Of the 34 DOC, Montepulciano lends its name to a Rosso and a Vin Santo, ignoring any reference to those produced in Abruzzo from the grape of the same name.

To appreciate these wines at their best we suggest a visit to Montepulciano just as the summer is giving way to autumn, around the last week of September.

The town is just as you want it to be for that wine tasting experience. A more than intact medieval centre perched on a hill top overlooking the spectacular Tuscan countryside between the Val d'Orcia and Val di Chiana.

The crisp night air also brings out the best of the deep reds. That's the drink we're referring to.

The cantine are on your left and right as you walk around the centro storico and the route forms part of the Strada del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano linked closely to the Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

Wine production here can be traced back to Etruscan times as a goblet found in a tomb in 1868 demonstrates.

The cup bore an image of the Etruscan God of wine playing a game where the wine is protagonist.

Its fame survived the centuries and a famous poem from 1685, 'Bacco in Toscana', encouraged King William III of England to dispatch a delegation to Italy to bring back a few casks for his court.