Hello - we will be visiting Tuscancy for two weeks at the end of June staying in Carmingano close to Prato. We have a couple of day trips planned, but wanted to spend one day visiting wineries in the Chianti area. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kim,
For me I enjoy visiting places where I have tried their wine and liked it or which have good reputations.Read a book on Italian wines and try some wines from a local shop here,then make appointments at your favorite wineries.
We visited Casa Emma and it was one of the highlights of our time in Italy. Paolo does a fabulous job of showing off his beautiful vineyard and the tastings were so much fun.
We had a fairly large group. Friends counted 4 and then we had our family of 4 adults and 5 children (some closer to adult ages). He engaged the kids really well and answered many questions.
The wine was delicious and we bought some and shipped some home.
The winery is located not too far off the main highway from Florence to Siena and also not too far from S222.
Highly recommended.
Have fun! Brenda
Posts: 466 | Location: suburb west of Boston | Registered: 27 May 2005
Trish, a good book for wines in the area is "Brunello to Zibibbo the wines of Tuscany,Central and Southern Italy", by Nicolas Belfrage.Available on Amazon.RR
Hi Trish, I know very well Carmignano. There are a lot of restaurants were you can drink a very good Chianti wine. The area is full of vineyards. Try this wine Barco Reale di Carmignano D.O.C., excellent with red meat like game, boar or Bistecca alla Fiorentina (steak).
Try also near Carmignano, Fattoria di Artimino this is their website http://www.artimino.it . Most of Italians go there for weddings, taste wines, relax... Enjoy! Alessandro
The cost of the wine tasting which includes a tour of the vineyard and wine making area costs $15 euros a person and kids are free.
It is very well worth it. The tour is very informative and Paolo puts on a good show. His english is excellent and the vineyard is beautiful.
We also bought some wine to ship home and some wine to carry around (and drink!) with us. We bought enough wine that the cost of the tour was compted but I don't know if that is always the policy.
The morning at the vineyard was one of the highlights of our summer trip-we all thought so, even the kids!
Have fun! Brenda
Posts: 466 | Location: suburb west of Boston | Registered: 27 May 2005
Several years ago I toured the Fattoria Selvapiana in Rufina, where we saw the vines and tasted the wines. It's a lovely property and the staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. We bought a few bottles to take home and their wines are imported in to the US.
Last year, I booked a private tour of Tuscany with my family with a great (small) tour company SRL transfers. On top of taking us to some beautiful towns, we went to a winery, where it is possible to have a wine tasting for 8 €. The farm is in Torciano just 3 min from San Gimignano. They are specialist in wine tasting. They also have another farm in Montalcino and Montepulciano. My family had such a great time. They set up a big table in their cellar and had some food and cheese to pair with the wines. You can more info on their website: http://www.torciano.com/.
The phone number for SRL Transfers is 338.86.23.129 (at least it was last year!). Ask for Marco, I believe he and his brother own the company. My family had two very nice mini vans arranged for us. Water and maps of the towns that we were visiting were included. They arranged the itinerary, but I gave him an idea of what type of towns we wanted to see. I believe we went to Siena, Monteriggioni, San Gimignano and the wine tasting. Marco was really great - while driving, he told us a little about the history of the towns we were vising. The other driver didn't speak much English, so I suggest you request an English speaking driver if possible.
Ginny - if you are thinking of staying in Florence, I recommend the Hotel Porta Faenza (http://www.hotelportafaenza.it/). The prices are good and the hotel is really nice, it was one of my favorite hotels I stayed in last time I was in Italy.
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