oin us for a delightful, long weekend holiday, which starts off in an old country home in the fabulous Chianti Classico district in Tuscany. The Fattoria di Montagliari estate's kitchen offers snacks and dinners based on traditional recipes, along with the chance to taste (and purchase) some rich, full-bodied Montagliari reserves.
Day One
Arrive Friday afternoon, settle into your room and wander around the grounds of this panoramic estate. Join us for a dinner of outstanding dishes including
pappardelle al sugo di lepre (wild rabbit sauce) or
al sugo di cinghiale (wild boar sauce) — both are unimaginably delectable. Second course will be a mixed grill of sausages and other meats. The crowning glory is the
trattoria's torta di mele (apple pie or cake), so indescribably delicious that words do not do it justice. And all this will accompanied by the estate's Chianti Classico house wine.
Day Two
Panzano, where the Fattoria di Montagliari is located, is equidistant between Florence and Siena. Today we will head toward Greve in Chianti in the direction of Florence, along the winding roads of the Chianti Classico wine district, known also as the Gallo Nero area.
We will stop by several producers including the Castello del Rampolla. One of its best wines is the Sammarzo (80 percent Sauvignon, 20 percent Sangiovese). We'll stop in Greve for a quick lunch and visit to the town's Saturday market. Then it's off again to the Villa Cafaggio, where we will sample the Saolatio Basilica, a very rich Sangiovese wine, as well as the vineyard's other wines, including the San Martino and the Cortaccio. We will then return to the Fattoria Montagliari, where you can rest and either dine there or venture off on your own.
Day Three
Today we'll get an early start and head toward Siena. We'll make several stops today. Two of the producers we will visit are in Castellina in Chianti: Castello di Fonterutoli and Castello di Lilliano. Fonterutoli is one of the most historic spots in Chianti Classico and is undoubtedly one of the best wineries in Tuscany. Two of the winery's most outstanding wines are the Concerto (80 percent Sangiovese, 20 percent Cabernet Sauvignon) and the Siepi.
The Castello di Lilliano has belonged to the Ruspoli family since the 1920s and is without a doubt one of the most beautiful vineyards we will encounter. Perhaps its most noteworthy wine is the splendid and traditional Chianti Classico Riserva. All the Castello di Lilliano wines are high quality yet very reasonably priced.
Our next stop will be for a late lunch at the Poggio Rosso restaurant in San Felice near Castelnuovo Berardenga. San Felice is a renovated medieval town and the restaurant offers traditional Tuscan dishes you are sure to enjoy after our extensive winery tour!
Following lunch our Chianti Classico winery tour comes to an end in Siena, where you will have the chance to explore this delightful Tuscan town before returning home.
This course is also available on a weeklong basis and includes more extensive tours of both Florence and Siena, more wine producers and producers of other gastronomical products including olive oil.
Six nights double room accommodation with breakfast, five cooking classes, four lunches, two dinners, course certificate, recipe booklet and commemorative hand-painted ceramic platter.
