Enoteca Cacio&pepe

What do you do when you have been up since 4:30am, flown to Pisa then arrived at your destination? Have lunch of course and drink wine. We went into this cavern of delights and tasted a few cheeses....yum. Wandered round the small town to get our bearings then returned for a cheese tasting platter with wine. What a treat. The cheeses were wonderful,ranging from very soft to dry and full on tasty. The wine suggested was a white Castello Montauto for me and a Villa Cerno Chianti Classico for husband, a wine we grew to love in all its variety over our week in Tuscany. Great start to the holiday. We were served with charm ,friendliness and enthusiasm, and bought one of their very special cheeses definitely not available at home even in Waitrose! , as they can vacuum pack and it will keep for Christmas. What is more, at the end of our holiday we went back and bought a few slices of very soft cheese to eat back at our villa. They kindly gave us a few slices of bread to go with it. We already had the wine! Overall such a great experience, very welcoming people and delicious foods.

We came to Castellina on a Saturday morning. We stopped here after good reviews from TripAdvisor. Gianluca, the owner, was excellent in explaining the 4 different wines that we tasted. Excellent meats and cheeses! We bought all 4 of the wines we tasted. Great experience! Highly recommended.

We had rented a scooter, and no idea of the area. We walked in because the owner outside seemed so approachable and friendly what a good choice. The most wonderful deli sandwiches were served to us, along with a x4 wine taster which was informative, delicious and more than well priced. We even took a bottle home with us which as a 3 year aged chianti classico at just €20 felt like a steal. The people outside up the road eating pizzas seemed to have made had a very poor choice indeed. It was such a wonderful lunch spot. Couldn't recommend any more. He even helped is decide where to stop next on our tour, and had great English.

There are a lot of ENOTECAS in Castellina now. Gia Luca has one of the first ones and still offers a personable and knowledgeable experience. He had a great personality. His shop is small with 3 tables outside and one inside. He has a large selection of local wines, cheeses and meats. He will do a simple tasting or add some meats, cheese and bread for a small price. We have been visiting his ENOTECA for many years and would rate it above many of the newer ones. He is located at the south end of the main street near the tunnel exit. Don’t miss a visit if you are in Castellina.