Private San Gimignano Wine Tour From Florence

Morning: Your elegant driver will pick you up from your hotel or villa. Travel out of the city and into the wine country to visit a fabulous cellar such as Castello di Monsanto stellar estate. You will enjoy a walk through the vines and a full tour of the vinification rooms and barrel chambers, followed by a superb tasting of wines. What a way to spend the morning!

Lunch will follow at one of our favorite wine estates, I Balzini, producing award-winning Super Tuscan wines. Antonella and her husband, Vincenzo D’Isanto, are the enthusiastic owners. When master sommelier Vincenzo and savvy marketer Antonella started the I Balzini estate in the 1980s, they chose this plot for its advantageous microclimate and mineral-rich volcanic soil – not to mention the deliciously pure beauty of the countryside. You will taste their wines paired with classic Tuscan specialties like Pappa al Pomodori (bread, tomatoes, and thick basil soup), Panzanella (bread, tomatoes, onions, cold cucumber salad), and of course hand-made fresh pasta with San Gimignano saffron. You might finish the meal with homemade Panna Cotta; this is a real treat.

After lunch, you will visit a second winery, one of the best producers of white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG. Since the thirteenth century, Vernaccia di San Gimignano had been on the tables of kings, popes, and wealthy merchants, being the seventeenth century its golden age: the wine was one of the favourite of De Medicis court, Giorgio Vasari painted a young satyr drinking Vernaccia in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, and Michelangelo Buonarroti wrote about the wine, describing it as smooth and sweet on the lips but pungent, savory on the palate. Made with Vernaccia grape, wines are dry, medium-bodied, citrusy, and crisp, with a slightly bitter note on the finish.

Next, you will want to stretch your legs and walk off the vino, and a private guided walking tour of enchanting San Gimignano is in store for you. Enjoy a loop around the village, taking in the lovely Collegiata, the Piazza della Cisterna with its 13th-century cistern, and head to the Rocca- the castle fortress- for spectacular views over the ancient towers. You will have some free time on your own to take in the boutiques, art galleries, and charming gourmet shops. Do not miss a yummy gelato at Gelateria Dondoli’s

On the way back to Florence, you will stop at the amazingly preserved hamlet of Monteriggioni, set amid vineyards and enclosed by a medieval wall. This little town is a great place to take photos, go for a walk through picture-perfect streets, have a quick coffee or gelato, or perhaps another last vino for the day. You will be dropped back at your hotel in the early evening.

And this concludes your VIP Food and Wine Excursion.

“A VIP Deluxe Wine Tasting Excursion!”