Wine Tours in North Chianti Classico region of Tuscany, Italy.

Northward along the Black Rooster Road

It’s a word familiar to those who are passionate about wine, and even to a great many who are not. In fact, it’s the fourth most-recognized Italian word. The word is Chianti. And we’ve dedicated two whole tours to it, so beautiful is the land from which it comes.

Chianti is historically linked with the production of wine, and the area stretches from Sienna in the south to Florence in the north, the Chianti Mountains in the east and the valleys of the Pesa and Elsa rivers in the East. It’s a vast land, in the heart of Tuscany, and the wine it produces is a jewel among Tuscan wines.

But not all wines of this region are Chianti wines, and not all Chianti wines can lay claim to the appellation “Classico”.

The Chianti Classico is something special. The term “Classico” has the implication of old or original, and the wines that carry this distinguishing appendage are produced in an area delimited by Ministerial decree in 1932 and which has remained unchanged since then.

The Chianti Classico is a blended wine, and the rules were formulated as far back as 1874 by Barone Bettino Ricasoli, one time Prime Minister of Italy, and, more importantly from the point of view of wine history, the owner of Brolio Castle and estates in this region, known for the production of this variety of wine.

It is a blend of two reds and one or two whites - Sangiovese (75-95%), Cannailo (5-10%), Malvasia and/or Trebbiano (2-5%). The Riserva is made from the better grapes and kept in small French oak barriques for an extra year. On an average, thirty-one million bottles are produced every year. It has a minimum alcoholic content of 12%.

The soul of the Chianti Classico is the Sangiovese, contributing 80 to 95 percent of its ingredients. This grape changes its characteristics depending on the soil it grows on and the climate at the vineyards, and hence the difference in the way different Chianti Classicos taste. The 7000-hectare Chianti Classico area has soils ranging from sandstone to calcareous to volcanic. While sandstone gives the wine a flowery bouquet, you think of wild berries when you taste the wine grown in calcareous soil, and the volcanic soil lends it an odour of tobacco. The common factor is a scent of violets.

The wine makers of the region grouped together to form a consortium in 1924, and chose for themselves the symbol of a black rooster, borrowing it from the Chianti Leauge comprising the towns of Castellina, Radda, Giaole - front line garrisons for Florence in the ancient war between it and Siena

The Chianti Classico DOCG is being produced in the counties of Greve, Castellina, Radda and Gaiole in Chianti.

It is to taste this gem of a wine, ruby red to garnet, that we take you on the North Chianti Classic Tour.
This tour has an itinerary that will suit those wishing to leave from Florence.

Starting from your hotel or villa at 9.30 am, you’ll have the chance to visit a castle that has a lovely old cellar. You can go around the cellar and taste the Chianti Classico and Riserva that they produce. Next stop, a more modern though smaller vineyard. Compare and contrast your experiences and spot the differences between the old and the new.

We go on, driving between vineyards and olive groves, and stopping at the towns of Greve and Radda. The former is a pretty market town that has grown up around its attractive square. The square is home to many outdoor shops selling typical Tuscan products, and you can shop to your heart’s content.

Radda is another hilltop medieval town, from where you can enjoy a spectacular view of the Chianti hills.

Our journey will take us through the famed hillside vineyards and thick forests of Sienese Chianti, until we come to Panzano, another little town. There, we will stop at a comparatively new little winery that produces Chianti Classico and Riserva, You will enjoy visiting the cellar, learning how their wine is made, and tasting the wine and the olive oil.

After a meal at a restaurant serving typical Tuscan cuisine, we’ll drop you back at your hotel or villa at around 5.30 p.m.

Rates (Per Person): Full-day Tour

We would be glad to draft a customized itinerary for other tours in Tuscany for our customers. We are just an email away and would love to hear your feedback.
** Please note that all prices below are quoted considering a pick up and drop off in Florence. We can organise for the driver to come to your villa or accommodation in other areas of Tuscany and prices will be quoted seperately upon request **

Print this Page

Tell a Friend

Enquire Now