{"id":13366,"date":"2018-04-04T07:32:52","date_gmt":"2018-04-04T05:32:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arttrav.com\/?p=13366"},"modified":"2018-03-31T09:49:32","modified_gmt":"2018-03-31T07:49:32","slug":"chianti-wine-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arttrav.com\/tuscany\/chianti-wine-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Take a Chianti Wine Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

The other day I was leading a guest lecture for American study abroad students for a program in Florence. The topic is one rather unlike the \u201cold days\u201d when I stood in front of classes teaching art history: these students are taking an entire course in social media for food. I was talking about my job<\/a>: I do digital communications consulting and social media for various made in Italy brands, and although I don\u2019t focus on \u201cjust food\u201d (like single products or restaurants), my two large clients are wine resorts<\/b>, so I guess I am doing food (and wine) marketing without really thinking about it.<\/p>\n

As I was talking about how we have been marketing a brand of Chianti Classico wine, I started getting some blank looks, and not just when I used words like \u201csommelier\u201d (which I\u2019m quite sure is common in English, right?). Despite their famed drinking prowess, these students knew little to nothing about wine. I asked the class if they\u2019d already been on a wine tasting tour outside Florence and was surprised to find that none of them had, either alone or with the school. As far as local food experiences go, taking a <\/b>Chianti wine tour<\/b><\/a> and tasting wine where it\u2019s made<\/b> is one of my top recommendations, alongside learning how to make fresh pasta.<\/p>\n

\"Because
Because if you want pictures like this you need to visit a winery! | Photo by Michelle Davis of me at Dievole in the Chianti Classico area of Tuscany<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019m sure that you, dear reader, are much better informed, but all this got me to thinking about why I now think that every visitor to Tuscany with a little extra time should set aside at least half a day to get out into the countryside, tromp into a vineyard and find out what goes on inside a cellar. Here\u2019s a bit more about what you\u2019re likely to experience if you do so.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How to visit wineries in Tuscany<\/h2>\n

If you want to visit a winery in Tuscany – in particular in its famed Chianti area – there are a few options, but public transportation isn\u2019t one of them<\/b>. Either you rent a car (or befriend someone with a vehicle), or you take an organized tour. The problem with driving is that, unless you\u2019re a group of five people including one person who doesn\u2019t drink, someone\u2019ll always be either be driving drunk, or drinking alone. Neither of these are good ideas.<\/p>\n

Hence the wine tasting bus tour <\/b>was invented. There are a lot of companies offering similar options; the difference comes down to how many people are on the tour – essentially if it\u2019s a larger bus or labeled as a \u201csmall group tour\u201d. The good news is that you don\u2019t have to break the bank: for example, “Ciao Florence!” offers a half day Chianti tour with bus from Florence<\/a> \u00a0that includes two winery visits post-lunchtime, as well as a visit to the cute town of Greve – and it costs only \u20ac45 per person.<\/p>\n

What you\u2019ll learn on a wine tour<\/h2>\n
\"Formal
Formal private wine tasting (at Brolio castle, Barone Ricasoli)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019m a recent convert to wine. I published an article only a year and a half ago about my decision to start drinking at age 40<\/a> after 23 years of not touching a drop, so I have had to catch up very quickly. I started tasting wine because I\u2019d been managing social media for an excellent winery in the Chianti Classico area, and after a bit more than a year of doing so, I\u2019d learned so much about how wine is made that I was becoming really passionate about it – and a rather credible expert, too! I\u2019d seen the whole cycle from the first buds on the vine through the ripe grapes, understood what makes a good bunch, how to tell Sangiovese from Merlot by looking at the vines, tasted ripe grapes while picking them, seen them be pressed, smelled fresh fermentation in the cellars and attended wine fairs\u2026 all without drinking a drop. It was high time to start, right? I did all this learning on location at the winery, and also had the occasion to visit some other wineries and see how they did some things differently, so I found it all very fascinating. Just as my love for art history came through travel and experiencing artworks \u201cin situ\u201d<\/a>, so my love for wine grew\u2026 between the vines!<\/p>\n

So those are some of the things you\u2019ll learn when you visit a winery. No matter how big or small, the basic processes are the same. Most winemakers do everything on site (in some denominations, or winemaking areas, that\u2019s part of the regulation), so you\u2019ll get to see the vines themselves, a cellar where they actually make the wine (called vinification cellar), and then a second cellar for ageing wine (often in barrels, though not always the typical small ones you imagine).<\/p>\n

\"At
At a small winery like this one in Maremma (Muralia), the winemaker himself might give you a tour of the cellars<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In Tuscany, grapes grow from May through September, so that\u2019s an ideal time to visit a winery and see some action in the actual vineyard (bring your mudding shoes!). When the grapes are on the vine, cradle a bunch carefully in your hand – you\u2019ll be amazed at how dense they feel – nothing like the kind you eat. If you\u2019re really lucky, around mid-September you might actually visit during harvest, and get to see people picking grapes and the real action in the cellar as they are brought in to be pressed.<\/p>\n

Then you\u2019ll see the working and ageing cellars, where the guide will surely explain how wine is made in their company. If you\u2019ve never visited a winery before, this part may be less picturesque than the vines, but really fascinating.<\/p>\n

\"Grapes
Grapes on the vine in early September after a very dry summer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Then of course you\u2019ll get to taste the wine, and maybe your guide will give you some tips on the best way to do this, guiding you through the scents and flavours of this precious liquid. Appreciation of wine comes, I think, with experience – as you get to try more types, you\u2019ll learn to distinguish between then, to pair them with foods, and to choose the right wine for every occasion.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Maybe a Chianti wine tour will kick off a future career as a sommelier (which, for the record, is a professional wine taster), or maybe you\u2019ll just have a nice day out in a beautiful part of Tuscany, an experience to share with friends and to cherish in years to come. Who knows. But either way, I absolutely recommend spending at least half a day doing this while you are here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The other day I was leading a guest lecture for American study abroad students for a program in Florence. 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