Admittedly, we booked this trip after similar plans for another tour fell through. This was a blessing in disguise, as this tour turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip to Florence. Our guide, Pierpaolo, was knowledgeable, helpful and very friendly. He was quick to answer our questions about the vineyards around Chianti, down to the soil composition and wood used for the wine barrels, and even gave us a quick lesson on the “Bevebilita” of the wines we tasted.
We visited two vineyards, Fattoria San Michele a Torri and Tenuta Montiani, that stood in stark contrast of one another. San Michele a Torri was a typical wine tasting, with a brief tour of the equipment, a history lesson on the wine, as well as a tasting paired with Charcuterie. We received the tour and history from one of the vineyard staff, while the wine tasting was primarily led by Pierpaolo, who gave us great insight into the three wines we tasted.
Tenuta Montiana was the opposite, but in the best way possible. It is run as a family farm, so it did not have the same polish as similar vineyards we’ve visited in the past, but what it lacked in polish it made up for in an abundance of charm. The owner, Michele, welcomed us in and prepared a home cooked lunch of chicken pâté, stracciatella, soppressata, pasta (apparently the name varies every 20 miles, so I’ll leave that story to Michele to tell), and dessert. Each course had a pairing of his signature Felix wine from 2015, 2019 or 2020, which was a perfect compliment. He ended our visit with a taste of “Greta”, a fantastic wine with a great story as well, and some great conversation before we returned to Florence.
Overall, I would highly recommend this tour to anyone in the area with a love for wine, good food, and a good story.