How to organise a wine tasting tour in Tuscany? Here are all the tips: how it works, where to go and for how many days.

Wine tours in Tuscany: how it works and how to organise it

Until a few years ago, it was still considered a niche activity, aimed at experts and connoisseurs, whereas now it is also very popular among amateurs: we are talking about the wine tour in Tuscany.
In fact, more and more tourists, both Italian and foreign, are choosing to go on a wine tasting tour in Tuscany, the land of Brunello and Chianti and home to some of the peninsula's major wineries. A wine tour is an experience to be tried at least once in one's life, immersive and educational, offering the chance not only to taste fine wines but also to learn a great deal about this product and how it is made, from harvesting to bottling.

Tour del vino in Toscana: come funziona?

What should one expect from a wine tour in Tuscany? It is a type of experience that can be planned for a single day, a weekend or even several weeks, depending on the area chosen and the number of wineries you wish to visit. Although the booking can be managed independently or with the help of a travel agency, the experience is always entrusted to the host winery.

Visiting the vineyards

One of the most evocative parts of the tour is undoubtedly the visit to the vineyards, where the vineyard attendants will show you the different types and varieties of grapes, cultivation techniques and the history of the region, which, in the case of Tuscany, is also intertwined with Italian art and literature. Between the rows of vines and the ripe bunches of grapes, you can enjoy the beauty of the region, the magic of the ripening grapes and the spectacle of the hills and medieval villages unfolding before your eyes.

A visit to the cellar

Next, it is time for the cellar, the beating heart of every winery, where the production process takes place and where, like in a treasure chest, the historic and vintage bottles rest. Here, the guide will tell you how each wine is made, from the fermentation process to ageing, illustrating how modern technology is always side by side with tradition and history. This part of the wine tour in Tuscany is certainly the most informative and fascinating, a unique experience to admire the secrets of the wineries up close.

Wine Tasting

Finally, the part that all lovers of good wine are waiting for: the actual tasting. Depending on the package or menu chosen, the wine cellar will offer a selection of wines, served in the most suitable glasses, and a sommelier will help you taste them with your eyes, nose and mouth. In many cases, wine tasting is also accompanied by the tasting of local gastronomic products.
Wine Tour in Tuscany: how to organise it by following a few simple rules

Here are some tips on how to organise a wine tour in Tuscany.

• Choosing the time of year

The choice of period in which to organise your wine-tasting tour in Tuscany is very important, not only because different periods will allow you to admire the landscape in different seasons, but also because the activities you can attend during your visit may change. September is undoubtedly the ideal month, because you can witness - and sometimes even participate in - the grape harvest, while summer is suitable for admiring the grapes at their peak of ripeness. The winter months are less recommended, as some farms may be closed or work reduced hours.

• Visit a few cellars at a time

If your tour is short, we advise you not to aim to visit as many wine cellars as possible: choose a few, but quality ones. A few carefully selected wineries, to be visited at most one or two per day. This is because each winery has its own story to tell and its own wonders to show you, and it is only right that you enjoy the experience with all the necessary calm.

• Private or chauffeur-driven car

If you do not have your own car, in order to enjoy the wine tour experience in Tuscany in complete relaxation, we recommend hiring a private driver who can drive you from winery to winery, if you plan to visit more than one winery, or who can drive you in the morning and pick you up at the end of the visit.

Tour degustazione vini in Toscana a Castello Banfi

Castello Banfi Wine Resort organises wine tours in Tuscany for all wine enthusiasts, offering different types of guided tours and wine tasting menus that will satisfy even the most demanding palates, for a magical experience to be lived in the shadow of the ancient Banfi Castle in Poggio alle mura, inside the Banfi estate.

Guided tours of the cellar

Guided tours of the Banfi winery are held both in the morning and in the afternoon. In the morning, the tour departing at 11 a.m. also includes lunch, and you can choose between a three-course or a four-course tasting menu (with accompanying selected wines). The afternoon tour, on the other hand, includes a tasting of four wines.

In addition to these proposals, there is also the possibility of booking a private two-hour wine tour that adds a visit to the Balsameria and lunch at the La Taverna restaurant to the visit to the vineyards and the cellar.