdoors made for wonderful experience. What an authentic and lovely place to enjoy lunch.

We came here on a Monday evening because most other restaurants were closed. I was a bit skeptical…read moreat first. The place looks like it's run by a two-person team (including the chef) so the attention was a bit slow. We ordered the pappardelle al pecorino e tartufo, and the pappardelle al funghi. They were both much better than we expected! I asked for formaggio to add to the pappardelle al funghi (which I suggest adding generously) and the lady brought some out for the table, unlike other places that serve it for you. I highly recommend this place if you want outdoor seating, don't have a reservation, and are not willing to wait who knows how long for the more popular spots.

Our friend Sebastian brought my fiancé and I here for a Monday night wine event in September of…read more2024. At 55E, it was an unbelievable deal four tastings + a coursed out meal. If you are considering coming here, just book your reservation already! We ended up going for a second night in a row. Valentino and Lorenzo were extremely helpful and knowledgeable. We felt at home in the restaurant and the wine shop. We tried a few wines over the dinner, and a few more afterwards as well. Great prices on some really impressive bottles. Make sure to ask for recommendations on unique bottles you won't find outside of Tuscany, so you can bring something special home with you. Fantastic service. Amazing food (see photos). A cozy ambiance. 10/10 would recommend. Grazie to all of the staff, the chef, and our new friends Lorenzo and Valentino.

Pros: the waitstaff were great and the wine was delicious. Lorenzo knows his stuff and he chose a…read moregreat wine for us. Cons: the food was bland and underwhelming Go for the wine but not the food

Cute little bar with a great meat and cheese plate, had a wonderful glass of chianti with lunch…read more The owner doesn't speak English but he is very friendly and generous. A lovely slice of Italian life.

Fantastic little place with the nicest owners. When we were lost without any phones, he called our…read morevilla and had the owner come to his restaurant to pick us up. Very charming and generous place with delicious food and wine.

By far the best dinner I've ever had in Italy, and that's really saying something. Don't do what we…read moredid and waltz up with no reservation and hope lots of smiling and high school-level Italian will score you a table -- even on a Wednesday night the restaurant was fully booked. We did manage a table in the end, very luckily for us. The menu here (which changes annually) is pretty hefty but is dwarfed by the wine list, which is so thick it -- no kidding -- has a table of contents. There's a lot of wonderful things on that wine list, including a number of bottles from the Montefollonico area and neighbouring Montepulciano. The food, which started with a surprise complementary amuse bouche, was nothing less than exquisite. A number of the things I wanted to try (like the Filet and sirloin of wild boar, eggplant, chocolate sauce and raspberries) were sold out for the night by the time we'd sat down, but what we did get was truly top-notch. I'd put La Botte Piena up against any fine dining restaurant in London. The biggest surprise of the night was the bill. After a good bottle of wine, four plates of food, a dessert and coffee, we hadn't even managed to spend 100 euros.

We chose to eat a la carte, as we were 6 adults with different food needs. If I say perfetto!, do…read moreyou know what I mean? La Botte Piena aspires (correctly) for a Michelin star, and it shows in the whole dining experience. Obviously, from the name of the restaurant, they know wine. The small touches that Michelin seeks are all there. Our amuse-bouche was a delicious pasta chip with flavored cheese and a spoon of bean soup. Our primi were perfectly prepared - pastas, ricotta gnudi, ravioli. The secondi were also delicious - beef cheeks and (for our birthday boy) bistecca fiorentina. I dolci delighted us, as did the dessert wine we chose to finish our 4 hour meal. We chatted with the sommelier and the owners, which rounded out a great evening. Highly recommended!

