Castello Banfi

Who they are

Banfi is one of the great wineries of Montalcino, the land of Brunello, south of Siena. It was founded in 1978 by the Italian-American brothers John and Harry Mariani, and the Mariani family is still the owner. A year later it opened a second house in Piedmont, between Novi Ligure and Acqui Terme, for sparkling wines, Barbera and Gavi. In Montalcino its headquarters is the castle of Poggio alle Mura, now Castello Banfi, which became part of the winery in 1983 and which the family restored after the damage of the Second World War.

The castle has its own history: it was built mostly between the ninth and thirteenth centuries, is documented in 1318 and for centuries belonged to the noble Sienese Placidi family. It has a square plan, with two courtyards, a crenellated tower and an old ice house beside the walls. Banfi has obtained wine-sector sustainability certifications (EQUALITAS in 2021) and its Brunello Poggio all'Oro 2016 was the first to obtain that product certification.

What it offers visitors

As well as the winery, the castle includes a hotel, Il Borgo; two restaurants, La Taverna, with Tuscan cooking, and La Sala dei Grappoli, with one Michelin star; a wine shop with a wine bar; the balsamic workshop, where they make their balsamic condiment; and the Bottle and Glass Museum, dedicated to Giovanni F. Mariani. Banfi also has a country house, Podere Collupino, among sangiovese vineyards.

The visits follow three formats. The public visit, in a group and of one hour, ends with a tasting in the wine shop or with a paired lunch at La Taverna. To follow the guide from the castle to the winery, 4 km away, you need your own car. The Discovering Excellence private visits, of about two and a half hours, tour the balsamic workshop, the vineyard and the winery on an estate shuttle for five people at most, with a tasting of five wines, oil and balsamic, and end with lunch at La Taverna or, in the afternoon version, with dinner at La Sala dei Grappoli. There are also guided tastings of its range, including wines from Bolgheri, Chianti and Piedmont, and the wine bar of the wine shop serves glasses with cured meats, cheeses and products from the estate.

Bookings, ages and languages

The public visit requires prior booking, and the private ones and the restaurants are booked online from its website. The meeting point is the castle's wine shop, fifteen minutes before the time. The published prices run from €60 per person for the visit with a tasting to €300 for the private visit with lunch, and more with the starred dinner. Banfi does not publish a minimum age, wine-shop hours or cancellation conditions on its website; they can be consulted at [email protected] or on +39 0577 840111. As these are wine tastings, in Italy alcohol is only served to those over 18. The website is in Italian and English and does not say in which languages the visits are held.

Getting there

The castle is at Poggio alle Mura, in the municipality of Montalcino (53024), south of the village, between Siena and the Maremma. It is only conveniently reached by car; if you are going to taste, organise who will drive or ask about the visits with a shuttle.