Just to follow up. We had a wonderful time on our recent trip to Montepulciano. We didn't visit a single winery. Instead, we stopped into the various cantinas and enoteche in and on the way to town. We arrived back in Naples with 63 bottles of wine, 7 varieties of cheese, some delicious salame and olive oil. I can't wait to return! Eventually, we will get to a winery but, for this first trip, I did not feel that I missed out. The purpose of the trip was to taste a variety of wines and bring a bunch home. Goal accomplished! We will eventually pick a few favorite wines and we'll get to those particular wineries.
What a beautiful area, though. We did some horseback riding too. So gorgeous. It was difficult to return to Naples....