Sometimes things are meant to be. We stayed at an Airbnb in Montepuciano and were referred to 2…read morerestaurants in the area. One of the two was closed, the other took us literally about 90 min to find on foot only to be told we needed a reservation which we did not have. In our search for the 2nd restaurant we literally circled passed Wine Barrique no fewer than 3-4 times. By this point we just wanted some food and wine. By this time (8:00ish) all the restaurants in the area were quickly filling up and we were a bit concerned that there was still outdoor seating available but we took the plunge. As we sat and took in the atmosphere we began to relax and de-stress, we noticed a church across the road and lots of shops with tons of ppl walking by. We were quickly given menus. For apps we shared the salami and cheese platter which I couldn't get enough of. Then My Wife and I decided to split a margherita pizza and porcini mushroom pasta as entrees and 2 glasses of red house wine. Our daughter got a pasta with red sauce and a spritz. All in all the portions were good sized, service was great. The food was really good, prices were right and the views were amazing. I believe this place may be a gem hidden in plain site.

Do NOT come here. Rude and a sad experience…read more The owner actually yelled at us. Yes, do not come here for the food or experience.

If you like tasting wine this is the spot. Staff is very knowledgeable and attentive. The castle…read moreis very well maintained and it was exactly as I expected inside the shop.

Awesome experience! In the Enoteca La F ortezza We had two…read morewonderful Brunello tastings. Yuri was kind and knowledgeable of the wines and soil of Montalcino recommending amazing wines. I felt like I would be happy to stay there forever. Don't miss the view from the top of the Fortezza!!! Che bella esperienza guidata da Yuri attraverso i vini nobili e i Brunello di Montalcino. Torneremo al più presto ad assaporare le diversità che il terreno dei vari versanti offrono. Anche il giro sui torrioni offre una vista mozzafiato da non perdere!

New Taverna. Very nice. Great outside seating and they are very pleasant w guests. Excellent…read moreLardo, Cheese and affordable wine. Very glad we came here.

We stopped by for a light snack one night while in Pienza. Cute little place! Friendly owners who…read moreare well-versed in their local wines. We had a few glasses of local vino and a Salumi plate that cost 10 euro but was so large we had to get the owners to wrap up half of it for us to takeaway. One on of the side streets within the old town. I'd go back.

this is the best idea. take all the wineries and put them in one place. you can try any wine…read more taster, 1/2 glass or full glass. found my favorite wine maker and then went to that winery! love love!! the staff are friendly and knowledgeable. the meat and cheese board worth the price.

I had to try this place as it was described to me as 'The heaven of wine bars'…read more This place lived up to its name! Best way to describe this place is a 'Dave and Busters' approach. You get a prepaid card, anything from 5 euros up to 50 (may go higher, but I didn't ask), or you can leave your credit card with the staff upfront and pay at the end. They have several wine 'vending machines' that you stick the card into and get to try out the wine in various amounts. You can have a sample, half glass, or full glass. The screens will tell you how much each sample will cost. Each 'Vending Machine' is sorted into categories like bubbles, whites, reds, dessert wine, etc. It's a great way to try different wines in various regions! If you like the wine you try, you can buy the bottle to take home.They have big leather couches and chairs to hang out, sip, and relax. Ever try a $100+ bottle of wine? Now is your chance :)

Wonderful little spot - out of the way of the tourist crowd. Serves bruschetta, charcuterie and…read morecheese boards. An impressive array of wines and a solid house red and white. Cozy, casual, intimate (not a place for groups of much more than 4). But the reason you go is Nila. Anyone can pour a glass of wine for you. Nila owns the place, is the sole server usually, and could teach master classes on making customers feel truly welcome and appreciated for being there. Pretty sure you go more than twice and you're officially friends in her book ;) Fantastic sense of humor, sense of fun, boundless energy, and possessing expansive knowledge of wine - this is someone who is passionate about her place and it's contagious. If I lived there, it would definitely be a regular local hangout spot. Be sure to visit when in Assisi and support this great little spot!

WOW! Bibenda in Assisi is incredible. We had an amazing experience with Nila doing a wine tasting…read more Nila is very generous with her tasting pours and is so thorough with details about each wine. We had our favorite wines with Nila! Nila was also so kind to our 3 teenagers and made sure we all had plenty of cheeses and meats to taste. We keep talking 2 weeks later about the goose meat (delicious!) If you want to meet an incredible Wine Master -- You must stop by Bibenda and spend some time with Nila. Inside The tasting room/wine shop is cozy and there is also outdoor seating. It is an unforgettable Italian experience.