The Tuscan region of Italy is well known for their excellent wines. A wine tasting tour is a great way to explore the Tuscan hill towns and sample some wine along the way. There are different options for wine tasting tours. Private tours are available that will customize your itinerary based on your preferences or there are joinable tours for small groups that have a set itinerary. Most tours are one day tours that visit 2- 3 wineries and include a meal or snack. If you want to be more independent, you can rent a car and contact the wineries yourself to set up your own tours. Most wineries in Italy do not have drop in wine tasting options. Tastings and tours have to be arranged in advance.

On our first trip to Italy in 2009, we wanted to go wine tasting in Montepulciano. We could not find a joinable tour for that destination, so we booked a private tour for the two of us. Our driver picked us up at our hotel in Florence at 8:00 am and drove us to the Tuscan countryside. Our first stop was a winery and vineyard set in the hills just outside the village of Montepulciano. This beautiful winery had been in the same family for generations. We were the only visitors that morning and were given a thorough and detailed tour of the grounds and the winemaking facilities. Our guide explained the entire production of the winemaking from harvesting the grapes to bottling the wine. We were amazed by the size of the oak barrels in the wine cellars. They were so large that they had to be assembled in place.

Our second stop was a more modern facility where we were served a tasty lunch and watched the bottling process. It was interesting to compare the two wineries.

After lunch we went to the hilltop village of Montepulciano. Here we visited a winery, Contucci Cellars, that had been in business for over 1000 years. Touring the cellars of this winery was a walk back in time.

After visiting the winery, we had the chance to explore the town of Montepulciano. Our guide had been kind enough to drop us at the top of the town. We just had to walk downhill through the charming streets and meet up again at the lower end of town. We really appreciated that!

On our trip back to Florence we made a quick stop in Pienza to visit a cheese shop and learn about the production of pecorino cheese. We were able to look around Pienza and we bought a bit of cheese to take back with us.

Our second trip to Italy we found a joinable wine tour that originated in Siena. This tour company offered 1-day wine tours to four different regions in Tuscany: San Gimignano, Montepulciano, Chianti, and Montalcino. You could purchase a 1-day tour or there was a discount if you purchased all 4 days. We selected the 4-day package. The tour was limited to 8 people plus the guide. We were traveling with another couple so the four of us made up half the tour. One other couple we met the first day were also signed up for the 4-day package and we had a nice time getting to know them. The other 2 slots on the tour were filled by a different couple each day.

We would meet our tour guide each morning at the designated meeting point in Siena. We had rented an apartment near the meeting point, so we did not have to walk far. Each day we visited 2 wineries and were treated to lunch either at one of the wineries or at a local restaurant. There was also time to visit one of the hill towns each day. All the wineries we visited were designated organic wineries and were small family-owned businesses. We spent a couple of hours at each winery touring the vineyards and the winemaking facilities, learning about the wine making as well as tasting the wines. Our tour guide, Mattia, was very informative as he was a wine maker himself.

Driving through Tuscany in the late summer/ early fall provides breathtaking scenery in every direction you look. The rolling hillsides dotted with vineyards, olive groves, and majestic villas makes you feel like you have been transported to a magical place and time. It was grape harvest time when we visited and watching the vineyard workers harvesting the grapes was a highlight of our trip.

After spending 4 days with our guide and our new friends, we were sad to say goodbye. We had the option to purchase wine at each winery and have it shipped home. We are still enjoying some of these bottles and each one brings back memories of our trip. It was an incredible experience that we will always treasure.

If you don’t want to take the time or spend the money on a dedicated wine tour, you can always sample the wines in a local bar or restaurant. Most towns have wine bars that will have several different options of local wines to taste. On our most recent trip to Venice, we stayed in a boutique hotel with a small bar in the lobby. The bartender there was very educated about the local wines and made recommendations on wines to try while we were there.

Italy is a great destination for wine lovers. There are many opportunities to enjoy wine tasting and learn about the wines of different regions. If you love wine, Italy is the place to be.