Tuscany Wine Tasting & Vacation Tours

Arcidosso (Province of Grosseto) – On the outskirts of a small Medieval village on the slopes of Monte Amiata, the highest mountain in southern Tuscany that once was worshipped by the Etruscans. Located one hour away from the coast, 45 minutes from Siena, one and half hours from Florence, and two and a half hours north of Rome.

“La Locanda del Prete” has a magnificent view of the village of Arcidosso and its striking medieval Castle. Traditional Tuscan furnishings make this bed and breakfast quaint, cozy and quintessentially Tuscan. There are five bedrooms available at La Locanda del Prete, each with it's own private bathroom. There is also satellite TV in every room and a shared internet point in a private room on the first floor. The first floor of La Locanda del Prete is where the trattoria restaurant is located. The bedrooms are located on the second floor.

Italy is the motherland of fine wines. Italians produce more varieties of wine than any other nation, and Tuscany produces some of Italy’s finest wines. The soil and climate is rich and ideal for growing superb grapes that become, with age old Tuscan techniques, classic, delectable and award winning Italian wines. Tuscan wines are desired by sommeliers and connoisseurs not only in Italy, but through out the world. Tuscany is home to several distinct wine producing regions. Each wine producing region creates a variety of wines with different personalities and flavors. We will take you on a wine sampling tour that will introduce you to many unique wines from distinct regions, including the Chianti and Chianti Classico, Montepulciano, Montalcino, Pienza, and Pitigliano. Romeo will educate you about pairing Italian wines with Italian foods through wine-tastings in exclusive wine cellars. This wine-lovers tour will open your eyes and palates to various Tuscan wines, and you will see why Tuscany is the leading producer of super-Tuscan-Red Italian wines!

Experience the deep, rich red Italian wines; smoky; enticing Pecorino cheese; gourmet, organic, cold pressed olive oils; unspoiled vineyards and centuries-old olive groves. The pure, delicious flavors of Tuscan peasant cooking; fish fresh from the unspoiled sea, vegetables hand-picked from the Tuscan soil every morning, pasta hand-made by your chef’s nonna (grandmother). Wine tastings in ancient Italian wine cellars; the aroma of Italian breads baking in traditional stone ovens; meals enjoyed like a true Italian in authentic Tuscan trattorias (popular restaurants), shopping for groceries in an outdoor market that is hundreds of years old. These are just some of the exclusive cultural and culinary experiences you will enjoy as a welcome guest at La Locanda del Prete.

Carlo Innocenti, the owner of La Locanda del Prete and its master chef, will instruct you during the cooking class. Carlo is quite a celebrity in Arcidosso and the surrounding area for his entrepreneurial endeavors and creativity. In the past, he managed and was the head chef of the first class, world renowned cafe and restaurant in Punta Ala's Harry’s Bar, an upscale beach resort in the south of Tuscany. He also owned a restaurant in his own house in Arcidosso, and has conducted cooking courses in Switzerland. The guests can learn genuine Southern Tuscan dishes. All classes, taught in a large, rustic, authentic Tuscan kitchen, are hands-on and include local wine.

Romeo Innocenti will take you to discover the famous Southern Tuscan wine towns of Montalcino (Brunello wine & great shopping for ceramics), Montepulciano (Vino Nobile di Montepulciano), the seaside Maremma region with pure San Giovese wine tasting “in purezza” (in its purest form) specifically – Morellino di Scansano, the “colli Senesi” (the hills of Siena) with classic Chianti Antinori reds and a day dedicated to the lesser-known Tuscan seaside white wine known as “Ansonica di Monte Argentario.” You will be following the “Strada del Vino” (the celebrated ‘Road of Wine’ that is recognized by the Region of Tuscany Authority & Governing Body). You will be visiting and tasting wines in the smaller family owned wine cellars of these different towns daily with one tasting late morning and the other in the afternoon.

The wine map above (next to Romeo) shows the different wine production geographic “zones” with the appellations of “DOC” and “DOCG”. These are areas defined by the Tuscan region as being authentic for the making of certain wine types. DOCG stands for “Di Origine Controllata Garantita” which means of controlled and guaranteed origin. In other words, the Italian government in Tuscany inspects and monitors all of the wine production awarding labels only to those who pass the test. You will experience the following wine zones: 1. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (red – Sangiovese whose dominant form is “Prugnolo Gentile”) 2. Morellino di Scansano (red – Sangiovese...almost a “low-key” Brunello, the next Super Tuscan blend) 3. Chianti (red – Sangiovese blend with Malsavia white grape) 4. Brunello di Montalcino (red – pure biggest & boldest Sangiovese) 5. Ansonica di Monte Argentario (white – made from very tasty Sicilian white grape, better than Trebbiano).

“I left my heart on a hill in Toscana … Believe me when I tell you, on behalf of all of us, that we have never had a more wonderful trip in our lives. We have all traveled a great deal to many places but Arcidosso, by far, is the best!

We never wanted to leave.”

GAYLE DEJULIO - ATLANTA,GA