Tuscany Wine Tour

On our second last day in Florence, we did a wine tour in Tuscany, which, for a last minute booking, was one of the best experiences of Italy...

The tour started in a classroom just on the other side of Ponte Vecchio (so, in the city centre of Florence).  We walked there for 9:30am, grabbing paninis and lattes for breakfast on the way.

Upon arrival, we joined eight other people and our instructor/guide (you can see a silly photo of our group here).  Our guide taught us some basics about the regions in Italy, the places we would visit, how to taste and look at wine and then we did a tasting.  After that, we hopped on a beautiful Mercedes bus and they toured us out to the Tuscan hills.

The plan was to visit two wineries.  The first, we would tour how they make the wine and then sample their wine and cold pressed olive oil.  We were able to purchase wine and olive oil if we wanted, and then it was onto the second winery, where we would indulge in the same things but also a light, Tuscan lunch.

The barrels above are hundreds of years old and no longer in use as they are made of chestnut (and now they exclusively use oak).

After exploring and learning about how their wine is made, we were escorted into a restaurant-like dining room that had huge sliding doors that opened up to the vineyards.  We enjoyed the most amazing bruschetta, meats and cheeses while we sampled various wines and learned about the different types we were tasting.

Then it was onto lunch, a home-made pasta with a fresh tomato sauce and herbs.

Adterwards, we were given a bit of time to just explore the grounds, take photos and purchase wine, olive oil and the most amazing and thick balsamic.

I would highly recommend this full-day wine tour.  It was about 100 Euros each but we saw and learned so much, had lunch and tasted some incredible, authentic, Italian wines.  Additionally, the bus ride out to the countryside was informative as our guide was giving us highlights of various landmarks and such.  It was things we never would have seen, not having a vehicle in Florence.

Tuscan Wine Time

Via de Bardi 27

Florence, Italy

+39 331 358 3823

Open seven days a week until the end of October.