BURGUNDY & TUSCANY WINE TOUR

Burgundy and Tuscany are without doubt two of the greatest wine regions in the world.  Tuscan Wine Tours has joined forces with Burgundy Discovery to offer a unique two-centre experience.

The tour can begin either in Burgundy or Tuscany and comprises two days touring in each location. In Burgundy the two days comprise a one-day Classic Tour and the second day on our Grand Premier tour ­ for more details please visit www.burgundydiscovery.com

In Tuscany the tour comprises one day in the Chianti Classico region and a second day in Brunello di Montalcino region. The tour will start in Florence. For more details please see the joinable tour pages.

The combined price for this tour is 600 Euro including lunch on all four days but excluding accommodation and travel. The distance by road between Burgundy and Florence is about 800-900km (500-570 Miles). There is also a nightly overnight train from Dijon in Burgundy to Florence and vice versa which is a relaxing and comfortable way to travel.

This tour runs on certain days of the week and please provide at least one months notice with, if possible, flexibility in your dates. Enquire about this tour: info@tuscan-wine-tours.com
 

 EXCLUSIVE WINE TASTING SESSIONS IN THE HILLS OF FLORENCE

An Introduction to Italian Wines
A 3 hour program including lecture, tasting of 5 wines, and a manual - in private home in Fiesole.

Who leads the class?
Carolyn Abney,
• wine writer - published in the USA and Europe – including for The Florentine, Florence’s English language bi-monthly
• import/export consultant for Italian wines
• consultant to wine-related websites
• graduated from the Slow Food Master of Wine program
• helped build her husband’s private cellar of approximately 3,000 bottles
• is on a first name basis with Italian winemakers from the Piedmont, Valle d’Aosta and Friuli wine regions in the north of Italy, to Puglia and Sicily in the south - and in Sardinia.

Where is the program held?
In a classic Tuscan farmhouse dating back to the 1380s, just 4 kilometres north of Florence, with a fantastic, panoramic view of the city. Weather permitting, the wine tasting is held outside.  

What are some of the topics we’ll cover?
How to evaluate a wine’s :
•          Appearance
•          Aroma
•          Taste
•          How to read an Italian wine label
•          What glasses to use 
•          What order in which to serve wines
•          How to pair the right wine with the right food
You’ll also learn some basics about all wines such as:
•          Where wine is made (only in the “temperate zones”)
•          How wine is made
•          The harvest
•          The Vinification
•          The Containers in which wine is made and aged
•          The bottling of wine – or not!
And about the official, legal classifications of Italian wines. After this program, you’ll know the differences between
• Table wine
• IGT wine
• DOC wine
• DOCG wines.  

How will I remember what we learn?
You will received a handout that covers topics like:
• What wine is and how it fits into history. (Can you imagine: there is evidence of vines being cultivated to make wine in Asia around 8,000 BC?)
• You’ll get some basic information about world-wide wine production. (For example, on average, Italians drink over 51 litres of wine per person per year! And they are NOT #1)
And you’ll learn about the types of wines there are – still and sparkling; red, white and rosé for starters.

Fees
This program is € 500 for 1 to 4 participants. Additional participants, over 4, are € 40 each. Group size is limited to eight.

For the real wine enthusiast

No Chardonnays or Cabernets today!
A wine tasting, appreciation and discussion for wine lovers who want more than just a wine tasting. This is an opportunity to try limited production Italian wines. Wines that are made with little known grapes – like schiopettino or refosco or morellino –   Wines which are rarely exported due to their very limited production.

We will try wines that have earned Gambero Rosso’s “Three Glass” rating (tre bicchieri) – as well as some up-and-coming winemakers the Robert Parkers of the world haven’t heard of yet. But you might also experience a 1997 Brunello, a 1993 Chianti Classico,  or a 1990 Vino Nobile.  

Of course,  you will be drinking from the proper Riedel glasses. Weather permitting, we will gather outside, on the terrace or in the loggia, where the Duomo and other famous sites of Florence can be seen. With the wines, you will taste some artisan-made cheeses and sample extra virgin olive oil from our farm.

€ 700 for 1-4; € 80 additional per person for 5-8. Limited to 8 people. Approx. 3 hours.