Food Tours · Tour

Chianti Compared: A Florentine Winery and a Sienese One

Chianti is not one place. The zone runs from the hills below Florence down to the walls of Siena, and the wine changes as it goes. This tour is built around that: one winery on the Florentine side, one on the Sienese, tasted a couple of hours apart so the difference is in front of you rather than described. The first stop is near Greve in Chianti, where the hills, the climate and the local habits shape what the Chianti Fiorentino tastes like. Three or four organic wines, with regional products alongside. The second is near Monteriggioni, in the Sienese half, and the same exercise: three or four wines, and the aroma, structure and weight compared against what you drank earlier. Both include guided cellar visits, and the traditional and organic methods each estate uses. There is olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Tuscan produce for sale at both. A variant replaces the morning with a cooking class inside a Chianti winery, followed by lunch and four premium wines. Booking that one drops the two-winery tasting and the cellar visit. Five and a half hours. Departures at 8.15 in the morning, and at 2.30 or 1.45 in the afternoon depending on the season. Up to eight people, with a licensed tour leader in English and Spanish and a coach with air conditioning. Bring photo ID: it is required. Wear shoes you can walk in, because the estates sit on hilltops and the visit begins with a walk up through the vineyards. Vegetarian and gluten-free plates are available with notice, though cross-contamination cannot be ruled out. The tour is not suitable for wheelchair users, and staff at the wineries may only speak English.