My husband and I would like to go to a wine tasting with no more than 10-12 people(fewer would be better) in the Chianti area. We are not looking for wineries with a tasting room where you belly up to the bar and taste wine, but an organized wine tasting with a wine guide, perhaps held in an enoteca or a restaurant, in the Chianti area. We want to try the wines with foods that complement the wine, and with some instruction on the wine.

Do you know of any websites that have info on wine tasting activities such as this? Better yet, have you been on one that you can give me some details about?

Thanks!

Hi - We went to a winery tour of Castello di Verrazzano near Greve in May 2004. Here is an exerpt from my trip report on our visit:

How gorgeous! This was one of our greatest highlights of our trips. Gino, the host of our tour, was so entertaining. We toured the cellars and learned how the wine was made. We decided to stay for the lunch and wine tasting (34 Euro per person). Our original plan was to stay for the tour and tasting at 17 Euro per person. But, we felt we should stay based on Gino's advice. And, we are so very glad we did. It ended up being a 5 hour experience. And let's talk "tasting!" This is no tasting; this is pure enjoyment of wine and food. We had a glass of 5 different wines and they left the bottles on the table of each wine so you could enjoy the rest. The food kept coming too!Definitely worth the money and so relaxing and fun! I think we had 20 people in the tour and tasting from all parts of the world. The winery is beautiful and the views were spectacular!

http://www.verrazzano.com/
I got the recommendation from this site. You can do a search and read more comments on it.

Have a good trip!

This sounds great!!!!! I will go to the site and check it out. So glad you saw my posting. Thanks for your reply.

DM

I second Verrazzano! My parents recommended it to my husband and I and we loved it! Much better than anything in California as it is a meal as well! Jillian was our guide instead of Gino and she was wonderful! You'll love it!

Yes Verrazzano is a great opportunity. Me and DH went two times! Gino is a great host, teaching how to taste the wines alone and with the food. He also provides great background on the area and wine making. But the best part is enjoying the view, and the people you meet. We ended up sharing even more bottles of wine with our group on the outdoor terrace after the dinner was over. It was a unique experience.

Must reservations be made? If so, how far in advance?

Thank you, all, for your input!!

You should go to the website and make a reservation, though our was misplaced and we were still able to do the tasting. We were there in June. All you need to do is e-mail gino and let him know and with a large group it will be necessary now that I look at the size of your group-we only had 2!

the e-mail address is:

[email protected] and website www.verrazzano.com.

Oh, I would reserve it soon-they do not ask for a credit card, so there's no reason to wait. You'll love it!

I believe I made our reservation a few weeks in advance and didn't have a problem. I am not sure when you are going, but it doesn't hurt to book a few months in advance. You can always email Gino with any of your questions. He is fluent in English.

Greve would be my suggestion as well.