What do you think of when you think of Tuscany? I think the Renaissance, a lot of green, countryside, and wineries galore! A special Tuscan winery that we stopped into for an afternoon was Tenuta Torciano, located about 45 minutes southwest from the heart of Florence, making it a wonderful trip to take during a stay in the big city. Personally, I don’t think any trip to Tuscany is complete without a trip to both Florence and wine country in order to get the full Tuscan experience – Tuscany is such a beautiful and warm region and I am a big fan.
For about 30€, we had several hours of not only a sampling of many different Italian wines, both red and white, but we also were blessed with the welcoming Giachi family as our hosts. Italian men are some of the most charming men I have ever encountered. The charm was unreal. And the entire event was light-hearted and fun (and the girls loved it for reason other than just the wine, if you know what I mean heh heh).
I personally loved all that I learned about tasting wine: which types of wine goes best with cheese, which goes best with red meat, which goes best with bread, etc., how to taste each and every flavor in the wine, what not to do when drinking wine. It turns out ingesting wine is much more of an experience than you’d think (something of which I was unaware after four years of drinking overly sweet pink “wine” from a box before sorority parties). You have to inspect it, swirl it, smell it, swish it in between your teeth — only THEN can you truly taste the wine the way it is meant to be tasted. There are lots of flavors in there you miss if you’re not drinking correctly, and it really makes you appreciate the art associated with wine-making and consumption (STILL a beer girl, but absolutely loved this experience).
Visit Tenuta Torciano Winery’s website for more details about wine-tasting, tours, dinners, and other activities that they offer here at this family-owned winery. A lot of people I went with ordered bottles to be shipped back to the States afterwards, but being that the last time my mother took a sip of alcohol without complaining about how much she hates alcohol was 1987, I figured it would not be an ideal gift for my people at home.
Love ya, Torciano. Thanks for having us!
italygrid
