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WINE TOURS |
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Discover the best of Italian wine regions focusing on DOC and DOCG wines, their history and oenological culture. Meet the winemaker, and owner in some cases. See first hand the vineyards of the best Italian wine regions, and come to understand their history, culture, and taste. A wine expert or licensed sommelier could guide you through understanding and appreciating the fine wines of Italy. We provide access to wineries usually closed to the general public with private wine tasting.
Your chauffeured vehicle will pick you up and return you to your hotel or apartment.
Tour is available with driver only…or driver and guide.
The following tours are just a sampling of our more popular tours. We can also design a Tailor Made Itinerary according to your personal tastes and wine interests. Simply contact Charming Italy, and we will be glad to make all the arrangements for your hassle-free travel experience
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CHIANTI CLASSICO
The beautiful region of Chianti Classico, located in the heart of Tuscany, is home to more than 250 wineries that operate under their own labels. The Chianti Valley is noteworthy also for its terrain of gentle rolling hills that stretch from Florence towards Siena, dotted with luxurious vineyards, olive groves, stunning medieval villages and characteristic, rustic farmhouses. The symbol of the Black Rooster has always identified the Chianti Classico zone. A fascinating legend links it with the rivalry between Siena and Florence that prevailed during the medieval period.
Many unprepared visitors miss the best features the valley can offer. Let our experienced staff help you make the most of your exploration of the beautiful Chianti wine region. From the best known estate cellars and winners of many International wine awards to small family boutique wineries, we will take you off the beaten track and introduce you to the passionate people responsible for the "Renaissance" of the Chianti Wine over the past few decades!
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MONTALCINO
On a hill in a spectacularly rich setting with woodlands and vineyards, lies the medieval town of Montalcino, about 40 kms south of Siena. The village itself, dominated by Roman and Gothic architecture, yields a most remarkable building, the 14th Century Medicean Fortress, which includes an Enoteca (wine shop) where one can purchase many of the best representative Brunellos of the area. Vineyards in Montalcino are planted mainly with "Sangiovese Grosso" grapes, a clone of Sangiovese locally named "Brunello".
The story of Brunello began about 150 years ago with Ferruccio Biondi-Santi. He understood the aging potential of Sangiovese Grosso and its ability to create a wine of unique structure and body. The Biondi-Santi Family, along with other Brunello pioneers such as the Cinelli-Colombini, Costanti and Mariani families have continued their own wine production and were later joined by many other vintners during the 70s and 80s. Presently, with the areas’ favorable terrain and weather conditions, and much capital investment, the "Golden Hill" of Montalcino represents the most successful real estate in the Italian wine making industry. Brunello, the crème de la crème of Italian wine, shows its true potential: marvellously elegant with an excellent power and concentration of taste and aroma. With its deep body and spicy hints, Brunello never intends to be "a light drink".
As a side note, the 12th Century Abbey of Sant'Antimo is six miles south of Montalcino. The town, a Romanesque gem of pale stone, is well worth a visit, especially on Sunday mornings when Gregorian chants are sung by the resident Monks.
MONTEPULCIANO
Montepulciano is an ancient Etruscan settlement which is now well known for its production of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, another wine of the Sangiovese grape locally called "Prugnolo Gentile". The Vino Nobile, a vibrant, full bodied, intense, ruby red wine, has a rich, fruity note of cherry and raspberry.
Montepulciano was a fortified village during the Middle Ages. Its current walls were designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Elder during the Medici's rule in 1511. The town has an unusually harmonious look, the main square with the Duomo, the elegant Palazzo de' Nobili-Tauragi, and the austere Palazzo Comunale.
Nearby, the clay hills of the Val d'Orcia remain relatively untouched and suggestive of the ancient Tuscan landscape. A combination of the soil, the climate, and the vegetation, has allowed the continuous production of a superb cheese. Preserved since Etruscan times is the traditional Pecorino cheese, made from the flavorful milk of the sheep that graze
in the area.
Also of note a few miles from Montepulciano is Pienza, a rare beauty of a Renaissance town located in the heart of Val d'Orcia. The center of the town was completely redesigned by architect Bernardo Rossellino in 1459 with the support of Pope Pius II. This new vision of urban space was realized in the square known as Piazza Pio II and its surrounding buildings where Renaissance and Gothic styles appear united.
SAN GIMIGNANO
Visible from a distance, San Gimignano stands proudly on a hill between Siena and Florence, dominating the Elsa Valley with its famous towers. These surviving tall medieval towers give San Gimignano its unique skyline. The historic center of San Gimignano is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a shrine of great works of art.
San Gimignano is known by wine connoisseurs for its Vernaccia white wine. One of the first DOCG appellations of Italy, Vernaccia was appreciated and mentioned by Dante in the Divine Comedy. It is a dry yellow-wine with notes of vanilla and fruit aromas. Some new vintners have increased the quality of Vernaccia considerably in recent years through innovations in production and aging in wood.
As a bit of background, San Gimignano first shone in the 10th Century. Thanks to the "Via Francigena" a trading and pilgrim route that ran though it, the town grew in wealth and developed greatly during the Middle Ages. In 1199, it became a free municipality and fought against the Bishops of Volterra. Due to internal power struggles, it eventually divided into two factions: the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. In 1348 San Gimignano's population was drastically reduced by the Black Plague, which threw the city into a serious crisis and brought its submission to Florence in 1353.
MAREMMA
Stretching along the Tuscan coastline, just after the ancient maritime republic of Pisa and past the Medici port city of Livorno, is the territory of Maremma. An ancient stronghold of the Etruscans, Maremma was dominated by marshland during the Middle Ages, and transformed into a fertile dry land during the 19th Century. Maremma is now the emerging wine Mecca of Tuscany. This territory is in Tuscany's deep south, a little visited province with historic hill towns and herds of snow-white cattle controlled by "Butteri", the Italian cowboys.
The upper part of Maremma became a new wine district in the 60s. Reaching up into the hills, in the territory of Bolgheri off Livorno, The vineyards stretch across the hillsides. Thanks to the passionate work of a few pioneers including the legendary Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, the area has come into its own. The challenge was great, as Maremma has always been a difficult, hard and sandy territory, with very hot summers and strong sea breezes. Despite its lack of a wine heritage, Bolgheri is now often compared to Bordeaux because of its particular terroir that allows cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon to develop successfully. If you have already tasted Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Macchiole, Paleo, Solaia, - or have just heard of them - you do not want to miss this tour!
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Famous for its magnificent palazzos and use of canals as a type of water-street, the town celebrates its continuous strengths in the world of handcrafts, especially those of glass and lace. In the Veneto area, names such as Amarone, Valpolicella, Recioto, Soave Superiore, Bardolino, Garda, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon along with Bardolino Superiore are considered the symbols of the local oenological culture.
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Turin, as the capital of the Piedmont region in northern Italy, is an excellent starting point to explore the many wine producers in the Piedmont area. Some of the most esteemed, award-winning, and historic vineyards are located in this area. Names such as Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera d'Asti, Moscato, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Roero Arneis and Gavi, evokes the well celebrated and award winning nectars.
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Campania has hosted vinyards of the Acient Romans and Greeks in past history. Famous and prestigious wines such as Aglianico del Taburno, Taurasi, Falerno del Massico, Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino and Falanghina embrace the perfumes and aromas of the Mediterranean Sea.
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