La Dolce Vita Wine Tours

Tuscan Wine Treasures

A gourmet wine tour in Chianti Classico, Montalcino & Montepulciano

Slide Show:

Tuscan Wine Treasures begins in CHIANTI, land of the Black Rooster
Get ready for some dolce vita with guides Claudio Bisio & Pat Thomson
The owner of VECCHIE TERRE DI MONTEFILI provides a warm welcome.
MONTEFILI’s winemaker talks terroir.
Lunch time!
Great meal, new friends! We’ll drink to that.
Next, an al fresco tasting at CASTELLO RAMPOLLA
RAMPOLLA’s owner Maurizia di Napoli explains their biodynamic philosophy
Day 2 spotlights the birthplace of Chianti: CASTELLO BROLIO
Owned by the Ricasoli family since 1144, it’s loaded with history
Claudio walks the castle ramparts
“Where’d my husband go?”
Now, a hands-on a cooking lesson.
On the menu: classic Tuscan bruschetta…
…and homemade pasta.
Looking good enough to eat!
We also make tiramisu – so elegant and easy.
Between courses, Claudio offers a lesson on reading Italian wine labels
As WC Fields said, “I always cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food.”
We say goodbye to Chianti…
…and head south, stopping in Siena for the day
Here we hear why Romulus & Remus are Siena’s symbol.
Then we arrive in Brunello country.
MONTALCINO is our base for the second half of the tour.
Day 4 features two Brunello producers. Here, Alessandro Mori of IL MARRONETO
Barrel samples might be among the offerings
None too shabby: the line-up at CAPARZO
During our fall tours, we’ll see harvest activities, like the sorting of grapes at FANTI
One Brunello winery, IL PALAZZONE, also has an adopt-an-olive-tree program
Outside of Montalcino lies the Abbey of SANT’ ANTIMO.
In this peaceful setting, we listen to monks chant.
On Day 5, we go to cheese country: PIENZA
We’ll stop for a taste of pecorino…
…and visit PIENZA’s light-filled church, built for a Renaissance Pope
Next it’s on to MONTEPULCIANO for some lunch, art & Vino Nobile wine
The splendid altarpiece in MONTEPULCIANO
Here, tasting rooms occupy every corner.
BOSCARELLI’s Nicolo Corradi shows his harvest-torn hands
Drying grapes for AVIGNONESI’s Vin Santo
Our host at ICARIO explains why their clay soil gives freshness to the wine
Assessing for ourselves. (The result: Thumbs up.)
Cheers to all that!