Greetings fellow wine enthusiasts! We have yet another wine tour to talk you into. A Tuscany wine tour specifically in the Chianti wine region.
Of all the things we did while we were in Florence, this was our favourite day. Not only did we taste and buy some amazing wine, we had great tours of the country side and a beautiful village.
We love to take private wine tours because they try to offer you the most authentic experience. Plus, it is very helpful to have a knowledgeable guide lead you through the Chianti wine region and tell you about the people who make the wine. Plus, you have someone to drive you around while you get to drink the wine!
A Chianti wine tour is easily a day trip outside of FlorenceWe took a tour with Get Your Guide, which is hands down the easiest way to do it. Click here to check out the tour we took. We always choose to be with a small group and in this tour, there were six of us.
Tuscany wine
Tuscany has several renowned wine regions such as Chianti, Montalcino, Montepulciano, and the Bolgheri region. We had our wine tastings in the Chianti region, just an hour outside of Florence. Chianti is renowned for its red wines made primarily from Sangiovese grapes. Chianti Classico is the most prestigious Chianti wine from the historic core of the region.
There is also a relatively new Tuscan wine called the “super Tuscan.” These wines are made from non-traditional grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, either as single varietals or in Bordeaux-style blends. This departs from the strict DOC/DOCG regulations for traditional Tuscan wines like Chianti that require specified grape varieties.
San Gimignano
The first stop on our wine tour was the beautiful medieval town of San Gimignano. The village sits on top of a hill and is known for its famous medieval towers. It seems that people still live in this village, but it is definitely a tourist area now. The streets are lined with shops and wine cellars that sell local products such as pottery, woodcrafts, leather and some great gelato.
The surrounding region is well-known for its white Vernaccia di San Gimignano wine, made from the ancient Vernaccia grape variety. The vineyards have been cultivated since the 13th century.Its historic city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized for its preservation as an outstanding medieval urban center of Gothic architecture and towers.
We sort of felt that the place was just too perfect for a European town, but the shops and restaurants were lovely. We were only there for an hour so there was not much time to take it all in. Then again, there wasn’t that much to take in.
What we most enjoyed about the town was the breathtaking views and beautiful architecture of the town.
Tenuta Torciano Winery
Our first winery, Tenuta Torciano Winery, was just outside the village of San Gimignano. Our driver dropped us off at the gate and bid us a gentle farewell as we were greeted by a lovely hostess. She promptly led us to the tasting room where Marco invited us all to “get drunk together.” Although this was somewhat of a joke, you do tend to be a bit woozy after 6 tastings.
Included in the wine experience were a couple of white wines, a rose, and several reds. We were also given wine pairing of meat and cheese. Once we were well into the wine, they offered an olive oil tasting that included truffle and spicy olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Needless to say, we spent a great deal of money on wine and olive oil. Luckily, they do ship to the United States as well as the EU.
Maurizio Brogioni Vineyard
Our lovely driver had to usher us out of the tasting room so that we would make our next tasting at the second local winery Maurizio Brogioni Vineyard. This vineyard is a family-owned winery and much smaller than the Torciano, but served exceptional wines.
Maurizio greeted us himself and led us on a short little tour of his small vineyard and explained the wine making process to us. He showed us his beautiful countryside vineyard lined with olive groves and walked us through his small operation.
Afterwards, we enjoyed 5 of his most delicious wines as well as an authentic Tuscan lunch of pesto pasta made by his wife. Then, we spent more money on wine and olive oil.
What makes this Tuscan wine tour a great experience is that you get to visit more than one vineyard and each vineyard is as unique as the wine it makes. As far as wine tastings go, this was one of the best wine tours we have taken and will definitely do again!
We scheduled out trip though Get Your Guide. Click this link to check it out.
Want to find out more about our trip to Florence, check out the blog post and our podcast! Also, check out our wine tours of the Douro Valley in Porto!
**Wandering Works for Us contains affiliate links is part of Viator, Get Your Guide, Booking.com, and Amazon Services Associates Program LLC. If you make a purchase using one of the links, I may make a compensation at no extra cost to you.
Shelley is a full time traveler, blogger and podcaster currently living in Portugal with her wife, 2 dogs and a cat. She is a former history teacher originally from Winston-Salem, NC but wanted to see what life was like abroad. Now she travels all over Portugal and Europe writing about what she sees and does and tells you all kinds of fun stories on the podcast at Wandering Works for Us.