Italy’s Best Local Wine Tasting Experiences

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Nothing speaks more to la dolce vita than sipping and swirling your way through a local wine tasting in Tuscany. As well as providing the opportunity to sample some of the world’s finest vinos, each experience offers a glimpse into local life through the lens of the people who know the land best. Enter our exclusive Be My Guest experiences in Tuscany, each crafted with the desire to connect guests to the region and the people who lovingly produce each drop.

Join us as we venture through Italy, where Be My Guest all began, and explore Tuscany’s best local wine tasting experiences with Trafalgar.

Villa Ill Leccio with the Landi Family
Chianti, Tuscany

Feel the warmth of the sun on your skin as you step into the grounds of Villa Il Leccio, a storybook 18^th-century Italian villa situated in the heart of Tuscany’s Chianti wine region. The Landi family have lived here since the late 19^th-century and with a welcome as warm as the weather, you’ll never want to leave.

Enjoy the villa’s picturesque surroundings as host Giada takes you on a tour of her family’s Tuscan home, traditional wine cellars, olive groves and vineyards before reaching their tranquil garden of oak trees for a unique Chianti tasting. Although Chianti celebrated 300 years of ‘official’ winemaking in 2016, the famous drop has arguably been produced in the region for over 2,000 years. A blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo and sometimes Cabernet Sauvignon, Chianti is a very dry red with an aroma that is similar to cherries and like most Italian wines, best enjoyed with food. Befittingly, guests can accompany their wine tasting with a home-cooked Tuscan dinner prepared by Giada herself, using ingredients grown in her kitchen garden and served alfresco.

Experience this on: Italian Holiday, Italian Discovery, European Whirl  

Fattoria di Petroio with the Pallini-Lenzi Family
Quercegrossa, Tuscany

Located on the old road between Siena and Florence in Tuscany’s Chianti region, is Fattoria di Petroio – 280 hectares of Tuscan paradise, with an ancient villa at its heart dating back to the twelfth century. Originally inhabited by monks, this is one Italian relic that will charm you quicker than Robert De Niro.

Now home to the Pallini-Lenzi family – including Gian Luigi Lenzi, his American wife Pamela and their daughter Diana, a trained chef – the family are all actively involved in wine making, producing about 4,000 bottles of Chianti Classico annually. Not only are they producing highly-acclaimed red wine but the family also make extra-virgin olive oil from three different types of olive trees and a delicious, golden Chianti dessert wine.

Feel like old friends, as Diana Pallini-Lenzi takes you on a tour of her family’s home and grants you exclusive access to their winery. Watch as she demonstrates the family’s traditional wine production methods, while telling you about the villa’s rich past including a peek at the distinctive ‘hole in the wall’ caused by an unexploded bomb during WWII. You’ll have the chance to explore the villa’s ancient wine cellar, sip some of the finest Chianti, taste fresh olive oils and indulge in a unique type of chocolate spread made with Fattoria wines. ​

Experience this on: Wonders of Italy 

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Agriturismo Borgo Della Limonaia with the Callistri Family
Pistoia, Tuscany

Discover what life is really like in rural Italy at the Callistri family’s agriturismo or ‘farm-stay’. Located at the foot of a natural amphitheatre and with the rolling Tuscan countryside as its backdrop, Agriturismo Borgo della Limonaia is an idyllic escape from the daily stresses of life.

Agriturismos are independently-owned farms that farmers have decided to open as accommodations for travellers across the world. The farms continue to run as they normally would and you can expect your room to be within the farm house or a converted out-building. The experience is informal, authentic and the best bit, the food is unrivalled.

As you stroll through gardens of ripe fruit and vegetables, Raffaelle Callistri shares the history of his home and local area – including stories from the great siege between the Florentine and Sienese armies during the 16^th-century. With clucking hens at your feet, you’ll enjoy an authentic wine and olive-oil tasting before tucking into a Tuscan feast cooked by land lady, Daniela using organic ingredients from the farm.

Experience this on: Rome and Tuscan Highlights, Italy Bellissimo   

Castello del Trebbio with Alberto & Anna
Pontassieve, Tuscany

Listen to tales gone by as you step back in time to 12^th-century Italy at Castello del Trebbio, a 12^th-century fortress cloaked in history and intrigue. Here, at the height of the Florence Renaissance in 1478, the Pazzi family masterminded to kill the last remaining members of the powerful Medici family, resulting in the infamous feud that we read about today. Feel like part of the plot in the castle’s “Conspiracy Room” as you sip Chianti and revel in cloak-and-dagger mystery.

Join hosts, Alberta and Anna Baj-Macario as they unveil secrets of the castle’s past with a tour of its ground floor and cellars – which were once the castle’s dungeons – all the while explaining how the family now run the farm and winery using traditional Tuscan farming methods (including producing their wine in line with the stars!).

Feel like a king as you dine in the castle’s great hall on a delicious organic supper, with all the ingredients sourced from within one kilometre of the property. Lovingly prepared by the family, this is one meal you won’t forget in a hurry. Later, join the family in the castle gardens for an appertivo under the stars and professional tasting of Castello del Trebbio’s home-grown wine. ​

Experience this on: Italian Concerto, Italian Glory, European Dream, European Wonderland

2019 marks the anniversary of Trafalgar’s exclusive Be My Guest experiences – a travel industry first that started in Italy a decade ago. Book your Italy trip today, with Be My Guest experiences included on each and every one, and get to the heart of the place where it all began.

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