il cocco winery

Visited Il Cocco in July of 2014. This being my 3rd trip to the region, I have toured roughly 20 wineries. Il Cocco honestly stands out from the rest. Giacomo, the proprietor, is a young 30 something year old young man that is working his tail off to keep the family wine tradition going. He runs the entire show. As busy as he is, he took the time to give us a very detailed tour of his winery and vineyard. He explained the nuances of the grapes and pointed out specifics of the vines. We spent at least 2 hours with him. He shared personal experiences with us and discussed his family and what life is like to be his age and running a generational historic Brunello winery effectively by himself. He's an absolutely charming young man. Someone you would want as a son. The wine itself is among the better Brunello's I have had. The entire experience was great. It's a smaller operation, so it's a nice offset to the big wineries like Santi, Banfi, and Barbi. Do yourself a favor a visit Il Cucco. To my American friends....be respectful...make a reservation and be on time. Showing up without an appointment is disrespectful. Leave your kids and pets at home. This is not a place for baby strollers. Also, Giacamo has 2 large dogs.

Our private tour guide took us to Il Cocco where we had a wonderful tasting, tour and wine making lesson with Giacomo, the proprietor. The wine and the visit was beyond my expectations. A very intimate and unpretentious setting. You left feeling with a much greater appreciation of the entire grape farming and wine making process. I will visit again.

What a delightful visit we had at the Il Cocco vineyard!!! Giacomo gave us such an eye opening education of the hard work and pride that goes into the transformation of a grape into a fine bottle of wine. I have a much greater appreciation for organic vineyards that work so much harder to keep the wine the purest it can be. Giacomo is a good soul and it pours over into his masterpiece wines. I am so glad we had 6 bottles shipped to our home in Michigan because each time I open a bottle, the magical memories will be relived. Thanks for such a great time!!

Giacomo was at the tail end of harvest when we visited Il Cocco, and despite being head winemaker and very busy, he took time to really explain his winemaking process. He was very in depth- at one point explaining to me the cost effectiveness of different corks. I've been tasting in Reims, Northern and Southern California, different regions of Spain, and other regions of Italy and Giacomo was one of the most congenial hosts and the wine here is phenomenal. While you could go to a large producer that likely manipulates the wine and/or buys from other growers, consider that this boutique winery is consistently producing highly rated wines in an organic environment where instead of tasting added sugars and chemicals, you are tasting the terroir of Giacomo's family vineyard and his own passion and "sweat equity" as farmer, winemaker, and entrepreneur. Definitely not one to miss.

We visited several wineries in Montalcino and this one exceeded all expectations! Giacomo led us on a fascinating tour, shared so much information, and the wine tasting was superb! We also had lunch and the typical Italian meal was delicious, so varied and plentiful. This winery was truly a high point favorite of our trip!!

We live in California and often visit the wineries in Napa, Sonoma and Paso Robles. We have also done wine tours in Mendoza, Argentina. We visited Giacomo and Il Cocco with Donatella's wine tour. This was probably the most informative wine tasting we have ever experienced. Giacomo poured us glasses of Rosso di Montalcino to take out to the vineyards where he explained the process and worried over the weather, impending rain, and when to harvest. As the rain started we rushed back to the tasting and barrel rooms where he poured the amazing Brunello and we learned about his life, his passion, his hard work, his beloved dogs. Giacomo has a fantastic sense of humor and speaks great English. Easy to fall in love with :-)His winery is small but his wines are BIG in wonderful taste. We bought his Brunello 2008 for a reasonable 27euros and look forward to having it on our wine rack for a few years.Many many thanks Giacomo for sharing your passion with us!

We had an amazing experience at il Cocco. Ima, Giacomo's wife, cooked us a fabulous (and huge) farm to table lunch using their homegrown veggies, meat etc. Definitely recommend taking the time to eat there. Following lunch, Giacomo gave us the most informative tour of the day, walking us through the actual vineyard in a addition to his cellar. A fun change of pace from the larger vineyards!

