Osteria Lo Spugnone In Castiglione d'orcia

08/11/2023: As this was the only one star Michelin rated restaurant in the area we had high expectations. The restaurant is set in an old convent, turned into a luxury hotel. As expected the service and advise from the staff and sommelière are excellent, if a bit stiff. They have two different menus plus a blind menu with 10 surprise dishes at 160€. The wine accompaniment is 130€ per person. There is a lot of creativity in how the Chef creates his dishes. However, none of the various dishes were in the category of amazing, wow or excellent. The dishes look nice and tasted OK. But that’s about it. They also hurry you along a bit. You are still with one wine and they already pour the wine for the next dish that arrives within a minute. Wine accompaniment was a bad choice considering you pay so much money for just five small glasses of wine, plus a grappa. That comes out at 20+ € per glass. The wines served should be super Tuscan category, but the wines were way below that. I had checked one wine, the Sauvignon Blanc from Graf in Meran. Retail price is just 16€ per bottle. Just imagine what kind of wine you can buy today for €260 (wine accompaniment per person is 130) in a restaurant.