I just finished reading "A Vineyard in Tuscany" by Ferenc Mate, and really liked it very much, especially since I traveled in the Montepulciano/Montalcino area earlier this year, and have an idea what he is writing about. Mate's style, humor, wit and passion for everything, starting from the search for Il Colombaio, to planting the wines one by one, to fixing up the old friary and many more is inspirational. His love for his family and friends is heart-warming, his versatility, from sailboats to mountain climbing in the Dolomites to tending vineyards is simply amazing. I'm happy he is not going into each and every detail of everyday chores and jobs; but it is clear what bundle of energy he is, together with his lovely wife and son. Ferenc' book is a joy to read and inspiration enough to make me (and my friends) return to Tuscany as soon as possible and visit his friary-turned-winery.

Very entertaining book to read, excellent description of daily life in Tuscany. Also perfect example that you can succeed if you follow your dreams and work extremely hard to achieve them. The author and his family are amazing.

This book was purchased with the hopes of learning about realizing a dream vineyard in Tuscany, given the title. I felt it was lacking in detail, focusing instead on the trial and tribulations of acquiring, restoring and then living in a 13th-century friary. I would estimate that less than 12 pages of this book decribe the process of acquiring, growing, harvesting grapes and making wine. I found the author's tone to be just a tad self-serving, especially when he lamented about returning from sailing to find that the friary was in the process of being sold to another ("Mr. Glue); I mean, what did he think would happen in three months while he was away? I'm happy for Ferenc and Candace Mate, who obviously have the money to not only spend three years restoring the place but also to summer in the waters off of British Columbia and spending much time in Rome (it's much easier to realize your dream when you have millions).

My husband and I are getting ready to go to Tuscany for our honeymoon and read this book to get in the spirit of things. We both read it and both loved it! It makes you want to pick and move to Italy. We ended up buying Ferenc Mate's other book about living in Tuscany as well "The Hills of Tuscany". Halfway through that one and enjoying it as well.

This book is entertaining and a pleasant read, but comes off as a bit too fanciful and miraculous. You get a wonderful feeling for his dream and the beautiful locale. What you do not get is any sense of the true difficulties he must have had to overcome. Any problems that arose simply seemed to find an easy solution just around the corner.

This book makes you think you are then during reconstruction. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who would love to live in a foreign country and hasnt' yet. You will feel like you are there.

Mate clearly knows his way around the page; he can craft a sentence with the best of them. Unfortunately, this book is really just a string of little vignettes about buying a Tuscan property and fixing it up (yawn, been there done that). He had an opportunity to add his experiences about growing grapes and establishing a winery on the property, but he blew it. The story simply never ties together. It left me wanting more that just never came. It was nice to read a book like this by a *writer* instead of by an expat looking for something to do. I just wish that there was more "there" there than there is.

Before we went to Italy last year we read this book. It is a hoot to read. Mate is a great author and has a wonderful sense of humor. The only downside was towards the end when the book seemed to lose some of it's luster. But the first 90% of the book was a joy to read. When we went to Italy we tried to find the winery but found it is not open to the public. We searched anyways but had no luck. But it was still a wonderful time driving thru the Tuscan hills. A great book to read and a great country to visit.