Il Barlanzone Affittacamere in Montalcino

We didn’t stay in the hotel. We just stopped in for a tasting. Unfortunately the woman leading the tasting was dismissive, chiding, insulting and pompous…and had absolutely no sense of humor. She spoke far too long about the wine before we could taste the first glass. One of our party asked to make sure she only got a small pour because she reacts to wine quite easily. She said it’s only one size and you can’t share a tasting or you won’t experience the wine properly. Fine, I can see that. But then the host peppered her with medical questions as to why she reacts to wine and then second guessed every explanation, in a ridiculing manner. When we finally got to sample the first pour, she immediately said we all were doing it wrong. No explanation; was it because we smelled it first, drank it either too slowly or too quickly, what?Then she said it’s too late we ruined that tasting and could not enjoy that wine. I walked out after that, she was just too arrogant and pompous. Too bad, because the first sampling was quite delicious.

Welcoming? No. Pompous? Yes. I would expect that kind of overstated, self-important attitude in France, not Italy. The hostess may know about wine but she really lacks people skills.