If you're looking for a high-tech modern winery producing hundreds of thousands of bottles and more, move on, you won't like Il Cocco. But if you want to understand how people have made wine for thousands of years, and learn the process first-hand from an extremely passionate small vineyard owner (and wine maker and janitor and just about everything else), then put Giacomo and Il Cocco on your list. Arrange for a down-home Tuscan lunch before hand (only three tables in the place and as home made, with vegetables from the garden, as you can get). This is what makes wine such an interesting hobby.

If you truly love wine, and are interested in the "hows" and "whys" of wine making, this is for you! This is a fantastic look at how wine is made - be prepared to go look at the vines as you try wines and olive oil all made at Il Cocco! (If you want to just go sit and taste wines, this is not for you.) We had a wonderful time with Giacomo and his trusty canine assistants Cookie and Baloo. After we spent time looking at the cellar, wine making equipment and tasting these beautiful wines, we also had dinner at the farm. Everything we ate came from the farm, and it was such a lovely meal! There were 2 people with us for tasting and dinner who had also taken a cooking class also offered here. It was a very special day and we loved everything about it! Thank you!!!

After visiting some bigger wineries, this was totally different experience. And I must say definitely closer to our hearts. Giacomo is passionate young man, who does most of work himself, in harmony with nature and you experience it while tasting his wines. We learned a lot from him and really enjoyed the visit. We recommend to reserve also a table next door, had a delicious lunch after.

Il Cocco is a total gem and a must see if you are in Montalcino. It is small and charming and beyond welcoming. Giacomo; the owner, is master at his craft and you will leave with a much greater knowledge, understanding and passion for wine; he will spend hours (literally) with you talking about the growing of grapes and the process of making the wine. The prior tour was still in progress when we arrived, so we were offered a bottle of their Rose as refreshment while we waited - free of charge I might add. During the tour we tasted all of Il Cocco's beautiful wines - the Brunello was amazing - were taught how to drink grapa - Il Cocco makes their own and we treated to a vine to label explanation of how the wine is made. We could not have felt more at home at Il Cocco - Giacomo is so passionate about what he does and loves to share it with anyone who has an interest. Don't be put off by the fact that this is a very small family run vineyard - look beyond the lack of glitziness - you won't be disappointed. If you like Brunello and you are in Montalcino, you need to visit here!!! P.S. it might take them a little time to respond - they are a small business - so it would be wise to schedule your tour in advance.

We stayed outside of Pienza with two other couples and spent the week wine tasting, eating and relaxing. Of all the places we visited, Il Cocco stands out as the highlight. From the private, delicious lunch made from organic farm vegetables by Silvia and Imma to the informative and passionate wine tasting and tour led by Giacomo and his two dogs Baloo and Cookie we could not ask for a better day! The wine is delicious and affordable and Giacomo's knowledge and passion for his business is truly remarkable. He was so patient answering all of our questions and even let us label a few of the bottles we purchased. You leave not only falling in love with the wine, but the business and family Giacomo has built. This is a must do. Don't miss it.

It is a small family run winery where you meet the owner, and his sons, who walk you through the vineyard explaining their own special growing/maintaining process and then you get to taste the amazing wine. We stayed there for about 4 hours just talking and walking around and enjoying every minute. The son, Giacomo, is very knowledgable and easy to talk to. This place is off the beaten path but very special and worth the time to go visit.

We decided to visit Podere il Cocco after doing much research on TA. It was a bit difficult making a reservation but we were flexible in doing so. The owner Giacomo is a passionate young man running a big time operation. His heart and soul is definitely in everything he does. With that being said our overall experience was pretty average. The tour was running about 30 minutes late...but that is ok since we were on vacation. The wine was average as well. Maybe our expectations were too high going into the tour based on reviews but we were not overly impressed with the wine. The grounds did not seem landscaped but maybe that adds to the charm of the establishment. The explanation of the wine making, growing, and cultivating process was informative. The 2 dogs and cat were an added bonus but overall 3 stars.

We visited Il Cocco Winery on the first day of August and were totally amazed by the place, especially the fine wine we tasted and the passion Giacomo showed to the practice he loves. It was charming walking along the vineyard and in the cellar with his two "employees" -- the dogs! We will come back next time. Don't miss it when you in this area!