If you’re planning a vacation in European wine country and are looking for that perfect combo of beautiful town, gorgeous landscapes and excellent vintages, head to any–or all–of these six destinations in Italy and France.
MONTEPULCIANO (TUSCANY)
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In addition to being the epicenter for one of Italy’s legendary wines, Montepulciano has the distinction of looking like a movie setting for a perfect Tuscan town (parts of a number of films, including The English Patient and Under the Tuscan Sun, were shot here). Because of its strategic location Montepulciano flourished during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, bringing considerable wealth to local families, whose well-preserved palazzi survive to this day. Walk Montepulciano’s car-free streets and enjoy the splendid Tuscan countryside views before tucking into one of the cantinas in town (meaning you can sample without worrying about driving) to savor the hometown pride, Vino Nobile di Montepulicano (Thomas Jefferson described it as a “favorite wine”), a structured red made largely from the Sangiovese grape grown in surrounding vineyards.
MONTALCINO (TUSCANY)
Set on a hillside in the Val d’Orcia, a part of Tuscany offering some of the region’s most phenomenal landscapes, Montalcino, like its larger counterpart Montepulciano, is a major wine town. Here the star attraction is Brunello di Montalcino, one of Italy’s costliest wines (prices typically range from about $55 to close to $1500), made entirely from Sangiovese grapes. While archival records show a Brunello produced in the Middle Ages, the local Biondi Santi family pioneered the development of the type of wine that’s made today. You can visit their iconic winery, the Tenuta Greppo, a short drive (3 kilometers) from Montalcino for a private tour and tasting (book in advance). In the town of Montalcino itself, wander the medieval streets, and climb the ramparts of the 14th-century castle to take in the astounding panorama of the surrounding countryside. Then visit the enoteca (La Fortezza) in the fortress to sample some of those renowned Brunellos.
MONTEFALCO (UMBRIA)
Although likely to have been first settled in pre-Roman times, Montefalco’s visual identity comes from the Middle Ages. Today it enjoys international commercial renown from the production of Sagrantino, the powerful red wine made from the indigenous grape of the same name that grows in a select area in the hilly vineyards around the town. There are many superb wineries to visit nearby like Arnaldo Caprai, now run by the founder’s son, Marco Caprai, a key figure in the evolution of modern-day Sagrantino; and Scacciadiavoli, one of the oldest wineries in the area. (You’ll find a number of wine bars in Montefalco where you can also sample the hearty wine.) Before your tastings take time to stroll the town’s cobblestone streets, flanked by flower bedecked (in warm weather) stone houses, observing the centuries-spanning architecture. Stop by the St. Francis Church Museum where you can see beautiful frescoes by the influential Renaissance painters Benozzo Gozzoli and Perugino, who was Raphael’s teacher.
SANCERRE (LOIRE VALLEY)
Sancerre surveys its surroundings from on high (an altitude of about 1000 feet), providing dramatic views of the eastern flank of the Loire Valley. Although famous today for its homonymous white wine, the Sancerre countryside once provided fertile ground for the cultivation of Pinot Noir, until a phylloxera outbreak in the 1800s ruined local vineyards. Today the majority of these vineyards harvest Sauvignon Blanc, the grape used for Sancerre, although some pinot noir is still grown for Sancerre Rouge and Sancerre Rose. If you visit the Maison des Sancerre in this lovely medieval town, which was an important center for the French Resistance in WWII, you can learn more about the wine and local growers, then plot your trips to the nearby countryside to visit such top vintners as Domaine François Crochet in Bué or Domaine André Dezat et Fils in Verdigny, with roots in the area since the 16th century.
SAINT-ÉMILION (BORDEAUX WINE REGION)
Saint-Émilion has everything a wine traveler looks for—a classically beautiful town with renowned wines produced in the surrounding area’s chateaux, wine shops, fromageries, artisans’ stores and restaurants ranging the gamut from Michelin-starred to casual bistro. This medieval town in what may be the oldest wine producing area in the region (dating to the Romans in the 2nd century) is also one of its loveliest with a painterly late afternoon light casting old stone houses, narrow streets and vineyards in an amber sheen. The best vintages come from the wineries on the plateau and cotes, the hillsides and slopes noted for their limestone terroir. Saint-Emilion Tourisme has a helpful listing for visiting area chateaux; when you’re in town, stop by their office and they can advise on planning your winery excursions.
CASSIS (PROVENCE)
Because of its name, Cassis is often mistakenly assumed to produce Creme de Cassis, the blackcurrant liqueur, which originated much farther north in Burgundy, but this wine town, distinguished by its perch on the sea east of Marseille, produces mainly whites in a region famous for rosés. With a colorful harbor and photo-worthy coastline carved by dramatically beautiful calanques (cliff-lined inlets) and secluded beaches fronting blue-green seas, Cassis draws many travelers who come to enjoy the coastal vibe, hike the Calanques and sample the local seafood and bouillabaisse with a crisp, aromatic local white.